Wednesday, January 2, 2008

2008 Sugar-Free January Guide

Happy New Year Everyone!!

It is 2008 and it's time for a brand new start to a healthier life! I don't know about all of you, but my body is ready for a time of cleansing and healthy eating and getting back in shape.

Our plan for a sugar free January, is much more than a weight loss plan. It's a plan to bring our bodies back to a state of health, to feel better, to sleep better, to wake up energized and ready to begin our new year.

I plan for one month, because I think it's easier to have a time frame for our goals. We have a tendency to stick with the plan because we know when it begins and when it ends. This doesn't mean we will abandon everything healthy at the end of the month, it is simply a jump start for the new year. We plan to continue much of what we will learn this month throughout the rest of this entire year and we hope you'll join us for some or all aspects of the plan!

We have a set plan for each week. There will be a certain food that we will eliminate each week. The final week we will follow a completely sugar-free, vegetarian diet. Each week, proper portion sizes will also be followed per common guidelines, such as stated in this PDF.




Sugar Free January Weekly Guide
(Explanations will follow)
:


Week 1: Sugar-Free, Whole-Grain Gluten Free

Week 2: Sugar Free, Whole-Grain Gluten-Free, No Red Meats


Week 3: Sugar Free, Whole-Grain Gluten-Free, Meat-Free, Dairy Free,
Water and Juice only for drinking

Week 4: COMPLETELY Sugar-Free, Whole-Grain Gluten-Free, Meat-Free,
Water Only, Vegetables Only


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Category Guidelines:

  • Sugar-Free
Allowed: VERY LIMITED amounts of Splenda, Locally Grown Honey, Unsulphured Black Strap Molasses, Agave Nectar, Raw Fruits, and Fruit Juices. (Week 4 - NO sugars of any type will be allowed!)

Not Allowed: Refined White or Brown Sugar, NO pure sugar sources such as full sugar sodas, desserts, ice-cream, etc...


  • Whole Grain Gluten-Free

Allowed: Whole Grain Gluten Free flours and grains ONLY, such as: brown rice, sorghum, millet, quinoa, SOME whole grain corn flours, certified GF oats and oat flour, and bean flours if tolerated. Sweet potatoes and other healthy beans and carbohydrates will be allowed.

Not Allowed: NO refined white rice, tapioca, cornstarch, arrowroot, etc... NO white potatoes


  • Meat-Free

Allowed: Week 3 and onward is specified as Meat-Free. We will basically be following a
pescetarian food plan which will include eggs and fish, such as tuna and salmon. While not a "meat" : bean proteins, such as tofu will also be included.

Not Allowed: Beef, chicken, lamb, etc... basically any meats other than what is listed above.



  • Diary-Free:

Allowed: Week 3 and following dairy products will be eliminated. The only exception to this will be 4 oz. of probiotic yogurt daily. Soy and Nut products will be substituted for some dairy foods.

Not Allowed: Diary Milk, cheeses, ice-cream, creams, butter, etc..



  • Supplements we will use each day:
-2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar with 1 tsp. honey mixed in 8 oz. pure water, 2x per day.

-1 oz. Gogi juice, 2x per day. (Thanks for telling us about this great supplement Donna and James!)

-1 Tbsp. flax seed oil per day.

-1 daily vitamin (women or men's specific) with essential B vitamins and Iron.


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Personal Goals to meet each day along with food requirements:



Spiritual Health Goals:

- To make sufficient time every day for personal prayer and devotions.
- To do this, I will go bed an hour earlier every night and get up an hour earlier each morning.


Physical Health Goals:

- To make a commitment to exercise 30 minutes a day, for three days per week for the entire month.
- To do this, I will commit a half hour as soon as I get home from work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.


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This is our basic plan for the month of January. If you have questions about this plan or why we are doing any specific part of this plan, please feel free to email me at: gingerlemon_girl(at)yahoo(dot)com. We will be journaling how we do all month. We'd love to know how you are doing if you're following any part of this plan as well!

After January we will continue to follow a much healthier eating plan with whole grain gluten-free foods and vegetables as the base of our diet. I would love to hear your personal goals and resolutions for this year be it dietary, financial, physical, or relational! Please leave me a comment below!!

Happy New Years to Everyone and Healthy Eating to all of you!

We'll be posting a menu plan for each week on Mondays if you'd like to see how we actually follow this diet!


Tune in later this week for a quick and easy sugar-free delicious breakfast muffin!!






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