The results are already in. I weigh less then I weighed in high school and my stomach (abs) have (muscle) definition they've never had in my entire life. Also, my blood sugar is now normal, and my blood work indicates that my system is now burning fat for fuel on a regular basis. It wasn't just the sugar. It was also the (empty) carbs. I was eating what the rest of my household eats, which means regular servings of pasta, white rice, and refined bread. On top of that, I drank orange juice every morning, would often have Pop-Tarts, a sweet roll, or a couple of doughnuts with breakfast, cookies with lunch, and had a sugary beverage after every dinner. Then there would be the occasional candy bar as a snack (at least once or twice a week—at a minimum) and the occasional soft drink (perhaps once or twice a month). Moreover, it wasn't unusual for me to enjoy some type of desert most evenings, and every other Sunday, we would have pancakes or waffles drowned in maple syrup for breakfast.
The key to a healthy diet is to eat the right amount of calories. For me I eat 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats daily to apply the Balanced Nutrition and healty active lifestyle.
Almond Flour Pie Dough (for the next two pie recipes) 1½ cups almond flour ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened 2 tsp honey 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp cardamom Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend. Combine dough into a ball. The dough will keep, covered, for 2 days in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350° F. Roll dough out between 2 sheets of wax paper. Fit dough into an 8-inch springform pan. Bake pie crust for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is lightly browned. Makes 1 (8-inch) pie shell
Sugarless Tea If I remember correctly, it was in November of 2018 that I began eating differently, which also meant no longer drinking sweetened beverages or even 100% fruit juice. I began drinking tea with no sugar instead and planned to record my thoughts, which I finally got around to in April of this year, and am duplicating here. On the positive side, drinking tea was much more economical. But on the negative side, generally speaking, I found the taste of tea with no sugar to be barely tolerable. If I remember correctly (which I probably don’t) I started with Benner Green Tea Lemon Flavor & Ginseng, which would have made this my introduction to how lacking in enjoyment this practice is. So, I tried Celestial Fruit Tea Sampler next to see if any of the flavors might turn out to be any good in at least some small way. As I recall, drinking True Blueberry and Black Cherry Berry struck me as being like drinking poison that someone had flavored in an attempt to hide the concoction’s obviously toxic essence. Or at the least, like nasty medication someone tried—and failed—to make taste better. Raspberry Zinger and Wild Berry Zinger were not much better. If I remember right, I thought Country Peach Passion was okay, but the only problem was, the flavor was weak. Some time later, someone informed me that when preparing weak tea, they simply use two bags instead of one. Since Peach Passion is [was] the only decent flavor I’ve come across [came across] so far [at that point in time], I will have to try this idea next time given that this is the tea I am most likely to purchase again. The Celestial Apple Spice was agreeable at first, but the problem here was the flavor was too strong, and drinking it every day got to be too much. I got so tired of it that I didn’t even finish the whole box until several months later, when I was finally able to tolerate drinking a cup here and there when desperate for a little bit of liquid refreshment. The only other tea I recall trying so far was Tadin Seven Blossoms, which I did not find to be anything special. So in conclusion, my best option to date is to purchase more Celestial Country Peach Passion and plan to use two bags per cup. It will only be half as economical, but still cheaper than, for example, buying a bottle of Sprite. Green Tea, Cinnamon Apple Spice, and Seven Blossoms Tea will be okay to have for an occasional change of pace, but the other fruit teas are definitely off my list. A lack of delectable flavor is one thing, but a downright poisonous taste is another. UPDATE: This week I was inclined to reintroduce tea as a beverage I would be purchasing on a regular basis, but rather than purchase something I tried in the past, I bought Tadin Pineapple Tea Blend, and it wasn't half bad. Like Celestial Country Peach Passion, it was on the weak side, but not so much that I've opted to use two bags per cup, at least not yet. I tried adding a little bit of Zero-Calorie Sweetener with Stevia Leaf Extract to it to see what that did, but it ruined the taste! I still dislike the taste of artificial sweeteners!!! I could tolerate it in that butter-cream frosting I made, but it's likely that's about it. It simply messes up the flavor of anything or everything else for me.
Raw Pecan Pie 1½ cups raw pecans, plus more for garnish 1 cup applesauce ½ cup chia seeds 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tbsp ground cinnamon ⅛ tsp nutmeg Almond Flour Pie Dough (above), prebaked Combine pecans, applesauce, chia seeds, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides periodically. Pour filling evenly over crust. Top with additional pecans—decorate as you desire. Cover and freeze for at least 3 to 4 hours overnight. Remove from freezer, cut and serve. Makes 8 servings
Pumpkin Pie 3 cups cooked pumpkin 2 large eggs ¾ cup Silk coconut milk or Rice Dream 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp allspice ½ tsp nutmeg Almond Flour Pie Dough (above) or regular pre-made pie crust Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk or Rice Dream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 50 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings