In Peri/menopause it is critical for us to eat foods that enter the bloodstream slowly.  With hormones that are too high or too low, our cells are slower at pulling energy in to be used.  We need to match that slow pace with foods that break down slowly. Quick absorbing foods, like sugars, are more likely to be stored as fat rather than used for energy.

We all have a relationship with sugar on some level.  By taking two weeks to try wiping sugar from your intake, you will learn so much about yours!

Why would I want to eliminate sugar? 

1. Sugar increases the calories in your food overall.
2. Sweetened foods are easier to overeat. 
3. Sugar causes inflammation in the body.
4. Sugar increases fat storage in the body, especially when our hormones are too high or too low.  
5. Simple sugars (including alcohol) create fat stored in our bellies around our organs, which leads to increased risk of heart disease, the #1 killer of women in the US.

Read Your Body is Not Broken….It Might be Sugar…or Alcohol

What exactly am I eliminating?

Try taking a break from all ADDED SUGARS

• High Fructose Corn syrup
• Refined white and brown sugar
• Honey
• Coconut sugar
• Rice syrup
• Real maple syrup
• Agave
• Artificial sweeteners – aspartame, sucralose, saccharin

This does NOT include sugars found in real foods like fruit and dairy.  Monk Fruit and Stevia Leaf Extract in very Limited quantities (1 serving per day total) are okay.

How do I know if something has added sugars?

Check labels.  Eliminate anything that lists “added sugars”.

On a label, there will be an entry for total sugar, and added sugar.  The total sugar represents the carbohydrate naturally present in a food, the added sugar represents the refined sweeteners that have been added.  

A good example is yogurt.  A plain, unflavored yogurt will have naturally occurring sugars, but no added sugars.  A flavored yogurt will have sugar added.  

Once you have checked the added sugars, see what type of sugars have been added to the food.  

“Healthy Foods” that often contain added sugar:

• Cereals and granolas
• Granola Bars and protein bars
• Sauces like ketchup, BBQ, marinades
• Dressings
• Convenience foods like prepared meals and microwavable rices
• Canned goods

Why Eliminate Artificial Sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners have been found to contribute to metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes.  In part, our bodies taste the sweetness and prepare to consume it.  When no real sugars come, it ignites sugar cravings.  

Additionally, the actual processing of the artificial sweetener causes hormone confusion.  It is best to avoid.

This bar has zero added sugars!  Is it too good to be true?

Probably.  When you are reading a label and you see zero added sugars on a processed food, it should raise a red flag.  Check the list of ingredients searching for artificial sweeteners.  Start at the bottom of the list and work backwards.  It takes very little artificial sweeteners to add flavor.  Ingredients are listed in order of amount, so these usually show up at the end of the list. 

Look for Sucralose, Aspartame, Sorbitol, Saccharin (or ingredients ending in -lose, -ame, -itol).  Monk Fruit and Stevia Leaf Extract are the most “natural” sweeting additives.  These can be included in your intake in limited amounts, but can cause that rebound craving for sugar.  

How am I going to do this?

We have all had the experience of wanting to clean up our diet, holding on for two weeks with white knuckles, and then making up for it by falling face first into a bag of chocolate at the end.   We want to make sure that is not going to happen this time. 

Our goal is to:

• Raise awareness – by discovering foods we didn’t know contained sugar.
• Learn about ourselves – by noticing patterns, habits, and cravings we hadn’t realized before.
• Create new habits – by breaking out of our routine, we have the opportunity to find new foods that are better serving our bodies at this time.

Step 1: Pick your level of participation – 

Level 1 – Eliminating sweet treats and sugary beverages

Level 2 – Eliminating sweet treats, sugary beverages, and alcohol

Level 3 – Eliminating sweet treats, sugary beverages, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners.

Level 4 – All added sugars.  

Pick a level that works for you.  Rather than perfection, we are shooting for progress.  Which one of these will present a challenge, force you to change, but allow you to be successful?  

If you already have excellent will-power when it comes to sweet treats, but love processed salad dressings, see if you can take this two weeks to discover dressings without added sugars or learn how to make some simple vinaigrettes.

