I hope you enjoyed the first habit to start in the new year and beyond – I am imagining lemons being squeezed all over the world on January 1^st morning.

However, you don’t need to wait until then – go out, buy some lemons and get going already! Life is short. You can experience wellness now!

On to Habit #2….

#2 Develop a Distaste for Refined Sugar

Asking you to eliminate every type of “sugar” from your diet is just crazy – any person trying to do this will fail in the long run. The key here is to still include sugar in your diet but get it in forms that your body can easily assimilate and sources that also provide nutrients, minerals and vitamins your body will use. Avoiding man-made sugars made from cane, beet and corn but still enjoying naturally occurring sugar in moderation is one of the keys to ultimate balance in life.

The problem with eating refined sugar from cane, corn or beets vs. other sources of  sugar, is that refined sugar is acid forming in the body because it has been chemically stripped of its minerals. The natural minerals in whole food are important for our bodies ability to process nutrients in food and to ultimately keep our bodies alkaline. Remember – a body in an alkaline state is primed to avoid disease and a myriad of other aliments.

So how do you develop a distaste for refined sugar?

Step 1 – Don’t buy, consume or keep products in your house with the following ingredients in them:

barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, caramel, carob syrup, corn syrup, corn-syrup solids, dextran. dextrose, diastase, diastatic malt, ethyl maltol, fructose, glucose, glucose solids, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, malitol, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup. sucrose, turbinado sugar, yellow sugar

This doesn’t mean you can replace these sugars with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. Those are off limits too! They are just as bad for the body and even worse because some of them have been proven to be carcinogenic.  (Note:  If you are diabetic, stevia and xylitol are your best and safest options.)

Step 2 – Continuously train your palate for natural sweetness….

Before you decide on a dessert or something sweet to eat – think about the natural options you have available that will satisfy your sweet tooth – The satisfaction you will get from natural and unaltered foods will go far beyond their processed counterparts. Overtime, your distaste for refined sugar will come naturally and it will become innate. I am a living example in this change of mindset – my friends and family who know me understand this very well watching me grow into who I am today.  My mother can’t stand the look I make when I find out something has refined sugar or other chemicals in it – she said if I don’t stop making this face – my face will permanently start to look like a frown. (BTW Mom – I’m trying to work on this… ) Nonetheless – this might happen to you if you develop this habit in the new year – be warned!

Here are some satisfying trades I make when I crave something sweet -

When I crave chocolate – I go for a piece of a Righteously Raw Bar that is comprised of 90% raw cacao and sweetened with goji berries and agave nectar. These chocolate peppermint patties made with honey are just fantastic too!

When I crave something fruity – I eat a couple of “sulfur dioxide” free dried organic fruits mixed – like apricots, prunes, cherries, golden berries, dates, goji berries and figs mixed with coconut. Dried coconut for some reason has a natural sweetness to it – but has less than one gram of sugar per serving.  Sometimes, I drink cranberry or fruity herbal teas. Making a quick apple cobbler with just apples, cinnamon, oats and a little sprinkle of maple syrup in a ramekin also does the trick.

When I crave something chewy, warm and comforting – I make cookies made with Food Babe’s Sugar Blend or coconut palm sugar. Also – I like to make warm brown rice pudding with unsweetened almond milk with a little honey or maple syrup.

When I want some ice cream or something cold – I eat Luna and Larry’s coconut ice-cream or a bowl of frozen grapes.

When I crave something salty and sweet – I make kettle corn with stevia or eat pieces of sprouted wheat pretzels dipped in raw cacao chocolate.

Get the gist? See how easy that is?

If you develop this habit and practice it on a regular basis, you’ll be less likely to go overboard when presented and tempted with refined sugar desserts. Even more, you’ll naturally eat less sugar in the long run because your body is getting real nutrition from the food that hasn’t been chemically altered. Eventually…you’ll get that distaste for refined sugar and your desire for ultimate nutrition will become intuitive. What a wonderful habit to develop and keep for life, no?

Ahhh…I can hear your response now when someone asks you if you want that double stuffed oreo – “that’s just a little too sweet for me, no thanks!”

Anybody have other swaps they’d like to share? I’d love to here them! Leave a comment here or visit my Facebook Fan Page and share your inspiration!

Want more info and ideas on sugar?

• Dangers on Refined Sugar
• Sugar Cravings
• Ditch Refined Sugar Now
• Forever Cookies

Here’s to enjoying the sweet life all year long!!

Food Babe

P.S. Next Up – The best restorative thing you can do for your body in the New Year and for the rest of your life!