Watched this great report on ABC's Catalyst program called "Toxic Sugar" which was shown on TV a while ago. I already knew most of the things they talked about but it was great to see it all summarised and put together so well, so that other people who are new to the idea of this can really get it. Thank God these ideas are finally gaining credence and hopefully more and more people will begin to realise that it's not FAT we have to worry about, it's sugar. I loved that they drew attention to the Heart Foundation (who are so completely misguided) and to things like low fat yoghurts and cereals which are so high in sugar.
Anyway, watching that ties in nicely with what I've been thinking about the past couple of days, i.e. trying to reduce my sugar intake. Look, I'm already pretty great with this compared to most people. I don't eat any grains, starches (except for pumpkin now and then) or refined sugars. BUT I still make paleo-fied baked treats, eat chocolate daily, have fruit juice now and again, and have honey and dried fruit in addition to normal amounts of whole fruit. Okay, so that still doesn't sound that bad! Hmmm, what I'm trying to say is that consumption of those amounts of sugars here and there adds up and I think for me insulin resistance is still a problem because I still have visceral fat, despite losing 15kg. I know scales can lie (or rather, be misleading) sometimes, but I don't think waist measurements do. Also, neither does the fact that lately I feel like I'm addicted to the sweet fix. I don't like the idea of being addicted to anything.
So, after this Sunday (because that's the day of my birthday tea party and I definitely can't avoid consumption of sugar on that day!) I am going to try to really cut down my sugar intake. I want to be sensible about this and I love cooking so my strategy will be to focus on cooking new dishes for lunch and dinner, exploring with salads (I've gotten bored of them lately) and meat and vegetables. There are so many amazing savoury dishes in Against All Grain that I'm yet to try because I was focusing more on the grain-free breads and cakes. That's not to say that I'm not going to bake anymore, I'm just going to have a break for a little while and then just do it as more of a treat now and then.
New breakfast ideas will be an area to tackle too because I'm getting a bit sick of bacon and eggs. I'm going to move up to 85% dark chocolate too, because I've been stuck on 70% for a while. Finally, I will still eat fruit, but will try to have lower-GI ones like berries and stone fruits, which, with summer around the corner are luckily going to be in season! (Hmmm, what about a baked crumble using peaches and berries and cinnamon for the base and coconut and crushed nuts for the topping?)
So, just doing those things - focusing on a different area of cooking and eating darker chocolate and lower-GI fruits - is all I need to do. Sounds easy enough!
I think everyone likes the idea of turning over a new leaf - that's the whole appeal of a "New Year's Resolution" after all - the chance to make a change for the better. Well, I think that next month will be my turning over a new leaf month. Firstly with the reduction of sugar intake, and secondly with focusing on yoga. Hopefully my two yoga books arrive soon! Can't wait!
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