Archive for Health

Sweeteners; How to Choose the Right One

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We know sugar is BAD!  The sad truth is that many “No Calorie Sweeteners” are also bad. The choices are plentiful!  The health consequences of these are also plentiful!

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My first choice of sweetener when we decided to go Keto was Splenda (Larger name is Sucralose.) because that was my husband’s sweetener of choice, and you could bake with it in equal amounts.  Then…I heard the story about how Sucralose was invented.  It was invented by a group of chemists looking for a new formula for pesticide.  Yes, I said pesticide!  When you eat Splenda or other versions of Sucralose you are eating the mistake of chemists looking for a new improved pesticide.  When Chemist A said to Chemist B, “Have you tested it?”, Chemist B responded, “It tastes sweet!” Obviously mishearing, taste for test, Chemist A was horrified that B actually put this poison in his mouth.  But, the formula for a new product began at this point.  Let’s see when you put that stuff to your lips again.

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There are many other choices…We are all familiar with the blue stuff, the pink stuff, and the list goes on.  Then you have honey, agave, and maple syrup.  Granted, these are natural sweeteners, but have an effect on blood sugar.  Honey, agave and maple syrup can all have a dramatic effect on your blood sugar, and leave you craving for more.  Honey?  I know, but just like everything else, it has become highly processed, and basically “all the good stuff” has been removed.  The only exception I would find, would be a good local source that you know has quality honey from the area in which you live.  I still would not eat it, but I would use it to sweeten things such as grass-fed plain yogurt and other quality foods for my children.  If you can find good LOCAL honey, it is great for allergy resistance for your children in very small amounts – I emphasize SMALL.  Please use with caution because it still will spike blood sugar.  If you are trying to lose weight or have insulin resistance at all (which over 70% of our adult population does) stay away and stick to the others mentioned next.  To read more about the worst and best sweetener, check out this article, The 4 Best and 3 Worst Sweeteners to Have in Your Kitchen, written by Dr. Mercola.

Natural sweeteners that do not have an impact on blood sugar are Swerve, Stevia, and Chicory Root, and every once in a while, Xylitol for certain foods (be careful with Xylitol – toxic for pets).  These are the ones that we choose to use.  You can purchase Swerve at Whole Foods, Sprouts, or in our Amazon store, here.  There are many different forms of Stevia on the market.  Be careful, and READ your labels.  I have found all sorts of added ingredients.  This is the Chicory Root powder sold by Chocoperfection:

Sweet PErfection

 

This is granular swerve, good used on anything that is NOT cold, such as coffee or baked goods.  Choose the purple confectioners for cold items, such as puddings or custards.

 

Swerve

We do all need to try to be as sugar free as possible for so many health reasons.  The problem is, any time there is a good thing, the food industry can take it and make it BAD!  Take for instance, Stevia.  Stevia is a great product, used for centuries in South America.  It is all natural, has a low glycemic index, and a little goes a long way. The food industry in America saw that this was an up and coming sweetener, and has come along and ruined it in many ways.  For example, Pure Stevia used to be the only thing you could buy.  Now you have huge food and beverage companies coming into the market, and adding other ingredients, such as sugar (yes, sugar) maltodextrin, and a variety of other ingredients we do not want inside our bodies.  My point of this post is to tell you to be careful when choosing sweeteners and reading labels.  We need to cut down on the “sweet” period!  That is, teach our tongues not to crave the sweet.  If you do need a little sweet every once in a while, choose carefully by doing your research, and reading your labels.  Do not go by what you see on the front of a box!  At the moment, I buy the Sweet Leaf packets:

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And Stevia Drops which come in a variety of flavors and you can purchase at Whole Foods, Sprouts, or our Amazon store here:

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Sometimes as a treat, I use these drops to sweeten plain unsweetened almond milk for the children.  When I use the chocolate drops, it magically turns into a chocolate milkshake!

Chocolate-Milkshake

Stevia measures VERY VERY differently than any of these other sweeteners which more or less can be measured cup for cup just like sugar.  This website is a great resource for conversions if you have any questions.  Just click here for a conversion chart!  This works for PURE Stevia only.

