The second week of the rest of your sugar-free life

Assorted fresh berriesYou did it!

If you were as sugar addicted as most Americans, it was probably a tough weekend. Sugar is everywhere! You can’t escape it. It’s in every office, at every social gathering. But this challenge showed you that you can do it, even if it’s sometimes a bit difficult.

And now that you’ve gone a few full days completely sugar free, you’ve made it past the hardest part.

Even if you don’t feel great just yet, you will—as long as you continue to stick with it. Your body has begun to readjust its metabolism. Instead of using sugar for energy, it’s learning how to use the fat, veggies, and protein as fuel instead. (And best of all, it’s starting to burn all that extra fat off of your body, as well.)

But again, this is just the beginning. And if you want to make these positive changes permanent, you have to make this new lifestyle permanent, too. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get to indulge from time to time.

This week, I’ll give you the complete rundown on how to add a little sweetness back into your life…without sugar.

First, of course, you’ve got fruit. Last week, I asked you to give up fruit temporarily. But by the end of this week, you can start adding low-sugar fruits back into the mix

Actually, I should clarify something. There are no fruits that are completely off-limits. But if you’re trying to lose weight or rein in your blood sugar, there are some fruits that you should be more careful with.

This is something you don’t see many mainstream nutrition “experts” own up to. But the fact is, not all fruits are created equal.

Some fruits have higher sugar content than others. Some break down in the body more quickly, which means they trigger blood sugar spikes.

And if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes—or you’re trying to lose weight—you have to take these factors into consideration when you’re choosing what to throw into your fruit salad.

When you follow my New Hamptons Health Miracle, there are four different categories of fruits.

“Everyday” fruits. These have the lowest sugar content. So they won’t significantly impact your blood sugar—or your waistline. You can enjoy as much of them as you’d like. Everyday fruits include all berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries) and all melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, cassava).

Once or twice a week. These fruits are still somewhat low in sugar. But not quite as low as berries and melons, so it’s best to limit your intake to just a few times a week. This category includes grapefruit, plums, nectarines, peaches, cherries, and grapes.

A few times a month. These are some of the most common fruits. Unfortunately, they also have relatively high sugar content. So be careful when it comes to apples, oranges, kiwis, and pears.

Occasional treats. This category is reserved for the tropical fruits. Bananas, pineapples, guava, mango, papaya, passion fruit, etc. They have the highest sugar content of all the fruits. And that makes them a bad idea for people with blood sugar problems or excess weight to lose. Every once in a while is OK. But definitely not on a regular basis.

One final tip: Fresh, in season, locally grown fruits will always taste better than anything you can buy in the supermarket. They’re also packed with more beneficial live enzymes than produce that spent weeks being shipped across the country in a refrigerated truck.

So find the nearest produce stand or farmer’s market and stock up! This is the time of year to make the most of what’s already at your fingertips.

Of course, now that you’ve got the lowdown on fruit, that leaves us with the million dollar question…the elephant in the room…the one thing I’m sure you’re dying to know.

If sugar is out for good…which sweeteners—if any—are okay?

I’ll tackle that topic tomorrow, so stay tuned!


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