Last year I had to reboot my lifestyle a bit. I was exploring finding a balance between being healthy and not being obsessed with being healthy. I let go somewhat and I allowed more carbs and sugar in my diet. Turns out that change created issues and I didn’t feel good. I discovered I needed to be on top of my health and do so in a way that got me excited instead of obsessive.
Eating low carb is the way to go in my opinion. This is especially true for women as we get into our 40s. Carbs and sugar are not as easily metabolized and just sit on our waistlines. Not only do they cause weight issues they contribute to anxiety, depression and disease. Therefore I have been a big believer in a low carb diet for years. It just makes sense. Because I have been eating this way for a long time I have many meals that fit into my low carb lifestyle that I love and are satisfying. The only issue I struggle with continually are desserts.
I love desserts. Chocolate especially! However last year when I was not feeling the way I wanted to feel I really had to take a look at my eating habits among other things. Was I really eating low carb? How much sugar was I consuming. I was not surprised to learn I was eating too much sugar.
To get myself on a road to success I used a fitness app to track my sugar intake and I started to research more low sugar recipes. This brought me to explore the Keto diet.
It didn’t take very long for me to realize that I didn’t want to go full Keto. Frist of all I don’t like to be on a plan where I have to count all my macros and measure out everything single thing I put in my body. I don’t have time for that and it seems unnecessary.
Second to be successful on the Keto diet you have to stay on it in order to continue to be in ketosis. I need my cheat days. If I thought I needed to stay on this diet for health reasons then that would be different. But that is not the case now. I can have some sugar every now and then.
Exploring keto desserts was interesting. There are several ways to eat dessert on the keto diet. First think outside the box and instead of a sugary treat have snack such as nuts or meat and cheese. If you need something sweet you can try using stevia or erythritol as sweeteners in your recipes. Just stay away from artificial sweetners such as aspartame. Try natural alternatives. Finally there are many keto snacks and desserts to purchase now. Costco has great snacks that are keto friendly. Just make sure you look at the ingredients before you buy. There are some foods listed as keto that are not.
After trying different ideas this past year I can say I have made a descision on how I want to move forward. I don’t love sweeteners such as stevia or erythritol. Stevia has a distinct aftertaste. I like it in greek yogurt but it doesn’t seem to work in other foods I have tried. Erythritol sometimes upsets my stomach even if I have just a little. I still use it sometimes as well as xylitol. Xylitol in homemade lemonade is great! Xylitol is also good for your teeth.
I have decided the key is to make desserts instead of buying them. Then you can control the amount of sugar. Also you can use fruit such as bananas in your foods for sweetness. The key is to lessen the amount of sugar. The American diet is filled with sugar. Try your best to limit but I don’t think we need to eliminate it all together.
If you make sure your meals are filled with mostly veggies, a healthy protein and a healthy fat you will be fine. If you stick with this plan most of the time you can have a little bread or dessert and it is no big deal. You will discover how much is too much by the scale and how you feel. You will learn what your body wants however it will be constant balancing act. You will figure it out. Have fun exploring new ideas and recipes. And have fun feeling great!
Here are some ideas for lower sugar treats. Making this change has made a huge difference for me and they are still very satisfying!
Using fruit to sweeten yogurt, muffins, homemade ice cream etc
Eat dark chocolate or Choc Keto Snaps from Costco instead of milk chocolate
Mix vodka or tequilla etc with Zevia instead of regular soda
What are some other ideas you have found?