The benefits of beetroot!!

When he came to thinking about my next blog post, I didn’t think I would end up writing about the benefits of beetroot!!!! Well, that’s exactly what I am going to post about today. As I have said before I am not a Dr, health professional, and I don’t have a medical or nutritional background. So whatever I post is purely what I have read , or learnt from others. But I always hope to raise awareness through this blog,  to get people thinking, and exploring for themselves.

So beetroot well the thing that caught my eye was…..IT RIDS SUGAR CRAVINGS!!!!! Well that can’t be a bad thing. I have now overcome my sugar cravings, yes they do eventually go!!!! But in the early days of quitting sugar those cravings can be a challenge!!! Beetroot also keeps blood sugar under control too. So it sounds like a win , win to me!!! If you aren’t too keen on trying out the real thing they do it in tablet/capsule form.

Apparently a friend has told me, that a lot of athletes use it to help with recovery time from races, so I might have to stock up on it for my marathon walk in September.

Here are just a few more benefits I have read about too, and some links so you can check out for yourself the benefits of beetroot!!!

• Contains minerals , and vitamins
• Helps heal wounds
• It’s an energy booster!!
• Detoxifies liver, and gall bladder
• Cleans intestines
• Builds blood
• Maintains healthy new cells

 

BEETROOT WEB LINKS:

http://myhomemedicine.com/60-years-old-plant-returned-vision-removed-fat-liver-completely-cleaned-colon/?t=viral2

http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/amazing-health-benefits-of-beetroot/

http://www.webmd.boots.com/healthy-eating/guide/beetroot-benefits

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277432.php

 

 

 

 

It’s not a diet!!

Everyone will have their own idea/concept of sugar free eating. Everything I share in this blog, and on my PRACTICALLY A SUGAR FREE ME FACEBOOK PAGE. There is no right or wrong, just different!

Recently I have heard people talking about being back on it when talking about sugar free eating, and I’ve found this really interesting. 15 years ago I gave up sugar, caffeine, wheat/yeast, dairy for health reasons. I experienced the most awful detox which resulted in the most awful depression, and social anxiety for the first 6 months. I did this for about a year, then like everything life happens and I slipped back into my old ways.

This time when I gave up sugar I was very conscious, and worried that I would have the same experience. I looked at lots of going sugar free diets/ideas, and none of them suited me. That’s when it struck me, I would do it my way!!! That decision changed how I went sugar free.

In the past when I have quit sugar I have worried about failing, and not getting it right!! When I have been to slimming groups, or following a diet myself, I have worried about failing, breaking it, having a bad day (or worse a bad week!), and even worse gaining weight. That is when I came up with the idea of making a plan that suited me. Yes, throwing out all the rule books, and doing it my way!! I like to think I am a pretty common sense person, so why shouldn’t I read up, and devise my own plan. That’s what I did. It became a plan NOT a diet. It became about making choices, NOT about having a bad week , or a bad day. I ditched the scales, for years they had controlled me, but I realised my regular weigh ins were both depressing, and destroying my confidence. On reflection I made quitting sugar positive I re framed my mindset, and out look. I changed the language I used. Instead of quitting sugar  being negative, I made it positive. I took control back. I took the power back. How could I fail if it was about choices, rather than good or bad days. I felt liberated, and because of this I really believe going sugar free has worked for me. It wasn’t about what I couldn’t have, it became about what I could have ,(which incidentally is LOTS!) For me it feels like a kinder way of eating. We always have what we can’t have eh?! So why not make it about what you can have?!

PRACTICALLY A SUGAR FREE ME FACEBOOK PAGE.

For any of you that have come across this blog, but not my face book page, I thought you might be interested to know there is a PRACTICALLY A SUGAR FREE ME FACEBOOK PAGE. I share links to my blog posts, inspiring quotes, recipes, health, and well being info, then and now pics to list a few. It’s proved very popular,and I’m proud to say after just over a year we are now up to nearly 400 likes. So if you are interested, or know anyone else that might be interested, why not click on the link below?!

https://www.facebook.com/practicallyasugarfreeme

When sugar free becomes part of your life, not your whole life!!

Firstly apologise I haven’t blogged for a while, lot’s of things are happening for me at the moment, big life changes, so I haven’t had the opportunity to blog recently. I can’t share too much about the changes , as a lot of people don’t know at the moment. But like all changes in life, it comes with many mixed emotions. Sadness at being at the end of some life chapters, and excitement at the prospect at what is yet to come!!!

From a sugar free perspective I have been doing a lot of reflection too. The 5th July was a BIG mile stone for me, it marked 18 months of being Practically A Sugar Free Me. How my life has changed in that time. Incredible improvements to my physical, and emotional wellbeing, weight loss, this blog, my PRACTICALLY A SUGAR FREE ME FB page, sugar free workshops, and people approaching me to say they have been inspired by my experiences.