I ordered a “Pure Stevia” off of Amazon last week, and was livid when I received it to find that the “other ingredient” was Malodextrin which has one of the highest glycemic index values out there.  It is BAD stuff! Needless to say, it is going back, and I will continue to do my research to find an actual PURE stevia with no other added ingredients.  It is becoming harder and harder to do this.  The one place I have been able to find actual pure, organic, non-GMO stevia for baking is Trader Joe’s.  While there, pick up some coconut cream, ghee, nuts of many varieties, and some Creme Fraiche!  Yum!!!

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So the take away of this article is to READ, READ, READ you labels!  There are new brands of Stevia, especially, coming to the market daily because it is a HOT item.  To make them better, companies are making these sweeteners worse for us.  Take care and sweeten carefully!

The Warrior Continues Her Cancer Battle!

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What a difference a week can make!

Last Wednesday, we received a phone call at dinner telling us that we needed to get Erin and Charlie’s daughter, Elise, from the neighbor.  Charlie had to call EMS because Erin had a seizure after a completely normal day at work.

Imagine, waking up to a regular schedule, getting ready for work, dropping the kids at school, working all day, returning home thinking about dinner, and boom, your world is black.  This is what happened to Erin last week.  A normal day, and then she awakened in the Emergency Room with no memory of how she arrived there.

As family descended, the discussion centered on a panic attack, because she had experienced a few over the past three months, or so we thought.  In fact, as Erin and I worked on the conception of The Sweet Life Sugar Free the very first night, I witnessed her first “attack.”  Her hands were shaking as she tried to type, and she got flustered.  We took a break and discussed her day. She had experienced a hectic day at work and was not able to drink her water, take her supplements, or eat anything substantial.  She drank two bottles of water and took some magnesium and potassium.  She was obviously dehydrated, and possibly excited and nervous about starting our new venture.  After a few minutes she felt better, and we got back to work as our girls played “Princess” in the adjacent room.  Later that evening, as she was leaving the house, she came to get me because she couldn’t buckle Elise into her carseat or get her keys into the ignition of her car.  She said she just “couldn’t get her hands to do what she was telling them to do”.  I gave her yet more water, and she and Elise stayed for the night.

Illustration depicting a sign with a dehydration concept.

The next day, Erin was better and carried on as normal.

About a month ago, she called me from home early in the afternoon, and told me she had the same experience at work and had to leave because she couldn’t type.  “My hands just aren’t working,” she said.  This time she chalked it up to too much coffee and being nervous about her upcoming PET scan.  Again, she slept and felt better the next day.

She was certain that both of these “panic attacks” centered around her anxiousness about her PET Scan on May 13, 2015, dehydration, lack of nutrients, and too much coffee.  Makes sense, right?

I reread her post yesterday from May 15th, which discussed her clear PET scan, and how she was thanking Cancer for helping her have courage and appreciate the little things in life.  She was so relieved when the scan came out clear just one short month ago.  She closed her post by telling Cancer, “You are not welcome back!”

Fast forward to last Wednesday evening.  I had Elise (Erin and Charlie’s daughter) and my kids at home, and my husband, Chip, returned from the hospital at 11:30 pm after sitting with Erin’s husband, and his cousin, Charlie.  Erin was awake, and they were awaiting the results from the CT Scan.  As soon as Chip walked into the bedroom, he received a phone call from his aunt in Denver that he needed to return to the hospital immediately…the CT results did not look good.  There were two spots.  I sat straight up in bed, and all I could think was, “No!”  She had a panic attack, right?  And, it certainly couldn’t be Cancer because she just received an “All Clear” on May 13th!  That was less than one month ago!  She was doing everything right!  There was no way – the radiologist had to be wrong!

I got updates throughout the night without much information.  As with many diseases, the waiting is horrible, terrible, endless.  No one tells you anything.  (Doctors, take note!) Chip returned home again about 6:30 am with no more information, other than Erin was scheduled to be transported to a different hospital.  They had been waiting for hours for the transport so she could get an MRI which would show more detail in the brain.  The hope was that the CT was showing something insignificant.  She was to be observed by her oncologist and an awaiting Neurosurgeon.  Everyone was just waiting, in holding mode, as if the clock remained still.  Finally, she was transported about 8:30 am, on Thursday morning and taken to the MRI.  Then, more waiting.  At this point, more family members were on planes making their way to Texas.

