Fact for the Day:

1/3 pound broccoli contains more vitamin C than 204 apples

Sugar Free 1st week

I have a facebook page for a Sugar Free January, so if you want to jump in and become a fan, you can start now to "Take Control of your health". There are many articles and reasons why it is a very good choice to take sugar out of your diet. My reason was because I am a sweets girl, I love anything sweet, and because of December and all the TREATS around, I allowed myself to have more. We all know we start to get to a point where we FEEL like we need something with sugar in it EVERY DAY.
I personally can not image my life without sugar, but I also know that we can form better habits, and by taking sugar out for 30 days, we can form a habit. By forming new habits, we will be able to re focus, and eat sugar in moderation like we should. We will start making better decisions about how sugar makes us feel, and we will be able to make better choices. I believe we are just making a step in shaping our bodies and feeling better about our appearance. Here are some things that have helped me stay off of sugar this week:

* protein smoothies-- add blueberries, natural sweetners, strawberries, bananas, spinach, kale, kiwi, ect. Each day I have one an hour before and/or after my workouts.

*a hearty breakfast- cut up as many veggies as you can and add it with 1 egg, and 1 egg white. If you want something sweet for breakfast, cook up 1 egg, and 1 egg white, and add in some oatmeal, sprinkle some cinnamon. Top it with apple butter, or applesauce. A great hearty bowl of oatmeal with berries is delicious also. Do NOT skip on Breakfast!

*FRUIT- a perfect crunchy, and cold apple is perfect to tame those sugar cravings

*Water- Don't forget to drink lots of it!

*Modify- If you need to eat sweets, make one of your favorite recipes and add truvia all natural sweetner instead of the sugar. It's more expensive than sugar, but I believe we are all saving money by going sugar free.

*chocolate covered strawberries- use dark chocolate. Dark chocolate actually contains anti- oxidants which help us to fight off sickness.

How to live Sugar Free

If you are a fan of our facebook page 'Let's Make January Sugar Free' then here are some suggestions for some of the questions you might have about the how far you should go.

There is sugar in almost everything we eat, so where should we draw the line?

This is your month, it's up to you where you limit yourself, but be careful with artificial sweetners. Many treats and cookies that say 'Sugar Free' will contain an artificial sweetner that is really not good for you. Try to stick to natural sweetners like xylitol, truvia, or xagave. As for the diet sodas, yes, they are sugar free, but they too contain artificial sweetner.

I for one am not going to eliminate skim milk, although it contains sugar, it is ok for myself, but I will not eat the cereals that contain sugar, instead I will make a bowl of oatmeal with berries, an veggie omlet, or a green smoothie. I love hot chocolate on a cold night, so instead of the sugary cocoa, I will make cocoa with skim milk or soy milk, hersheys dark unsweetened cocoa, and xagave natural sweetner. This will probably be my sweet indulgence for myself this month.

Remember this is your month, you are going to see the results you want because you are honest with yourself, don't replace your craving every time with a diet soda, or go out and by 'Sugar Free' treats.

Good luck and, make sure you post your ideas, and daily struggles on our facebook page, dedicated to a Sugar Free January.