When I started this journey, I was obsessed, being sugar free become my life. I am still the sugar free police…well just a bit!!! Ha ha. But what I have noticed in recent weeks is, sugar free is part of my life, and coming from a former sugar addict, that’s a pretty big thing to say!!!

When I first started I was scared I would have something sweet, and fall back into bad habits. In the last few months every so often, and it is rare, I’ve had some ice cream. BUT if I’m honest when I have had, I haven’t really enjoyed it. Often it leaves a very nasty after taste in my mouth, and I am left thinking why did I want that??!! I’m not in any way worried about getting hooked on sugar again, and I say that hand on heart. I have seen the benefits. About 15 years ago a gave up sugar , and a lot of other stuff for health reasons , but within a year I was back on it all!!! So why is this time different??!! Because my mind set is different, I took control of how I quit sugar. I didn’t follow a plan, or a diet, I devised a way that worked for me. Though at the time I didn’t realise quite how it worked, but within 6 weeks of quitting I saw the results. I was shocked by the impact sugar had, and actually became interested in it!!

I realised that in the past sugar has been my treat, my reward. I have set it as a prize, or an incentive even when I have been dieting. It was what I was working towards, oh my goodness that sounds like an addict to me!! I can’t believe that was my mind set!!! But it was. I also took off the pressure of weight loss , and ditched the scales…what a relief that was!!! So I started to relax into the sugar free business, at first it was hard work. I had to retrain myself, retrain my brain. But now just like brushing your teeth, sugar free living is part of my life, and I’m actually happy , and okay with that. I am no longer controlled by sugar, my eating habits no longer control me, and that is such a relief. A lot of times recently I have heard people say in relation to dieting/eating they have had a bad week. It takes me back to my slimming group/dieting days, and I feel a bit sad that food falls into categories of good or bad. Rather than being good or bad, may I encourage you to think about it in terms of choice. We can either make a choice we enjoy, or one that doesn’t work out. If it doesn’t work out we can explore other options.

Wishing you all well with your choices. Thought I would add a pic to this post. These pictures show me the day before I started, 6 months in, and 18 months in. Thank you everyone wherever you are in the world for your continued interest, and support. x x

Hitting A Sugar Free Wall!

Life has been busy recently, and lot’s of changes are taking place. Whilst change can be exciting , it can also be challenging. Change can sometimes turn your whole world upside down, and question the path you travel in life. However with change come new opportunities for growth.

The last paragraph might just as well have described my sugar free journey too. This week it will be 18 months since I started this sugar free journey. It was very much a trip to the unknown!! I loved sugar, I had a sweet tooth, it was my only vice, yet I was letting it go, albeit at the time it was temporary. Just 6 months of no sweet stuff so I could lose a bit of weight then back on it!!

How wrong I was??!! Quitting sugar (and I know I have said this before), but it quite simply changed my life in a very positive way. I saw incredible changes, and improvements to my physical, and emotional wellbeing. I lost a lot of weight. I developed, and created this blog, and my Practically A Sugar Free Me fb page. I also developed, and created my Practically A Sugar Free Workshops. I am incredibly proud of what I have created, and achieved over the last year, and a half. However I seem to have hit a sugar free wall at the moment.

When I say sugar free wall , I haven’t suddenly started eating sugar. Having seen the incredible benefits, I don’t want to go back to where I was. However when I first started there was always something to motivate me , a pay off as it were, and now there isn’t! Though I guess some might say maintaining good, or positive physical and emotional wellbeing is. I guess I would like something a little more gratifying!! My weight is stuck at the moment, and whilst initially I quit sugar to lose weight, as I went along my journey become greater than that. However with about another stone , and a half ( approximately  14-21 lbs, or 7-10kgs) to lose in weight, I’m frustrated because the weight isn’t shifting! In recent weeks I have massively reduced bread in my diet, and replaced it with healthy salads. I am also doing lots of walking , well maybe not lots, but a fair amount of walking in readiness for my walking marathon on the 23rd September. I still really believe quitting sugar works. People that came on my workshops, and have quit sugar have seen tremendous change, others I have spoken too and have quit sugar have seen incredible changes. I know sugar free works!! And whilst I know it shouldn’t matter, but when you have battled weight issues for years, and the numbers on your scales are stuck, it kind of does. It’s not easy to write about when you are stuck, but I think it is important to share that there are times when no matter what the benefits etc, it can be a tough journey to travel. So currently 18 months into my journey, I am looking for a way to SMASH through the current sugar free wall! Life isn’t always , and the blocks and brick walls in life can be hard to crack. However once we succeed in beating them, it can lead to the greatest rewards, and the biggest successes.