I have gone a little retail crazy in the last couple of weeks and bought myself two appliances that are going to save my sanity a little. The first is a Roomba... I am not the most diligent of housewives... so anything that is going to vacuum for me whilst i am somewhere else (eg at work) is a friend of mine. The second is a Thermomix. For those who don't know what a thermomix is, go to www.thermomix.com.au and be prepared to be impressed! I wonder how it took so long for me to find out about this sensational appliance. Anyone who knows me also knows that I love a good party plan gathering... my massive tupperware cupboard, enjo gear (yes i do still have a clean bathroom) and room full of Le Reve perfumes, skincare and aromatherapy are testament to my faith in good quality products bought through party plan. So I got invited to a Thermomix demo. I had never heard of it before. I went, fully intending to not buy, just look. Yeah, right.... $2000 later I head home, wondering how I sell this idea to my husband and make it sound like a really good purchase. Turns out I really didn't need to work too hard to convince him - he knows that I don't actually spend money just for the sake of it, so if I had decided it was a good purchase, that was good enough for him. Trusting man... very trusting man...
Anyway, I also booked my own demo and we had that yesterday. I am sooooo excited to have my thermomix in the kitchen. Mushroom risotto for dinner last night, courtesy of the leftovers from the demo... The great thing about the Thermomix is that you know exactly what is going into your food. I can even make my own gluten free flour by milling rice (and tapioca and other gf grains if i really feel so inclined...)
So, how does this all tie in with Fructose Free living? Quite simply really. We tried the custard recipe and instead of pulverising raw sugar, then using the powdered form of that, i just put in the same weight of dextrose. OMG.... i am sooo never standing over a saucepan stirring and stirring and stirring and praying that the eggs don't curdle! That was seriously the best custard I have EVER made, and I have made quite a lot of custard in my life. Then, Scott said, do you think you could try some creamed rice? He was pleading just a little.... I have banned tinned creamed rice even though the boys LOVE it, because it is just too high in sugar. Well, we did it. And apparently it is just the way the little Greek shop in Casuarina Shopping Centre used to make it, so that is obviously a good thing! Again, no sugar - used dextrose instead and according to the official taster - perfect!
What is next? Well, gluten free hot cross buns are going to have to be attempted. I whipped up an ice cream batch (dextrose) last night to compare it to my tried and tested method. It is churning in Snowy at the moment, so we will see how that turns out. Again, the less standing over a stove stirring for me, the better.
Dips! Last weekend i tried a capsicum, cashew and sundried tomato dip, this weekend garlic, parsley and cream cheese. Can't wait to have another birthday party or something to try a few more of these recipes out!
So I have a couple of weeks holidays coming up - guess what Mr 5 and I will be doing? Cooking and playing! (and watching the floors get vacuumed) Can anyone tell I am a little bit excited? I firmly believe this whole fructose free lifestyle is going to get even easier when i make more of my own sauces - mayonnaise for example - so i have even fewer labels to read.
Of course it might make us incredibly boring people as we will be less likely to want to go out, but I live by the theory that if you are doing the right thing most of the time, then the occasional meal out is not going to do damage. Damage happens when the occasional turns into the regular. Kind of like drinking....
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Sweet Poison on Sunday Night (Channel 7)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/features/article/-/13058226/sweet-poison/3/
How good was that? I often worry when stuff like this is going to be shown on a current affairs program, because more than likely in a week or two Channel 7 will be airing a program on how wonderful the carrot stick diet or the banana diet is (fictional at this point in time as far as I know...) However, having Peter Fitzsimons reporting from the perspective of actually living a sugar-free lifestyle made it more real for me. And I have had numerous messages from friends asking how to get hold of the book now. I am so excited that the message is getting out there.
You just can't argue with the logic. Even "Dr" Alan Barclay said it - eat all foods in moderation, go back to whole foods, nutritional foods. (Sugar has zero nutritional value people). So glad they didn't show too much more of him talking as I may have punched my TV. As a diabetic's wife, I get so annoyed that he is still pushing the idea that sugar is ok, even though the response of so many diabetics (type 1 and type 2) is that their sugar levels are far easier to control when they cut out the processed sugar. I read through the comments on Sunday Night's website and there was one mother's comment saying "Well my son is a type 1 diabetic and if he doesn't eat sugar he will die" ummm... well hello, have a look at what is in his hypo kit - it is pure glucose, so don't you think if you replace his sugar with glucose he will still be ok. Speaking from experience, you will be doing your diabetic family member a massive favour by switching to glucose. The insulin will start to work better (in our case, long acting insulin has been reduced significantly) and their sugar levels will be far more steady from day to day.
