Stress Tastes Like Sugar

Hi, my name is Kim, and I am an emotional eater. I'm a celebration eater. I am a person who eats out of boredom.

And, right now, I'm a person who is eating out of frustration and from stress.

At first, I thought it was just readjusting to life post-vacation. While I didn't go crazy in Colorado, I enjoyed the state and the company of my family. There was the most delicious ice cream at Sweet Cow in Louisville and a piece of fried chicken at White Fence Farms in Lakewood. I couldn't resist the donuts I brought home for the boys after Orange Theory, and I made an ice cream pie, which I had to sample, for my hosts.

Coming home, I was ready and almost excited to go back to NSNG. I picked up my favorite snacks at the store - pickles, olives, cheese, almonds - and prepared for a good week. My first day back to work wasn't so bad, though not great, but I figured that maybe I needed a day. Tuesday, I tried again and it went worse ... and worse ... and worse.

It wasn't my resolve that was wavering nor was I fed up with NSNG. Oh, no. It was that I could not handle the sheer amount of stress and tension in the workplace. We're undergoing a system change, and it is wreaking havoc. There are adjustments to be made, crashes to work through and attitudes that are developing.  On top of it, there were vacations scheduled and everyone's task list grew.

Each night, I went home with knots in my neck and shoulders and hands that were groping for the ice cream scoop. Day after day, night after night, I was feeding the stress with sugar. A piece of candy here, a cookie there, a bowl of ice cream on the side. I was falling into the same behaviors that were a part of the reason I went NSNG in the first place.

I thought this week would be better. There are more people in the office, and the workload is more manageable. But tensions are still high, and I can still feel it in my shoulders - and my sweet tooth. I'm trying to be forgiving but, truth be told, I don't really like me when I'm this way, when I feel so out of control.

So, I'm putting it out there. I am making a pledge to me. This all stops TODAY.

On the Road: Grain-Free Snacks

A lifelong friendship could have very well been a polite acquaintance had it not been for one thing.

Pretzel rods.

Kim and I were making the journey from northeast Indiana to Chicagoland for the 2013 Wisconsin Half Marathon. Like any good toddler moms would, we came packing. Apples, carrots, nuts, pretzel roods and raisins filled bags and, later, bellies until we were able to stop for lunch.

Just one thing: A suitable dining spot was hard to come by. We spent much of the four trip lamenting that we were hungry as we ate another pretzel rod ... and another ... and another. As we were both running 13.1 the next day, we just considered it carb loading.

But carbs and me aren't on the greatest of terms since I adopted my no sugar, no grains lifestyle (which is about 80/20). So when it came time to pack snacks for our road trip to Colorado, I was at a bit of a loss. Sure, I could fill a bag with fruit snacks, yogurt-covered raisins, granola bars and crackers for the boys. But what was I going to pack?

Plenty, as it turns out.

UGo Bars. I found these at my local running store, and I couldn't resist. The bars are made in Bloomington, Indiana, and feature recognizable ingredients and an actual expiration date. They are comparable to Larabars but the taste is off the charts. I had the Ultra Cherry and Cacao, which had dried cherries, pecans, raisins, flax, cinnamon chia seeds and cacao nibs. They do have brown rice syrup, which hedges the line of no sugar, but it's still a good option.

Snack pack olives. I'll admit, these weird me out a bit. The black olives come in a plastic container with no liquid. And, at nearly a $1 per serving, these aren't cost effective but it's nice to have something salty and fatty to tide you over.

Shelled pistachios. I love, love, love pistachios and often get them on car trips when we make a pit stop at a gas station. The only problem is that they come in the shell, making them difficult to eat while driving and messy. It's worth it to spend the extra money and get them pre-shelled. I bought snack pack plastic baggies and portioned them out. Other nuts are great, too.

Peeled boiled eggs. This option is best for consumption within a few hours but I packed a few eggs in a plastic container with freezer ring. As we left at 4 a.m., I was able to grab these when I was ready for breakfast and eat something familiar.

Almond butter packets. A container of fresh ground almond butter can almost always be found at my desk. I eat it with fruit or on a sweet potato but mostly I eat it with a spoon. So why would I stray from a favorite on a trip? The combination of fat and protein is great for satiety.

What are your must have snacks?

Sugar hangover: Recovering and getting back on track

I put a little life into living this weekend. Actually, I put a lot of life into living.

Especially, if life includes sugar - in all forms. Smores, banana pudding, ice cream, cake, more ice cream. Between the Fourth of July, a birthday for party (how is my baby THREE today?!?) and emotions that tasted like buttercream, I found myself abandoning my NSNG lifestyle and eating without regard or responsibility.

And that's OK, to an extent, but I paid for it. My 6-mile run was sluggish and challenging despite my partners keeping the pace controlled. My gut was angry, too, and a killer headache kept me company most of the day.

The sugar hangover was a good reminder as to why I am choosing to limit the carbs and focus on a vegetable-heavy, higher fat diet. It makes me feel better.

But, the few days after a "binge" are almost just as bad as I find that it takes the body some time to temper and even out. The hunger is more frequent and pronounced, and cravings are more frequent and harder to fight.

