Dare You To...

In my efforts to eat more real foods and rely less on sugar, I've been using honey in my baking!  Honey is known primarily for its sweetness and can replace white sugar in almost anything.  In fact, honey is so sweet (25 - 50% sweeter than white sugar), that you need less of it to enjoy the same flavor!


More than sugar:However, unlike white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and other such man-made, refined sweeteners, honey is a more naturally-occurring substance containing over a hundred different compounds, including plenty of vitamins, amino acids, and minerals.When you consume honey, you're getting so much more than just a hit of sugar, and, for that, honey is a much healthier sweetener than refined sugars!

The best kind of honey you can use is rawhoney, which can be found in most farmer's markets (bonus points for local!) and health food stores today.  Or, if you're so inclined, visit a local bee farm or raise your own!  That's another dare for another day...

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For a few years, Diane Sanfilippo has shared her expertise on sugar cravings in an e-book called The 21 Day Sugar Detox, where she outlined a program for a three-week detox from sugar.  Whether you think you've got a sweet tooth or not, you may be surprised how sugar affects your daily life (eczema, fatigue, mood swings, acne, blood sugar rollercoasters, and more!).  Take a look at the videos below and consider whether a detox might be beneficial for YOU!

Want some testimonials? I completed the program twice, myself, and shared my experiences here and here.  My friend Amber has recapped her experiences at Exsoycise.com, and you can also find great experience posts by Sarah on her blog The Paleo Mom, and George of The Civilized Caveman.  Just google "21-Day Sugar Detox Recap" and you'll see countless positive reviews for this life-changing program.


Now, Diane has revamped and added to her program to create an all-inclusive resource in a real, physical, keep-it-on-you…

If you recall, the 21 Day Sugar Detox is a program developed by Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites to crush your sugar addiction, reduce cravings, and re-set your sweet tooth. It has "21 Day" built right into the name; it is not meant to be a permanent lifestyle, but rather a 3-week detox during which you can reclaim your power over sugar and see what life without sugar is life (and how good it can feel!)


The sugar detox rules (which prohibit/limit not only obvious sweets but also alcohol, fruit, and even cashews) can be found in the book available on Amazon.  It gives you all the information on what, why, and how to complete this detox and free yourself from sugar's grasp.

Last January, I completed my first 21 Day Sugar Detox, although I'd cut it short and made it 20 days--a decision I made ahead of time. You can read about that experience in this blog post. Overall, it was a great learning experience.

After this summer, I needed it again. I'd welcomed choco…

End of Summer - How did this happen?

It's like the weather knew. The temperature dropped 10 degrees the minute Labor Day passed.  I'm not complaining, this 70-degree, sunny weather is perfect, but I'm wondering when it happened and what happened to July and August.

But, alas, end of summer it is!  To commemorate the occasion, Village Green Network is selling an outstanding book bundle: 30 health and wellness books for just $39.That's under $2 per book!! Valued at $650, this is not a deal to pass up.  To purchase or learn more, visit VGN Online here.  It ENDS TOMORROW!


The End of Summer E-Book Bundle includes the following (mostly NEW) titles for instant download:
1 DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes by Heather Dessinger of Mommypotamus
2 Simply Salads by Season by Kristen Michaelis of Food Renegade
3 Feed Your Fertility by Emily Bartlett and Laura Erlich
4 The Sleep Solution: End Your Insomnia Naturally by Emily Benfit of Butter Believer 
5 Processed Free by Robin Konie of Tha…

Man, oh man, do I have some great reads for you!  I've just been collecting them and the list grows longer and longer...

Reminder: If you like Friday Features, you can always stay up to date with articles that I find worth sharing by following me on Twitter,because I'm always retweeting similar content!

There is a LOT of nutrition in the news these days, so today is going to be nutrition-heavy.  Maybe next week I'll shift gears to focus on fitness.

[But, before we begin, one fun fitness feature:] Remember last year's introduction to SlimKicker?  It's this awesome website that helps you tackle challenges you give yourself, to become a better you.  Sound familiar?  Anyway, they're hosting a huge giveaway, where you can win a Bowflex Home Gym, worth over $1000!  They tell us: "This home gym features more than 50 strength building exercises, with resistance ranging from 50 to 210 pounds. It's very convenient, and simple to use, with no cable exchanges neede…

Just23 days ago, I began the 21 Day Sugar Detox.  It's something I'd wanted to do for a long time now, and the new year seemed like the perfect time.  Well, it wasn't perfect, because I knew that I had a trip on January 19, during which I would not want to restrict myself, but I figured a 19-Day Sugar Detox was better than nothing. It would be a good chance to dabble in it and see how it went!