Admittedly, not once during the program was the word fructose mentioned. I wonder if this was on purpose. I find that at first people find it very hard to comprehend what fructose is. Unfortunately, if you just say "cut out all sugar" people get very jumpy, because sugar includes all your ranges of carbohydrates. Be assured, nowhere in his book does David suggest we stop eating potatoes, pumpkin or peas (all the good veges begin with p - except parsnip, it is NOT a good vege according to my tastebuds!). David makes a very clear distinction on the difference between glucose (a good sugar) and sucrose (a half-bad sugar, the bad half being fructose).
Okay Nestle, this is a quote from your statement to Channel 7 regarding their program from tonight. "And finally, and probably most importantly, using the 100gms stat is completely misleading – it’s absurd to suggest that anyone would eat 15 heaped teaspoons of Milo in one sitting." I am guessing whoever wrote that never met me at various stages in my life - eg. pre-menstrual, stressed, tired, hungover, bored, happy, sad. I have memories of sitting with a can of milo and a dessertspoon (not a teaspoon). And in all honesty, who cannot admit to just putting enough milk into half a cup of milo to just make it wet enough to eat without choking on the dry product! Go on... you can admit it here, you are among friends!
Toady I ran a little experiment. I took my 5 year old son to his first big school birthday party today. Sugar sugar everywhere. The lolly bag was a "lolly shop" situation. I agreed with my husband that we would allow the boys a limited amount of sugar from the party, so my son and I went down the line and he pointed out all the lollies he would like - i got 4 of each - 2 for him and 2 for his brother. They shared when they got home. They threw out about half of the lollies because they just didn't like them. They only got about 10 little jelly type lollies and a few jaffas. They ate maybe half, threw out a few, and the rest are in a sealed container that will go in the bin tomorrow night. The experiment concludes then when I determine if they remember they are there and ask for them. It sounds a bit horrible running experiments on your kids, but I want to know what the effect of me choosing to cut sugar out of their diet has been. I am pretty positive so far. Today's attitude to the lollies is enough for me to know they don't really want it and are not missing out. They still get dessert most nights a week - usually it is the dextrose-based icecream that I make. Sometimes it is yoghurt (natural with Stevia as a sweetener). Sometimes it is a rice cake! The lolly situation is a far cry from 2 Christmases ago, when we went to the carols and Santa brought a massive bag of lollies for each kid. Santa dressed up was my boys' Great Grandfather, so he made sure those darling little boys of his got extra lollies. My little man was about 2 and a half at the time and sat and ate his entire bag of lollies (except those blocks someone put in his bag of lollies - licorice allsorts). Now he struggles to get through 10 little lollies.
And the best thing that I noticed was in my own response. I have ALWAYS loved lollies. I could eat a big bag in the space of time it would take you to read this blog. That would certainly go a long way to explaining why i wear clothes of the size I do.... but today, I was not interested. I ate two little party pies and a quarter of a ham sandwich that Mr 5 had taken a bite out of. I think I may still have been full from a yummy bacon and eggs breaky, but there was not a chance a lolly was going in my mouth. That was probably my first big temptation since focussing on this issue. One step at a time, but I avoided that one so I know I am getting stronger.
On my weight, I am not going to be reporting on a weekly basis. Given the natural fluctuations in our bodies, I think it is better that I look on a monthly basis. I also am trying to beat some mental demons, one of which is a fixation with the numbers. I need to remember that it is about feeling better, not just what number comes up on the scales.
So, ciao for now!
How good was that? I often worry when stuff like this is going to be shown on a current affairs program, because more than likely in a week or two Channel 7 will be airing a program on how wonderful the carrot stick diet or the banana diet is (fictional at this point in time as far as I know...) However, having Peter Fitzsimons reporting from the perspective of actually living a sugar-free lifestyle made it more real for me. And I have had numerous messages from friends asking how to get hold of the book now. I am so excited that the message is getting out there.
