We have been a bit mislead with nutritional myths and the standard American Diet! No wonder we get frustrated with constant hunger, inability to lose fat efficiently, increased inflammation, mood and energy ups and downs and food cravings. We live on carbohydrates which if they are not a fiber, turn to sugar in our body to either be immediately used as energy or to be stored by insulin as fat. Starting our day with hidden sugar bombs, even if it is “naturally sourced” sugar is still setting us up for failure if living optimally is our goal. Here are were clients often go awry I see so many people go awry. Keep in mind that a normal fasting blood sugar is the equivalent of ONE teaspoon of sugar. Four grams of sugar equal ONE teaspoon.
Cows milk in coffee. The lactose is the sugar in milk that helps puts weight on calves as they nurse. If you use skim milk the sugar surges quickly in the bloodstream instead of having some fat to slow it down in 2% or whole milk.
TIP: Replace skim milk with organic Half-N-Half or even better yet start your day with healthy, nourishing fats from grass-fed butter and MCT oil to create that frothy latte experience while nourishing hormones and kicking up fat metabolism.
Skinny Fat Coffee (many know it as Bulletproof or Rocket Fuel)
2 cups organic brewed coffee
1 Tbsp. grass-fed butter (Ex: Kerry Gold – national brand, easy to find in stores)
½ – 1 Tbsp. MCT Oil (medium chain fat that helps your body create ketones to use a fuel and give it a metabolic boost!)
Instead of sugar try xylitol (from Birchwood, not corn) it has 40% less calories from sugar, it measures and tastes like sugar and is less inflammatory than artificial no-calorie sweeteners.
Directions: In a glass jar blender (important to use glass and not plastic so the MCT oil doesn’t degrade the plastic and ruin your blender jar with micro-cracks over time) blend all ingredients until frothy.
Fruit in smoothies – a banana might make your smoothie creamier, but one medium banana adds 27g of carbs if you throw in berries or juices then you really have a fat storing morning beverage! Just the banana is more than 6 times a normal blood sugar level.
Tip: Try blending in ½ an avocado instead of a banana. It will give the creamy texture but also packs potassium which helps with fluid and electrolyte balance and calms the nervous system. As well as having hormone nourishing healthy fat!
Oatmeal! We think this is a hearty way to stay full, but instead just 1 cup of cooked oats can have 28g of carbohydrates, plus if we add milk, sugar or dried fruit, the sugar content spikes quickly. For example the “Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal” from Starbucks touts 43 grams of carbs! That’s 10 times normal blood sugar!
Cereals – that “natural” or “whole grain” cereal can pack a mammoth wallop of sugar with 43-50g of carbohydrates and that is before you add cow’s milk or even sweetened nut based milks.
Yogurt – Marketers tout low calorie yogurts as being gut friendly, but the sugars feed bad gut bacteria and send blood sugar on a roller coaster.
TIP: Stick to vanilla or plain Greek yogurt or Icelandic Skyr – sweeten with cinnamon or other spices and/or a dash of xylitol. These have more protein then carbohydrates typically.
Breakfast sandwiches – the gluten, the carbs, the high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil in many commercial breads are very inflammatory… OH My! Try making your own with Cloud Bread (click here for recipe)
Granola or protein bars. Grab and go may be your thing, but these “health bars” can be anything but healthy at times! They can be sugar bombs! Plus with how small they often are, we don’t actually feel full because there is no volume to trigger the feeling of fullness so we eat the bar and are left looking for something more. Granola bars tend to be low on the protein and high protein bars also tend to either be high on carb content to taste palatable OR they are loaded with chemicals or sugar alcohols to keep the sugar content low.
Tip for Success: Instead start your day with protein (about 20-25 grams for the average woman and 30-40 grams for the average male) and a healthy dose of good fats from things like real, whole eggs, avocado, grass-fed butter or raw nuts. It will keep blood sugar steady, help speed weight loss and keep hunger at bay!