One Life Changing Healthy Habit

Even when you eat healthy, sugar always finds a way to creep in, doesn’t it?

To give you some history, in 1821, the average American consumed 10 pounds of sugar per person per year. Today, the average intake of sugar is approximately 180 pounds per person PER YEAR! That's the average weight of an adult male! Up until just a few hundred years ago, chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes were relatively uncommon. Today, we see a developing pandemic of elevated blood sugar that is wreaking havoc on every organ of the body. It's affecting our overall health, aggressively enabling degenerative diseases, shortening life spans and significantly reducing quality of life in general. Is that scary enough to help you want to break the sugar habit?

Did you eat too much SUGAR over the summer? I want to help you develop healthy habits before we say good-bye to 2020. Registration is open for my impactful and effective program – the RESTART Program. It takes all of the guesswork out of what to eat, what to avoid, and how to keep sugar cravings from ruining your best intentions! Checkout everything about the program in detail HERE

And, this brings me to my health tip, which also gives you a little preview of the type of information included in my program… Healthy Habit: Stop Adding Sugar To Your Coffee! Do you add sugar to your coffee at home? Perhaps you run by a coffee shop to pick up a latte on the way to work or reward yourself with a mocha in the afternoon? Do you know how much sugar is in these drinks? Here’s a little breakdown:

Starbucks Oatmilk Honey Latte (Grande) = 28 grams sugar

Dunkin Donuts Caramel Swirl Cappuccino (Medium) = 47 grams sugar

McCafe Iced French Vanilla Latte (Medium) = 34 grams sugar

Homemade coffee (2 Tbsp half & half and 3 tsp sugar) = 14 grams sugar

Talk about a sugar hangover! Try stirring one of these in your coffee instead...

Grass-fed butter + Coconut oil – Creates a natural creaminess especially when you blend it into your coffee with a hand blender (don’t just stir it in). It is known for boosting energy.

Cinnamon – Adds a hint of sweetness and also provides the immune system with a boost! Just sprinkle a little bit on top, stir it into the grounds before brewing, or stick in a cinnamon stick. Any spice works - I really enjoy pumpkin pie spice this time of year!

Nut Milk, Coconut Milk, Coconut Cream or Organic Cream – Adds an instant full-bodied feel to your coffee. Coconut is naturally sweet and will sweeten your coffee without refined sugar. I like to add my homemade coconut milk to a milk frother before adding it to my coffee (and then topping it with cinnamon). The frother really helps to add creaminess – you’ll never miss the dairy creamers! For extra flavor, you can add a bit of vanilla extract to create your own homemade vanilla dairy-free creamer.

Vanilla Extract or Almond Extract – Naturally sweet on its own and is an amazing way to wean yourself off of using added sugar or sweeteners. Just stir in a couple drops.

Unsweetened Cocoa or Cacao Powder – Enhances the subtle notes in the beans and has also been shown to provide important antioxidants which can increase the overall quality of your morning coffee. A small amount can be stirred into the coffee itself or into the grounds before brewing.

Sea Salt – Seems counter intuitive, but as salt reduces bitterness, your coffee will seem sweeter without any sugar. Just be sure to only add a tiny pinch (either to the grounds before brewing or to the entire pot) and don’t go overboard or your coffee will taste salty!

I’ve tried all these - and they WORK! I haven’t had to put sugar in my coffee since. If your taste buds are used to the hyper-sweetened drinks from coffee shops these might take a little bit of time to get used to, but I know from personal experience that when you start consistently implementing these healthier substitutes, your body will start to crave them – and the cravings for sugar become less and less. Think of it like exercise. As our muscles get used to being exercised, and the more we get into a routine of consistently exercising, it gets easier. We train our taste buds like we train our muscles. Daily routines and habits are EVERYTHING. To change your LIFE, you have to CHANGE your HABITS.

Want some practical tips for keeping your body healthy from the inside out? Check out this podcast, The Problem With Perfect, where I was honored to be a guest expert for their episode on immune health.

If you are interested in receiving my health and nutrition resources delivered directly to your inbox, I invite you to sign up HERE.

Yours in Health & Happiness,

Karri, FNTP