You just can't argue with the logic. Even "Dr" Alan Barclay said it - eat all foods in moderation, go back to whole foods, nutritional foods. (Sugar has zero nutritional value people). So glad they didn't show too much more of him talking as I may have punched my TV. As a diabetic's wife, I get so annoyed that he is still pushing the idea that sugar is ok, even though the response of so many diabetics (type 1 and type 2) is that their sugar levels are far easier to control when they cut out the processed sugar. I read through the comments on Sunday Night's website and there was one mother's comment saying "Well my son is a type 1 diabetic and if he doesn't eat sugar he will die" ummm... well hello, have a look at what is in his hypo kit - it is pure glucose, so don't you think if you replace his sugar with glucose he will still be ok. Speaking from experience, you will be doing your diabetic family member a massive favour by switching to glucose. The insulin will start to work better (in our case, long acting insulin has been reduced significantly) and their sugar levels will be far more steady from day to day.
Admittedly, not once during the program was the word fructose mentioned. I wonder if this was on purpose. I find that at first people find it very hard to comprehend what fructose is. Unfortunately, if you just say "cut out all sugar" people get very jumpy, because sugar includes all your ranges of carbohydrates. Be assured, nowhere in his book does David suggest we stop eating potatoes, pumpkin or peas (all the good veges begin with p - except parsnip, it is NOT a good vege according to my tastebuds!). David makes a very clear distinction on the difference between glucose (a good sugar) and sucrose (a half-bad sugar, the bad half being fructose).
Okay Nestle, this is a quote from your statement to Channel 7 regarding their program from tonight. "And finally, and probably most importantly, using the 100gms stat is completely misleading – it’s absurd to suggest that anyone would eat 15 heaped teaspoons of Milo in one sitting." I am guessing whoever wrote that never met me at various stages in my life - eg. pre-menstrual, stressed, tired, hungover, bored, happy, sad. I have memories of sitting with a can of milo and a dessertspoon (not a teaspoon). And in all honesty, who cannot admit to just putting enough milk into half a cup of milo to just make it wet enough to eat without choking on the dry product! Go on... you can admit it here, you are among friends!
Toady I ran a little experiment. I took my 5 year old son to his first big school birthday party today. Sugar sugar everywhere. The lolly bag was a "lolly shop" situation. I agreed with my husband that we would allow the boys a limited amount of sugar from the party, so my son and I went down the line and he pointed out all the lollies he would like - i got 4 of each - 2 for him and 2 for his brother. They shared when they got home. They threw out about half of the lollies because they just didn't like them. They only got about 10 little jelly type lollies and a few jaffas. They ate maybe half, threw out a few, and the rest are in a sealed container that will go in the bin tomorrow night. The experiment concludes then when I determine if they remember they are there and ask for them. It sounds a bit horrible running experiments on your kids, but I want to know what the effect of me choosing to cut sugar out of their diet has been. I am pretty positive so far. Today's attitude to the lollies is enough for me to know they don't really want it and are not missing out. They still get dessert most nights a week - usually it is the dextrose-based icecream that I make. Sometimes it is yoghurt (natural with Stevia as a sweetener). Sometimes it is a rice cake! The lolly situation is a far cry from 2 Christmases ago, when we went to the carols and Santa brought a massive bag of lollies for each kid. Santa dressed up was my boys' Great Grandfather, so he made sure those darling little boys of his got extra lollies. My little man was about 2 and a half at the time and sat and ate his entire bag of lollies (except those blocks someone put in his bag of lollies - licorice allsorts). Now he struggles to get through 10 little lollies.
And the best thing that I noticed was in my own response. I have ALWAYS loved lollies. I could eat a big bag in the space of time it would take you to read this blog. That would certainly go a long way to explaining why i wear clothes of the size I do.... but today, I was not interested. I ate two little party pies and a quarter of a ham sandwich that Mr 5 had taken a bite out of. I think I may still have been full from a yummy bacon and eggs breaky, but there was not a chance a lolly was going in my mouth. That was probably my first big temptation since focussing on this issue. One step at a time, but I avoided that one so I know I am getting stronger.
On my weight, I am not going to be reporting on a weekly basis. Given the natural fluctuations in our bodies, I think it is better that I look on a monthly basis. I also am trying to beat some mental demons, one of which is a fixation with the numbers. I need to remember that it is about feeling better, not just what number comes up on the scales.
So, ciao for now!
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Baking day!
Ingredients:
120 g butter
3/4 cup dextrose
2 eggs
vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
pinch of salt
Method: Beat butter and dextrose to a cream. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla and mix. Mix flour, salt and coconut together then gradually add to mix until all combined. Roll into small balls and press flat with a fork. Cook at 180 degrees C for about 15-20 min or until colour starts to form.