And now, my first go-round is complete :)

Here, I'll give you a small background on it (but go to the website for all the details!), a glimpse at some of my eats during the 3 weeks, and a set of lessons learned about myself and my food--thanks to the detox program.

A bit of background: 
The 21 Day Sugar Detox is not intended to be a permanent lifestyle.  It is a nutrition-based program for anyone who experiences sugar or carb cravings, energy spikes and dips, brain fog, lethargy, and other undesirable symptoms of an unhealthy, unnatural diet.  It's carefully designed by Diane…

My 21-Day Sugar Detox: Two weeks down, one to go!  

Since I started on January 1, I confess that I've ever-so-slightly fluctuated in my adherence.  Week 1 was outstanding.  It was fresh and new and I was turning down sugar-laden food and drink like it was nothing. Then, Week 2 caught me with... not even caving to suggestion but simply giving in to my own temptations, my own crankiness and whims, maybe simply because I could.  I made a couple choices that I am not happy about, but they taught me about myself, and now I continue on.

Each morning, I receive an email from Diane Sanfilippo, creator of the 21-Day Sugar Detox, in which she offers some words of motivation and some tips for simplifying the task. This week, one email contained some words that really spoke to me:


Yep, that's exactly what I needed to hear.  A setback means I slipped up, lost focus, got lazy, and made an undesirable choice.  It was not me "giving up," and it may not have furthered my goal, but a …

All workweeks should be 3 days! Who agrees?

A new year, and some new interesting articles to share with you!

Looking back on 2012 and beyond 2013, Mark Bittman offers thiscomprehensive overview of health-related current events, news, and trends in The New York Times Online.

Water, Coconut Water, or Sports Drink -- Which is best for you? Brad Gouthro helps you choose.
Mark Sisson asks if you're eating these important supplemental foods.  I've got about a third in my diet... dare me to try the rest?

Whether you're making this common interval training mistake or simply want to take your workout to the next level, Dr. Ray Hinish has the trick to get the most burn out of your high-intensity interval training.
Looking for some new recipes?  Jenn has you covered, with colorful recipes, from A to Z!

Or, check out Balanced Bites if you're interested specifically in15 egg-Free Breakfast Ideas.
More news on negative effects of fructose (which is in SO MANY PROCESSED FOODS) via Gre…

Happy New Year!  My 2013 resolution involves having a different focus each month, and that begins with....

January: New Year Nutrition.

Really, before I tackle any other goals and focuses, I need to feel good, first, right?  That's why 2013 will start with the inside, which, of course, starts with food.



Step 1: Return to Paleo

I've gushed about the paleo lifestyle before, and I've shared my personal experience going paleo to "mostly paleo," and yet, in spite of my conviction that it is incredibly healthy and yields undeniable positive results, I've fallen off the wagon.

This fall, I got busy, and tired, and just sort of consciously gave concessions for a while, going beyond just 80/20 or "flexible."  In that craziness, I also came to rely on sugar for energy.  My poison of choice?  Chocolate-covered almonds, cashews, and blueberries. It was a temporary sweetness, that soon left me feeling foggy-headed.

Just as I discovered last spring, the food I eat …

Just as important as setting goals is tracking progress.

My 2012 Resolutions were...
Make my bed each morning:CHECK! Easy.Stretch each night before bed: CHECK! I like this. It's one step that tells me, "Okay, it's time to relax and sleep."Eat 6-8 servings of fruits & vegetables daily:.... Half credit?  This started out pretty well, probably through about August or so.  But then life got busy and crazy, and some weeks I got PLENTY of vegetables, but other weeks I did not.  It simply wasn't my focus of attention. 
Sleep 7-9 hours each night: CHECK! Drink water: CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!Run 3 times per week: I'll give myself a CHECK here.  This was going strong up until the past month or so.  Between work and finals and the holidays and the cold, rainy weather, I've not been running 3x/week, although I have gotten at least once a week.Run 600 miles in 2012  DailyMile Challenge: NOT accomplished.  Note, I'm not saying I failed, because I did my best and ca…

I'm a little late on this, but I recently stumbled upon the March 2012 edition of TIME FOR KIDS.Intrigued by the cover story ("Sugar Overload!"), I took a look inside.


I was pleased to see health issues taking center stage in an educational children's publication.  The article starts off like this, explaining how sugar is hidden in a lot of foods we might not expect (like sauces and crackers), in addition to those we already know (like candy and soda).  TIME encourages kids to search labels for the many aliases of sugar, consider the amount of sugar in various food products, and maybe think about cutting back.

All good, right?

While I do applaud TIME's effort at helping young people identify added sugar and think about its unhealthy effects in their body, I was sorely disappointed with the article's lack of attention to what IShealthy.  The well-intentioned writer warns students all about the unwanted "Sugar Overload" and displays the shocking amoun…