In the meantime, Erin’s oncologist arrived and had taken a look at the CT scan.  She told Erin and Charlie that it appeared the Cancer from the breast had taken root in the brain.  Basically, Breast Cancer in the brain.  I know what you are thinking…what about the clear PET scan?  I hope you are as outraged as the rest of us were.  The response was, “Insurance only covers a scan from the neck down.”  I was stunned!  Are you kidding me?  They were told that day, for the first time by Erin’s oncologist, that 1 in 10 Breast Cancer patients with HER2 breast cancer, develop tumors in the brain!  (Click here for more information on HER2.)  Yet, they don’t scan for this?  It is absurd!  It was disturbing to all of us there that not only do they not scan the brain, but that Erin was never told to watch for symptoms or told that this was a possibility.  All of these “panic attacks” she was having were small seizures caused by the tumors!  Outrage, contempt, and anger seized every muscle and nerve in my body!  No mention, no warning, no prevention – is that really what we call healthcare?

We also all learned that the tumors have more than likely been in her brain this whole time.  Since the beginning of the story!  I did not know that the particles in the chemotherapy cannot travel up the brain stem, therefore, leaving the brain as a free for all.  The rest of her body is completely clean, and looks great, according to all the doctors.  Seeing that the tumors in the brain are breast cancer tumors, they had to get there before she started chemotherapy almost two years ago since the rest of her body is cancer free.  They were trapped in the brain without a chance of being eliminated by the chemotherapy and treatments she was receiving for the rest of her body!

Later in the day, the neurosurgeon entered the room and gave Erin the news that, yes, there were definitely two tumors in the brain, and there was an additional one near the brain stem for a total of three.  She was scheduled for brain surgery the next morning at 10:30 am.  Not much time to think, which was good for Erin, and probably everyone in the room for that matter!  He was going to be able to remove the two higher tumors, but would have to do radiation for the third because it was too close to the brain stem.  It is by the grace of God, and the advantage of a Ketogenic diet, that the tumors did not raise their evil heads until two years later, spread, or cause more havoc.  Erin is still a believer!  She was able to recover from her earlier surgeries before she had to do this one!  This VERY big one!  Whew, this was a lot to swallow! More Cancer and Brain Surgery in less than 24 hours!  We all thought she was fine!

Friday roles around, and thanks to many prayers, and an excellent neurosurgeon, nurses and staff, “the surgery could not have gone more smoothly,” according to the surgeon!  Praises for everyone in that operating room, all of her caregivers, and more than anything, the strength of our amazing warrior, Erin!  She is amazing!

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The day after surgery, she was up walking, and ready to go home.  A little impatient, maybe, but strong as an ox!  She was not waiting or relying on anyone!  In fact, she said to me, “I just really don’t like asking others to do things for me!”  Really?!?!  She had just come out of brain surgery!  We are all still in awe at her strength and determination.  It is going to take an army to get her to sit still and recuperate.  She was able to come home yesterday, and already talking about paint colors, as she stared from her chair to her fireplace.  “Goodness!” was all I could say and smile.

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My what a difference a week makes, and what a week it has been for my dear friend!  She is not just a fighter, but a warrior.  She is not just a patient, but a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a mighty encourager for those suffering through cancer, those that have fought the same battle, and those that may in the future.  If only the insurance companies could see through the patient to the person.

Erin stands without fear and encourages the rest of us!  May this be an encouragement to everyone that the battle carries on, and Erin will fight not only for herself, but for all the others out there as well!  Be strong you amazing woman!  You will win this battle, if only by your own will and determination!  I have no doubt, and I love you dearly!  You ARE an amazing warrior!

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And yes, this is Erin yesterday – after brain surgery just four day earlier!  Amazing!!!

Refreshing Summer Limealicious Dessert

Going Keto means no sugar, but it doesn’t mean no desserts!