If the idea of reading every label is too overwhelming, just focus on eliminating sweet treats and sugared up beverages.  During the two weeks, check out the labels of some of the products you typically use.  You don’t have to make a change, but you will be gathering knowledge that you can use when you are ready.  Maybe next time you are at the store, you will reach for the natural peanut butter and give it a try. 

Step 2: Prepare

• Take a look at the foods you typically rely on in a day / week.  For each one, look for a better option.  
• Look through The food you already own and enjoy.  Focus on eating the foods that WILL work.

Example: 

• Sugar in my morning coffee —> Becomes —> unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened coconut creamer
• 5pm glass of wine —> Becomes —> Spindrift or Perrier Lime in a wine glass
• Protein bar at 3:00 in the car —> Becomes —> a handful of almonds and snap peas

What happens if I fail and eat sugar?

Don’t give up!  If you blow it one day, just get right back on track the next.  You will make more progress with your health if you eliminate black and white thinking.  Progress is better than perfection.  

Read What We Can Lean From Failure.

If you were to feel like a failure, throw in the towel, and give up, you will not make as much progress as if you keep trying.

Take slip ups as an opportunity to learn.  Look at what caused you to fall for sugar.  

Were you overtired and over hungry?

Were you stuck with no healthful options?

Were you peer pressured?

Did you accidentally eat something before realizing it contained sugar?

Each of those just gives you data that will help you prepare for the next time.  You have just grown in your health awareness!  Learn from it and move on!

Take this two weeks to focus on yourself, your health, and your behaviors.  You will learn a lot and become stronger in the process. Good luck!

More info about sugar: Check the FREE PREVIEW lessons on the Powerup and Reset Course that apply

to sugar: Powerup and Reset Course

If you are over being frustrated by your body, are tired of being tired, and feel like everything you do makes things worse rather than better, it is time to learn how to take care of your body NOW!

Let me help. 

If you are deep in the Perimenopause transition, you need to REWRITE YOUR SELF-CARE MANUAL with How to Powerup Peri/menopause: the Complete Guide 

Or 

If you are Perimenopausal or menopausal and feel like you are constantly struggling with inflammation, bloating, exhaustion, constipation, and sudden weight gain.  It is likely you suspect it is due to what you are eating, but don’t know what or how to change.  You need the Powerup and Reset Program.

In perimenopause and menopause our hormones are totally different, so our approach needs to be different too.

Best news is, the approach we need does NOT include:

• Punishing amounts of exercise
• Starvation
• Unrealistic goals that take you way out of your comfort zone.
• Fasting
• Keto

It DOES include:

• Feeding ourselves the BEST foods on a regular basis to assure out body it is fed and cared for.
• Editing our exercise to make it efficient and effective so we don’t waste time spinning our wheels.
• Learning to apply easy and strategic self-care to help our hormones settle down.

Have you tried and failed to change your health in the past?  Consider this:

1. Now is the time to take your health seriously.  What we do RIGHT NOW decides if we will spend our golden years sick and broken or thriving and enjoying life.  

2.  Just about EVERYTHING you read or see in Health Media is NOT designed for women in Perimenopause or menopause.  Our hormones are DIFFERENT than men and younger women.  Things that work for other people are likely to make things WORSE for you right now.  

3.  We cannot afford to waste time with-fast fix weight loss schemes that will likely cost us precious bone and muscle, cause us to gain belly fat, and can even cause us to become more at risk for heart attack and stroke. 

Everything in How to Powerup Peri/menopause: the Complete Guide and the Powerup and Reset Program are designed for women in Perimenopause and Menopause to:

• Help you feel better RIGHT NOW
• Find your best health and make it last a lifetime
• Lose stubborn fat, especially in the belly
• Increase or preserve bone and muscle, the key to aging well
• Keep our cortisol levels down
• Decrease inflammation

If you have previously struggled to make real health changes stick, these are the programs for you. 

Instead of presenting a bunch of information and leaving you overwhelmed, with no idea how to apply it to your life, BOTH COURSES are filled with BEHAVIOR CHANGE strategy, tips and tricks, and realistic advice that walk you through how to apply everything successfully into your life and maintain it for the long term. 

These programs have been changing the lives of so many women.  Why not let it be you?

Click here to take a look at these two programs

Select the course you want to know more about and click on FREE PREVIEW to read and watch lessons from the courses and see which one is right for you!