Cheating.......(on Sugar Busters)

 Just a small something I want to throw out there and talk about......Cheating.

The more I think about this diet (starting in 4 days) the more questions keep popping up in my head.  Am I doing it indefinitely? Am I going to have cheat days? Am I going to try to control everything that goes into my children's and Husband's mouth.  What about when we're invited over to someone's house for dinner or a birthday party?   So much to think about.

I cannot control my Husband or my kids intake at work and school.   My Husband is a fireman and has to eat what is being cooked.  He could take less of the starchy foods and avoid the ice-cream but the rest cannot be avoided.  He is also an avid runner and will continue to have his Cliff Bars, Gatorade and Shot-blocks.  But when he's out there running 5, 8 and 15+ miles almost everyday, I can't argue.

My kids have their snacks at church and school and their occasional cupcakes for their friend's birthday parties, and I will not be a stickler on that either.  I don't mind putting myself out, but I refuse to do the same to others.  Which also answers my question about dinner parties and birthday parties.  I will not refuse a meal that somebody put the time and effort into making me.  I just plan on taking less of the starch and more of the veggies, if possible.

What I can control is what I make at home, which is essentially 90% of my kid's diet and about 75% of my Husband's.  Not too shabby.

The other thing I haven't figured out yet is my kid's consumption of Ovaltine (1 tablespoon) per day in their milk, in the morning.  They look forward to this every morning so it my be another cheat for them.  

And last but not least.......Fake Sugar.  I have a family of heart problems.  Nothing major; no medication needed, BUT my brother's Cardiologist insisted to stay away from fake sugar, that its really bad for the heart.  After spending 31 years of never eating it, I think it tastes like the chemical poison it is and WILL NOT EAT IT!!  So I'm on the search for a sugar substitute that has a lower glycemic index.
So far I'm considering Coconut Palm Sugar or Agave.  Any thoughts?

P.S. Also, I'm going to set up a recipe folder for all of us to add recipes to.  You can just send me your recipe via email, and I'll post it with your name attached.

Stay tuned for my grocery shopping adventure.  I'm dreading the initial pantry/fridge clean-up but it must be done.

Sugar Busters

Okay, so a lot of us Crossroads peeps went to Taleah's Sugar Buster class at church and WOW....eye opening!!!  For those of you who are new to this, here's a quickie......

Sugar Busters is like a diabetic's diet, eliminating all refined sugars from our diet.  The book (which I recommend getting on amazon) explains how we Americans are poisoning our bodies (and our kid's bodies) with TOO MUCH SUGAR, hence the obesity plauge, and the many other health problems we're facing today, i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and lets face it.......tiredness, crankiness and FAT!!

The basic No-list will consist of getting rid of your refined sugar items (the obvious cookies, candy, ice-cream), corn and corn products, white anything (bread, rice, pasta), and sadly potatoes.

The good news is, you can still have so much yummy, savory food......steak, butter, cheese, ranch, nuts, beans, fruit, veggies, wheat pasta/bread and my two favorites.......wine and dark chocolate!!  YES!!!

There is so much more details to learn about which is why I recommend getting the book.

Anyways, my family will be starting this diet in May.  We have a week to eat out pasta, fruit snacks etc, and then the rest gets donated to our church's food pantry.

I'm starting this blog because (as Pastor Chuck said) it is better to make radical changes when doing it in a community.  So here, we can share recipes, ideas, questions, complaints and progress.

So whose with me? =)