Every once in a while, I like to experiment with sweet recipes.  Sometimes it is as easy as taking an old recipe and just replacing the sugar with Swerve or Stevia.  Sometimes it takes a little more creativity, and other times, I can find new Keto recipes online and adjust to our taste.

I was a legitimate sugaraholic before I started Keto.  I was one that had to have desserts after every meal.  Once I started on something sweet, I had to finish it, even if I was completely full!  Keto has helped with this sugar addiction tremendously.  I still like sweet, but I don’t crave it like I did.  We also keep sweets to a minimum so that the kids don’t expect something sweet after every meal.  It is always a special treat!

When I say addiction, sugar is a real addiction!  Did you know that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine?  In fact, sugar has almost the same molecular structure as cocaine.  That is a pretty scary statistic knowing all the diseases that sugar causes and progresses.  We will talk about this more, but sugar is BAD!!!!

I will no longer eat anything with sugar, but have substituted it with Swerve and Stevia.  I am also going to try chicory root in the near future too!  The following recipe uses Swerve.  Some, like my family, love Swerve and cannot tell the difference.  I have heard others say they experience an aftertaste.  I do sometimes taste sweet on my tongue when I drink water after eating something that was made with this substitute.  Overall, I think it is a great sweetener with no glycemic effect, no GMOs, and no digestive effects like Xylitol can have on some individuals.  It is all natural made with Erythritol, and is diabetes friendly and gluten free.  Another great component is that it measures just like sugar so you can use it in your old recipes when sugar is the only substitution needed.  It is great for us Ketoers.

We will do a post soon on all sweeteners, but Swerve is my primary go-to.  It can be purchased at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other health food stores, or online.  Even Amazon has it, and we have it in our Amazon store here.  There are two different kinds.   One is granular like white sugar (orange package), and the other is Confectioners Style (purple package) which is more like powdered sugar.  I use Confectioners in this one.

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The Granular is great for anything baked, but can get grainy when refrigerated.

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That being said, any time I make something cold, I use the Confectioners Style.

Without further ado, here is a scrumptious recipe for you to try that is perfect for summer!

 

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cup Honeyville almond flour

1/2 cup Swerve (Granular)

6 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

3 1/2 8 oz packages of Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup Swerve (Confectioners)

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1/2 cup Key Lime juice (Yes, it makes a difference – this part is time consuming so take that into account)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9×13 pyrex baking dish with butter or coconut oil.  Grease well!

Combine your almond flour, 1/2 cup of Swerve granular, cinnamon and melted butter.  I use my hands to really combine well because it is a thick crust-like consistency.IMG_0754

 

Press all the crust evenly into your baking dish or use a mini muffin pan with liners to make mini cheesecakes.

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Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes.

For the filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat your room temperature cream cheese until soft and fluffy.

Add your cup of Swerve confectioners, and vanilla.  Continue to beat until well combined.  Add your eggs, one at a time, beating in between each.  Add your lime juice slowly, while beating constantly.  It should be fairly runny and smooth.

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Pour the mixture over your baked crust.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until firm.  (About 15-20 minutes for mini-muffins, but check because sizes can differ.) Cool completely, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

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Cut and enjoy.  Serve with Keto whipped cream if you desire for a super rich dessert.

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Note: This crust is delicious, but can be crumbly so use a very sharp knife and a spatula to remove from dish.

 

 

 

Bottoms Up!

Well this article doesn’t mince words – http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/health/sitting-will-kill-you/

Nor does this one – https://hbr.org/2013/01/sitting-is-the-smoking-of-our-generation/

There are hundreds, if not thousands of these articles coming out.

While we don’t know the exact amount of sitting a day that could be considered “safe” it’s fairly easy to guess that most of us likely are exceeding that amount.

 

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I started to think about the hours spent on my tush, and the reality is…. I’m sitting more than any other position, including laying down to sleep!

8 hours at work

1 hour, roughly, in the car

2 hours of screen time at home – don’t judge: online shopping, writing, researching, etc.

1 hour for meals or coffee

=

12 hours

OUCH!

I don’t think that I am outside the “norm” for those of us that work in an office environment.