For me, sugar is most definitely an addiction or a compulsion, at the minimum. Even with experience, it can be difficult to make the better choices in the beginning. But it can be done. Paddy Spence, CEO of Zevia. quit sugar cold turkey in an effort to upgrade his health about 12 years ago.


"I thought I was a health-conscious person – I exercised frequently, consumed meat in moderation, and used natural and organic products whenever possible. But when I really looked at my diet, I found I was consuming up to 250 grams of sugar per day, between protein shakes, energy bars, juice-based spritzers and other foods and beverages. That’s about 1,000 calories a day, just from sugars."

Tips for Cutting Out Sugar From Your Diet

Be a sugar sleuth. Take an inventory of your diet to track down where you’re getting most of your sugar. It’s easy to pinpoint sources like the sugar in your coffee, but sugar finds its way to us in all kinds of guises.

Forget fruit knock-offs. Whole fruits offer fiber and other good-for-you ingredients like vitamins. Fruit juice and dried fruit, on the other hand, are sugar-concentrated versions of the real thing.

Cut down on condiments. There’s a reason kids love ketchup…it’s one of the most sugary condiment culprits, and barbecue sauce is just as bad. Perhaps the sneakiest of the lot, however, is salad dressing — especially fat-free varieties. The best way to control sugar content is to make your own.

Cast out coated snacks.  From a sugar perspective, treats like honey-roasted nuts, teriyaki jerky, and yogurt-covered pretzels run neck-and-neck with candy bars. Opt for the naked versions.

Steer clear of cereal. Some choices — like Frosted Flakes and Honey Nut Cheerios — are obvious sugar pushers. But don’t be fooled by seemingly healthy options like granola.

Forego fruit-flavored yogurts. A cup of regular fruit-flavored yogurt can contain about 30 grams of sugar (that’s not much less than a can of Coke)! If you want blueberry yogurt, you’re much better off stirring fresh blueberries into plain yogurt. They’re naturally low in sugar.

Not all sweeteners are equal. Although your body metabolizes different sweeteners differently, at the end of the day it’s all sugar. Try stevia, a natural no-cal sweetener. It’s great for both coffee and baking, and a little goes a long way.

Curb cravings with protein. Everyone’s different, but a high-protein snack can help suppress a sweet tooth. Try a hard-boiled egg, a cup of cottage cheese, or a spoonful of natural peanut butter to stave off a hankering.

Go for lower-sugar desserts. Dark chocolate gives taste buds a treat without sugar overload. A bowl of low-sugar granola with milk will also satisfy an after-dinner appetite.

Don’t try to be superwoman. Trying to eat healthily is a noble goal, but being too strict will set you up for failure. Rather than trying for gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan everything, focus on just one.

What are your tips?

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs, Moroccan Style

Have you ever woke up in the morning and, the moment you open your eyes, you think: Oh, shit. I forgot to x ... y ... z.

For me, the moment came Tuesday morning and the thing I forgot? Well, it meant dinner for that night was not going to happen - at least the way I planned.

The other week, I had stopped at the coop to get a can of coconut milk to stir into my paleo chicken pad thai. I figured that I'd buy a can for a couple bucks, use what I needed and toss. Wasteful? Yes. Necessary? Probably, at least for me on that day. Lo and behold, I went down the Asian aisle and saw culinary coconut milk in a carton with a resealable cap from So Delicious. I was able to add just what I needed and store the remaining in the work fridge for subsequent lunches during the week.

But I still had some coconut milk left so the plan was to bring it home and make a slow cooker curry. Not only did it sound great but it afforded me the opportunity to make dinner for Mark and Miles so they could see "The Lego Movie" at the library Tuesday night. I was filled with pride Monday night that I remembered to toss the milk in my lunch bag just before I left for the day.

If only I had remembered to put the milk in the fridge, though.

On Tuesday morning, I knew immediately that I had messed up and needed to scramble a dinner plan. There was some homemade macaroni and cheese in the freezer and a Barefoot Contessa bag meal (found on manager's special) in the deep freeze. They would work for the boys but not so much for me.

What would work? 

A twist on several recipes for Moroccan Chicken, an idea that surfaced after a frantic Google search.

The dish used staples from my pantry - canned diced tomatoes and ground ginger, coriander and cinnamon - and a few things that I happened to have because, if you hadn't guessed, I'm a sucker for Kroger's manager's specials. Even though I seemed to be in a terrible rush, the hardest thing I had to do was chop two cloves of garlic and that took all of 2 minutes.

Though it was simple to put together, the flavor was anything but. The dish was warm and hearty yet subtle, prompting two picky boys to clean their plates. I served my chicken over broccoli but it would pair will with couscous or brown rice.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Thighs

2 pounds chicken thighs
1/3 cup dried apricots, sliced
1/3 cup dried currants
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup plain yogurt

In a slow cooker, combine chicken thighs, apricots, currants, garlic ginger, salt, coriander, cinnamon, and pepper; stir. Pour diced tomatoes on top. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken from the slow cooker. Stir in plain yogurt to make sauce with the tomatoes. Place chicken on plate and top with tomato mix. Makes 4 servings.