The mix in the book says it makes 20. I got 39 of a decent size. They have passed the taste test. In fact I don't know how long they will last as Scott has just eaten his fifth one...
I will put up the anzac bikkies recipe another day.
I also made some homemade fructose free chocolate yesterday. The boys love it. It turned out very much like dark chocolate. It was pretty easy so when I play around with the recipe a bit more, I will do a blog about that too.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
First Week down - impressive results!
Well... hello! I have to say that I was not expecting big things this week. I have not done any exercise for about two weeks due to various circumstances. However, after my first seven days fructose-free I got on the scales this morning to discover.... a loss of 1.1 kg!!! How awesome is that?!
After so many months of gain a little, lose a little.... it feels really good to know that I have managed to lose a bit of weight without even trying very hard. All I did was eat normal food. Breakfasts this week have been porridge (on the days where I was organised the night before) or two vita brits with milk. Lunches were steamed chicken and salad with a light smattering of mayo. Dinners have been fish, chicken, lamb chops or steak with salad. Last night we had yellow mash (sweet potato and potato) with veges and lamb chops. Snacks have been fruit (nectarine, banana, kiwifruit) and nuts (almonds).
I have been going for regular massages for the last 8 months or so with specialist in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine and Massage. The last two times I have seen him, he told me that something was "not right" and he had a sense that he should be a bit worried about me. I had been feeling "off" for a while so went to my GP and had blood tests etc done. Nothing has shown in the results to be the cause of my feeling. After I made the decision last week to come off the shakes and follow the Quit Plan more thoroughly, I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. For months I have been battling the decision in my head, knowing what fructose was doing to me scientifically, and trying to reconcile that with what I thought the shakes were doing to "help" me. Once I went off them and decided I would not be going back to them, it was like I had finally released that argument in my head and I felt at peace.
I went back for a massage this afternoon and Michael knew something had changed. He said that his sense of concern for me was far less than it had been 3 weeks ago and he could tell that I was feeling healthier. So I told him what I had done (quit the shakes and gone fructose-free) and how it was making me feel. I have far less tension in my neck and shoulders now than I have had for a very long time. That is not bad considering I am a teacher and we are finishing the sixth week of term 1. Normally, this is major stress time for me.
Now, of course, I don't have any scientific evidence that eating the way I am has removed the tension from my neck and shoulders. But I would say that being confident in the knowledge that I am doing the right thing for me, my husband and my kids has made me less stressed overall and that has helped to improve matters for me.
I plan to keep updating with my progress every few days so please keep checking back!
After so many months of gain a little, lose a little.... it feels really good to know that I have managed to lose a bit of weight without even trying very hard. All I did was eat normal food. Breakfasts this week have been porridge (on the days where I was organised the night before) or two vita brits with milk. Lunches were steamed chicken and salad with a light smattering of mayo. Dinners have been fish, chicken, lamb chops or steak with salad. Last night we had yellow mash (sweet potato and potato) with veges and lamb chops. Snacks have been fruit (nectarine, banana, kiwifruit) and nuts (almonds).
I have been going for regular massages for the last 8 months or so with specialist in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine and Massage. The last two times I have seen him, he told me that something was "not right" and he had a sense that he should be a bit worried about me. I had been feeling "off" for a while so went to my GP and had blood tests etc done. Nothing has shown in the results to be the cause of my feeling. After I made the decision last week to come off the shakes and follow the Quit Plan more thoroughly, I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. For months I have been battling the decision in my head, knowing what fructose was doing to me scientifically, and trying to reconcile that with what I thought the shakes were doing to "help" me. Once I went off them and decided I would not be going back to them, it was like I had finally released that argument in my head and I felt at peace.
I went back for a massage this afternoon and Michael knew something had changed. He said that his sense of concern for me was far less than it had been 3 weeks ago and he could tell that I was feeling healthier. So I told him what I had done (quit the shakes and gone fructose-free) and how it was making me feel. I have far less tension in my neck and shoulders now than I have had for a very long time. That is not bad considering I am a teacher and we are finishing the sixth week of term 1. Normally, this is major stress time for me.
Now, of course, I don't have any scientific evidence that eating the way I am has removed the tension from my neck and shoulders. But I would say that being confident in the knowledge that I am doing the right thing for me, my husband and my kids has made me less stressed overall and that has helped to improve matters for me.
I plan to keep updating with my progress every few days so please keep checking back!
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