Podcast Ep.71: Time to Leave The Sugar Shack?

Remember when we were told that eating fat made you fat? Well, in this episode we’re talking about years of research that show just the opposite. People are eating much more added sugar than at any time in history, and the results are showing up in health statistics. We share the latest findings and ways you can leave the sugar shack AND your taste for added sugar so you don’t miss it. Plus, we’ve got some farmhouse updates (doors!!) and our latest cool discoveries for travel.

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Leaving The Sugar Shack

The resources:

1. Here’s one of the first books I read that started our understanding of high fructose corn syrup – it’s still a really good read (published in 2004): Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World
2. And this is one of the books that really got me into thinking that eating real food could actually be the answer to my weight issues and is THE book that started our tradition of a piece of DARK chocolate after meals (and started helping to train our tastebuds for less sugar): The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss
3. The Washington Post article on Americans consuming 17 teaspoons of added sugar daily.
4. Maybe you can read this article from Huffington Post that says there’s a scientific reason why we always have room for dessert and let us know, lol.
5. And here’s the USA Today article that said sugary drinks lead to higher rates of death. Yikes.

SO, how do you cut sugar out of your diet?

First, think about it! Read about it.

Then just start, knowing it will take awhile but you can get there and you can train your tastebuds to enjoy less and less sugar (I wouldn’t have believed it 10 years ago, but I’m proof it really does happen!).

Cut out sugar in recipes (start with my low sugar recipe ebook below) and start making your own lower sugar versions of things you eat a lot. Like:

• Easy Homemade Ketchup (sweetened with honey)
• Healthy, Quick Maple-Honey Granola
• Simple Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe
• Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings
• Easy, Soft 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Tutorial

Farmhouse Updates

Here are the lighting fixtures I’m planning for the kitchen, bathroom, hall, laundry, and bedroom, which is most of the main floor. Starting at the top left and moving clockwise:

1. Vintage fixture original to the house (see it in the before house tour here). This will go in the new walk-in closet and a matching one my friend found will go in the laundry room.
2. Bathroom vanity sconces (for each side of the mirror). As you can see I’m going to be using a mixture of brass and oil-rubbed bronze fixtures and I loved how this one combined both. I do not love the shade, though, so I would replace that with a white shade. However, I’ve only found it one place (Houzz) and they cancelled my order saying they might have it back in stock in March. Fingers crossed.
3. Kitchen sconces for oven wall (above windows). Again mixing the oil rubbed/black and brass but with a black shade (can’t use these for the bathroom, since I want white shades and these don’t seem to be removable).
4. Schoolhouse style flush mount light (for hall and kitchen). I’m thinking to look for one with a brass base or paint it.
5. Schoolhouse style pendants (for kitchen island). These come in the brass which I’m leaning towards because of our doorknobs now.
6. Minimalist white fan (for the bedroom). With the super high ceiling in the bedroom, we’re going to need a fan, so I’m letting go of my desire for a pretty light fixture there.

Here are the stripped doors! I really do love how they turned out, imperfections and everything. If I do a stain, it will be the lightest available – I’m leaning towards just a clear finish. We’ll see.

Even with the $100+ fee to have each door stripped and the $30 we paid for each one, that’s still at least $100 less than buying new wood doors.

Plus, the stripping guy did all the hardware for the same cost! He even fixed some of the locks for just $5. Not having to buy hardware will save us a ton, so this turned out to be a really good deal. Isn’t the patina great?

What’s Cooking

Free Low & Alternative Sugar Recipes eBook with subscriber sign up – go to this page to learn more and to sign up, or sign up using the form you always see at the top of the blog or below the articles. (Remember, alternative here just means maple syrup and honey, nothing fake.)

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“Just have to say your news and links are always so great!! I always love every single one. You don’t ever find that on other blogs. Thank you!”
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Oh, and here’s the link to that favorite coleslaw recipe we talked about: Bacon Caesar Slaw.

This is Really Cool!

Brian’s: Waterproof Packable Jacket from Coofandy. It’s actually waterproof. And smashes into a little pouch.

Jami’s: Digital Hanging Luggage Scale for Travel,110 Pounds, Battery Included. Makes it SO easy to not be overcharged and to avoid those frantic repacking at the luggage counter episodes when traveling…

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