September 24, 2021 Day 72   My parents met me at Union Station yesterday afternoon. As we drove to our lunch destination we passed the Capitol, the Pentagon, the Washington Monument, the new 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon, and Arlington National Cemetery. DC was bustling.     The restaurant menu was varied and had a lot of nice options.  I took extra time and care to think about what might have hidden sugars and finally decided on a “sesame crusted tuna salad drizzled with cilantro ginger sauce, roasted beets, avocado, red grape tomatoes with mixed greens and citrus vinaigrette”.  Of course, when it came time to ordering, I told the server I was on a no-added sugar diet and I asked for no cilantro ginger sauce because it probably has sugar – he confirmed – yes, no citrus vinaigrette because it probably has sugar – he confirmed – yes.   Then he added, um, the beets are doused with sugar too, so you probably don’t want them!  Read More

September 23, 2021 Day 71   This morning I am headed to DC by train. I love the train!  I’ll be able to relax, make some calls, get some work done, and hopefully have some spare time to continue reading the Sugar Blues book. Of course, I packed fruit and almonds for the trip and when I arrive will have a late lunch out with my mom and dad who are picking me up from the train.  Such a treat!     Read More

September 21, 2021 Day 69   Another snack bar masquerading as a health food appeared on my horizon yesterday.  I told a fellow golfer about my sugar free year and she took a “Built” bar out of her bag to examine. The label showed 4 g added sugar, and 8 g of sugar alcohols which of course is added sugar.  Sugar alcohols are not alcohol as they do not contain any ethanol, but they are sugars.  The difference with sugar alcohols is the lower glycemic index so they raise blood sugar more slowly than other forms of sugar.  They also contain fewer calories by weight.  Some people find it hard to tolerate sugar alcohols (me), as it can cause bloating and diarrhea.   Read More

September 20, 2021 Day 68   It’s Monday, but I’m taking the day off today to play platform tennis (paddle) in the morning and then attend a 9 & Dine event with the Morris County Chamber of Commerce Women in Business group in the afternoon.  I’m sure there will be plenty of wine being poured at the event, so I’ll order water with lemon, and focus on the camaraderie, relationship building, business opportunities, and laughs.  There will be lots of laughs with my golf game!    Read More

September 19, 2021 Day 67   I was glad to have time to hike, shop for local produce, and read on a quiet Saturday. In addition to apples, I bought broccoli, white corn, and tomatoes. When I buy produce in season, I don’t have to plan meals as much because the season informs what to eat.   How about you?  How do you approach making healthy sugar free meals?     Read More

September 18, 2021 Day 66   This morning I’m looking forward to a hike with my health & wellness colleagues and a trip to the Farmers Market in town to pick up those crunchy fall apples I’ve been craving all week!   Read More

September 17, 2021 Day 65   For years we’ve been receiving Consumer Reports Magazine and it’s chock full of great reporting.  My husband always points out the food articles to me and yesterday he pointed out an article about bread in the October issue that just arrived. I dove in to see how they ranked the breads, whole grains, fiber, sodium, and of course sugar content.  Once again, the names are deceiving.  Would you believe that 100% Whole Wheat Wonder Bread has 0g sugar, while Dave’s Killer Bread Organic 21 Whole Grains and Seeds has 5g sugar?  And guess what I have in my refrigerator?  Fooled again because I looked at the front of the package, quickly grabbed it from the shelf, and didn’t look at the nutrition fact label or ingredient label.  I bought Dave’s Killer when my son was coming home from college to have on hand for the grilled panini’s he likes to make.     Here’s a list of CR’s best and worst in terms of added sugar.  We’ve talked about the Food For Life Ezekiel bread before, and those contain no sugar – yeah! Read More

September 16, 2021 Day 64   Yesterday was a day of webinars, meetings, and learning with an overall theme of Food is Medicine.  You know that quote by Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”.     First I attended a webinar by NourishNJ and was reminded about the increasing number of food insecurities even here in Morris County NJ where I live, one of the wealthiest counties in the state, and in the country. I learned about the need for fresh healthy meals, NourishNJ’s Purple Apron Meal Kits, and how individuals and organizations can help provide healthy meals to those who are food insecure. I’d really like to do something with this group to provide healthy sugar free meal kits!  Stay tuned on that. Read More

September 15, 2021 Day 63   I’ve been inspired by everyone who is learning even more about hidden sugars in foods in their pantry and kitchen.  It keeps me looking and investigating each day. Yesterday’s find was vitamins and who knows what today will bring?   This morning I’m looking forward to another great session with my health and wellness colleagues after a kale, spinach, plum morning smoothie prepared last night. For lunch, I’ve got a miso soup with veggies and tofu that I pulled out of the freezer.    Read More