We kicked off the weekend with a waffle drenched in chocolate + whipped cream, moved onto pancakes with maple syrup the next day and finished the day with a whopping donut…so our collective sweet tooth is at an all-time high right now. The more sugar I have the more I want it…so I have been going through my secret stash of blow pops waaaaay too quickly. I know my sugar addiction is way out of control when I start to crave something sweet the second I am done with my meal. And sugar is legitimately an addiction. Your brain craves it just like it would a drug.

So this week is all about getting our sweet tooth under control. For me, that only happens when I cut sugar out entirely. Bye bye almond milk latte (almost every coffee shop I know uses almond milk WITH added sugars), see you in a couple weeks. Sugar is a sneaky little SOB. Nowadays it is thrown into just about everything. Why? That’s a topic that could take me down a rabbit hole and I will save it for another time. This week I am reading every label and cutting it OUT. The good news is, the FDA updated labeling laws in 2018 and now foods MUST indicate both total sugar content AND added sugars. But, unless you are constantly reading labels, it can be hard to know what has added sugars and what doesn’t. So hear are those sneaky foods you might think are healthy but really have SOOO much added sugar in them:

balsamic vinegar (*most vinegars have added sugars in them, apple cider vinegar is a good alternative)

sushi rice (and most white rice)

smoothies (unless you make them from home and carefully select ingredients)

bread (almost all bread, even whole wheat and multigrain contain a crazy amount of added sugar)

salad dressings (I always make my own salad dressing because store bought dressing usually has a lot of added sugar)

yogurt

protein bars/power bars

prepackaged soup/pasta sauce (always better to make from scratch, if you can find the time!)

But I am not about to cut out sugars entirely. I believe that some natural sugars, when eaten in moderation, are not only ok but actually good for you. We all know blueberries are one of the most nutritious foods packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A diet entirely void of sugars would eliminate foods like blueberries. So here is a list of naturally sweet foods that can satisfy those sweet cravings but are still packed with nutrients:

blueberries

raspberries

sweet potato

carrots

apples

pears

almonds

walnuts

coconut (be careful to get pure coconut without added sugar…I love coconut meat)

oranges

grapefruit

cantaloupe

cherry tomatoes

oatmeal

Here is our meal plan with NO added sugars.

BREAKFASTS

egg + avocado + green onion

oatmeal + blueberries (hack, I make a big batch of steel cut oatmeal on Monday. If it is pre-made in the fridge we are way more likely to start the day with a healthy meal!)

LUNCHES

tuna salad with onion + mayo + dill + celery salt

tomato + avocado + mozzarella + lemon

Leftovers

DINNERS

pear salad – walnuts + avocado + scallions + apple cider dressing

salmon patties, served over arugula with red onion + avocado + chipotle aioli (chipotle in adobo sauce + mayo or greek yogurt)

pizza night (mozzarella + caramelized onion + arugula + prosciutto + giardiniera make sure your dough is sugar free!) served with a salad

SNACKS

orange + walnuts

smoothies (almond milk, make sure your almond milk has no added sugar + kale + berries + flax seed)

strawberries (let’s be honest, I will need a daily sweet fix)

coconut meat

WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE

giardiniera

tuna

mayo

walnuts

chipotle in adobo

apple cider vinegar

eggs

almond milk

oatmeal

grapefruit

GROCERY LIST

Tip, write your grocery list in the natural flow of your grocery store. If you know you start in product and make your way through meats + dairy then onto the pre-package foods, write your list in that order…saves so much time at the store!

$98

our groceries were about 20% less than usual just from cutting out sugars which are in most prepackaged foods!

strawberries

blueberries

oranges

lemon

tomatoes

onion

red onion

pear

scallions

avocado

kale

escarole

arugula

salmon burgers (I buy the pre-made patties from whole foods)

prosciutto

mozzarella

coconut meat

pizza dough (make sure there is NO added sugars…most flour pizza dough has added sugar, we buy a frozen wheat dough from whole foods with no added sugar)