My Ever Changing Grocery Cart

When I first moved to California, shortly after college, I believe my diet primarily consisted of Gatorade, Hostess Ding Dongs, Taco Bell and any fried or battered bar food.  This made grocery shopping pretty uninteresting - throwing boxes of processed and prepackaged foods into the cart, nary a piece of lettuce in sight.

Within the first few weeks of my time here, I began to witness a phenomenon at the grocery.  People put fruits and vegetables in their carts.  They also walked around in workout clothes.  They appeared to be at the grocery after having gone to something called "a gym."  And, they all seemed pretty chipper.  Young or old, I noticed fit, healthy looking people, walking around the grocery putting food from the produce section into their carts.  This was also the time when fresh, bottled smoothies, Robek's and Jamba Juice were all the rage.  People would discuss the best, most power packed combinations of fruits, veggies and powders for their drinks. I wondered, "what's so wrong with this simple, delicious Gatorade? Afterall, it's thirst aid for that deep down body thirst."

The other day, I was at the check out counter and a woman commented that my cart was so healthy.  It was healthy for the health food store?  What had I put in there? In previous years, I had not been associated with health.  Food, yes.  Health, not so much.  Who am I now?  I realized that my cart has changed so much over the years that it really demarcates significant time periods in my life.

My cart - take a peak!

1993: Entered College - Gatorade, Pepsi Free, Little Debbie Snack Cakes, Hostess Anything (you name it!), TV Dinners, Mac N' Cheese, Sugar Cereals, Milk, Microwavable Pizza Pockets, etc, etc, etc.  Plus, dinners out - Mad Mushroom Cheese Sticks, Pizza, Taco Bell & KFC


1998: Moved to California - Gatorade, Smoothies, Hostess Anything, Mac N' Cheese, Meat, Eggs, Potatoes, Candy Bars, Sugar Cereal, Oven Baked Pizzas, Blueberries, Bread, Sandwich Supplies, Occassional Vegetable or Fruit.  Still eating lots of Taco Bell & KFC. Definitely not going to win any awards here.

2000: I discover Trader Joes - "Healthy" versions of sugar cereals, crackers, snacks, frozen dinners, Spinach, Bananas, Blueberries, other fruits and vegetables (some are even designated organic), smoothies, "Natural" eggs and meat, power bars, red wine (hey! they say it's healthy!), cheese - oh the cheese, more crackers....

2003: We moved to Italy - Prosciutto, Cheese, Bread, Yogurt, Eggs, Wine, Coffee, Olives, Artichokes, Eggplant & Fruit, Kinder Chocolate, Gelato.  We shopped daily and could only buy what we could carry up 104 stairs.  Hey - what more do you need when you're in Italy?

2004: Joined Slow Food Movement in Indy - Natural and Organic versions of Prosciutto, Cheese, Bread, Yogurt, Eggs, Wine, Coffee, Olives, Artichokes, Eggplant & Fruit, TJs snacks, crackers, sugar cereal. Back then, it was harder to find natural or organic food in Indy but it was there (mostly at Trader Joes.)  Through Slow Food, I learned about raw milk, pasture fed food and CSAs.  Farmer's Markets were scarce but coming on the scene.

2006: Moved back to California - Joined a CSA, started shopping at different Farmer's Markets around town for fresh produce, began eating more and more real food and mostly natural and organic but still eating lots of Trader Joe's delicious processed snacks, sugary goodies, crackers, ice creams, etc.

2007: Discover Whole Foods - Organic everything! Organic meat, eggs, cheese - you name it.  Even wine! Still with the CSA and shopping the Farmer's Markets for produce but getting all organic processed snacks, sugary goodies, crackers, ice creams, etc.

And now, 2012 - getting caught off guard from a compliment by the woman at the check out counter. A cart full of vibrant, organic fruits and vegetables, pasture raised eggs and meat and that's about it.  No processed food.  No Fast Food. No sugar.  Only real, whole food.  Getting complimented that my cart is healthy for the health food store!  How did this happen?

My cart doesn't always look like this but it just goes to show how small, incremental changes can make long-term improvements for your health and lifestyle.  Sometimes, you don't even know it is happening. 

Who am I?  Apparently, I am healthy.

The Power of Sugar

I recently attended a health conference in Long Beach where I was absolutely shocked to learn from one of the speakers that sugar is actually 4 times as addictive as cocaine.  What?  Four times more addictive than what!?!  I couldn't believe it but the proof literally is in the pudding.  With Diabetes escalating every day and waistlines ever expanding, it is not only clear in research experiments but also to the naked eye, that we have an addiction to sugar in the U.S.  

One of the quickest ways to get control of your weight and balance your body's blood sugar/insulin processes again is by cutting sugar out of your diet.  Even if you only eat "natural" sugars from fruit, honey, agave nectar, etc., you could be ingesting an enormous amount of sugar per day.  Now, I am not saying to cut sugar out of your diet forever.  Fruits definitely have some health benefits as does raw honey but by eliminating sugar from your diet for a short period of time, you let your body learn to regulate your blood sugar levels, get a better sense of when you're actually hungry, increase your immune system's ability to fight off illness and ward off Candida infections. 

Sugar is pervasive in our American diet.  All kinds of foods that you would not associate with sugar have been processed with this other "white powder." Did you know that taco seasoning and tomato sauce contain added sugars?  Can you see the hidden sugar in the picture above? In her step-by-step e-book, "I Quit Sugar," Sarah Wilson surprises herself by discovering how much sugar she actually consumed in a day.

A year ago, I quit sugar.  My health improved immediately.  Once you quit sugar, you don't crave sweets as much and when you do take a bite of dessert, a bite is all you actually need to feel satiated.  However, Valentine's Day was just a few weeks ago.  My husband wanted to be sweet and brought home a small tub of coconut macaroons for me.  It's really the only treat I can eat without having a reaction due to all of my food sensitivities.  It started out as one bite of one macaroon.  At first I thought they were too sweet.  I went back for another bite then another macaroon and then another. 

During the next few days, I was exhausted.  I started adding caffeine and more sugar to my diet to cope.  Within the week, my face had broken out with acne, I was severely dehydrated and I had a systemic Candida infection.  All of this from one bite of an ultra sugary macaroon.  Can you say addictive?  That's right, say it with me again - "4 times as addictive as cocaine!"  I was addicted.  And like most addictions, I had withdrawal symptoms for days after I decided to stop the sugar roller-coaster madness.  I've now been sugar-free for a week.  My acne and Candida have subsided, I'm able to sleep better and I'm full of energy.  Plus, I lost a few pounds off of the tummy tire I had acquired during my sugar binge.  

Well, I learned my lesson!  I'm not perfect.  I'm a Health Coach who fell prey to the siren call of sugar but at least I had the tools and knowledge to reign it back in quickly.  It's amazing the power sugar can have over your mind. Want to come out of your sugar fog?  Try my 30-day kick sugar program at The Healthy Plate. 

Have you ever quit sugar before?  Are you still sugar-free?  What were the results?  Join the discussion below.  I'd love to hear from you!