 

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I have tried to get up as much as possible. Drinking a lot of water helps ;).  I also like to get up to talk to coworkers – 9x out of 10, jokes are funnier in person than through email or instant messenger.

Recently, I was inspired by a fitness minded co-worker and purchased a small elliptical. It was the best decision! I feel SO MUCH BETTER. You can find the exact one here.

Not to toot my own horn, but I am averaging over 30 miles a day while at my desk. It sounds like a ton, but I am doing this off an on for EIGHT hours, so it adds up-over 150 miles a week!! I really had no idea how much I would enjoy this guy, or the amount of miles I could log. It’s AWESOME, and I feel so much more energized. I’m thinking about buying another to put under my home desk as well.

 

Stamina In-Motion Elliptical Trainer

Stamina In-Motion Elliptical Trainer

 

Even those that are not in the office environment should pay attention to the amount of time they are sitting. It truly adds up quickly – between the car, computer, phone time, and even a ton of “activities”, can and likely, are being done in a chair.  So, get up and move when you can!

 

 

How Much Water Should I Be Drinking?

Great question! But the reality; there is no hard and fast answer. We have heard 8 glasses a day for years, but how on earth is that the best answer for all of us?

Yes, we are all primarily made up of water, but just like in most things, we are all different in our needs. A great starting point is to take your weight, divide that number in half, and drink that many ounces.

For example:

Me: 130/2= 65 ounces

I really like how universal this formula is for everyone. The hubs weighs about 200, so he goes for 100 ounces a day.  Our 3 year old is about 35 pounds, so we shoot for her to get in about 17 ounces of water a day. This is simply a good place to start.

 

Thirsty!

The other major aspect of how much water to drink can depend on your environment, both internally and externally. Humidity and heat especially, can do a number on all of us, but exercising in these conditions can be a recipe for disaster. Years ago, I watched the Rock and Roll Marathon here in San Antonio, and the conditions were terrible; incredibly high humidity, coupled with unseasonably high temperatures – even for us locals. Due to this, multiple professional marathoners either decided to run only a half or dropped completely. They knew that the conditions were not ideal for their bodies and did the right thing. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.  People can and do get seriously injured or worse when they do not pay attention to their thirst and what is going on in and around them. We all know the very first thing that we should do when we start getting that back of the throat tickle, or our kid or cubicle neighbor starts coughing, is to up the water intake. Our bodies need water every single day, especially when we are fighting off or recovering from illness.

Coming into summer, here are some symptoms of mild dehydration:

  • Thirst
  • Loss of Appetite
  • Fatigue or Weakness
  • Chills
  • Dry Skin
  • Skin Flushing
  • Dark Colored Urine
  • Dry Mouth
  • Head Rushes

Further Dehydration can cause:

  • Increased heart rate
  • Increased respiration
  • Decreased sweating
  • Decreased urination
  • Increased body temperature
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Muscle cramps
  • Headaches
  • Nausea
  • Tingling of the limbs

Cases of extreme dehydration can also cause:

  • Muscle spasms
  • Vomiting
  • Racing pulse
  • Shriveled skin
  • Dim vision
  • Painful urination
  • Confusion
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Seizures
  • Chest and Abdominal pain
  • Unconsciousness

Dehydration is not something to ignore, and it has a fairly straightforward resolution – drink more water. Of course, like anything, that can be easier said than done.

Today I carry water with me absolutely everywhere. Yes, I have a mom purse, and it can be heavy at the start of the day with my 40oz water bottle, but it’s 100% worth it.

I find that I will drink more water out of a bottle than a cup or a glass. It is a mental thing. I also prefer room temperature water, where as others need to have their’s chilled. Some people love straws. Others want lemon, lime, or other fruits infused. It’s all in what works for you. Anyone with a soda addiction might want to start with a fizzy water like La Croix.  Swapping out one soda a day for water, or even having one after finishing 40 ounces of water as a reward, is a great place to start.  Think progress not perfection.

So many people get “sick” of water, but once you start drinking an adequate amount, and find out what makes the water taste better to you, that can go away. You will start to feel better, and often times your body, and especially your skin will thank you. You may even begin to enjoy it.

 

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