Can making better food choices really help you feel better and give you more energy? You bet it can.

My sugar journey.

Sep 08, 2024

Do you remember when you were a kid? The excitement of opening a box of cereal, pouring a heaping pile into your bowl, drowning it in milk, and devouring while sitting on the couch in front of the TV while watching General Hospital? Okay, maybe you didn’t watch GH, but I sure did.

Breakfast cereals weren’t just for breakfast anymore.

My cereal of choice was Golden Grahams. I loved it and could devour a bowl—sometimes two—in just 15 minutes.

Cereal was always a special treat in my house. My mother knew it wasn’t good for us, and let’s not even talk about the cost of a box of cereal that barely lasted a week. My friend down the street, however, had a different story. She was the youngest of four, with three much older brothers. I’m guessing she was the "surprise baby" since she was more than 10 years younger than her siblings. By the time her parents had her, they were pretty much over the whole parenting thing. She was often left to her own devices. For her, that meant gigantic bowls of cereal for dinner in front of the TV. It was always fun to eat dinner at her house!

The story of breakfast cereals is fascinating, beginning in the late 1800s when Kellogg, a was poop obsessed vegetarian whose intention was to move people away from eating meat for breakfast created cereal to turn Americans on to whole grains for breakfast. This article on the history of cereal and its advertising as the American breakfast is a great read.

In the late '70s and '80s, there was a bit of a “healthy cereal” trend—at least it seemed that way in my house. The Wheaties campaign highlighted American athletes on cereal boxes and cereals like Raisin Bran or Cracklin' Oat Bran (with those sugary mini doughnut shapes) were all the rage. Americans were eating huge bowls of sugar-laden cereals disguised as "nutritious breakfast choices” for breakfast, lunch and dinner — And we wonder why so many Americans today have digestive issues and diabetes.

Fast forward to my college days when I gained the freshman 40. I was totally out of my element. I wasn’t used to drinking until all hours of the night and eating pizza at 2 a.m. In fact, believe it or not, I didn’t really eat pizza or drink much before that.

For the next 10 years, I carried a lot of the weight I had gained in college. Eventually, I realized that I wasn't digesting gluten very well—quite a shocker considering how much enriched wheat I ate in cereals, grocery store bread, and bagels growing up. While that discovery might seem like a step forward, it led me to replace gluten with a bunch of processed, packaged gluten-free breads, cookies, and cakes, which only caused me to gain more weight. I bounced back and forth between eliminating gluten entirely and consuming it in bulk. I even remember celebrating moving into my first apartment by eating an entire box of Snackwells.

Wow, how times have changed.

I wouldn’t say I was addicted to sugar, but I definitely went through phases where I ate a lot of packaged, processed, sugary foods marketed as "healthy"—often gluten-free. This journey led me to where I am now.

SCHEDULE A COMPLIMENTARY HEALTH REVIEW

In my late 30s, I discovered the health coaching program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I dove in headfirst, loving every minute of it. I've always loved food and had a huge interest in how it affects people differently. For example, one person might feel great after eating oatmeal, but for me, it leaves me feeling heavy and lethargic. I was taught by top health icons like Dr. Marion Nestle, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Mark Hyman. They taught me how making better food choices can help heal the body. I learned that everyone is different—what works for one person might not work for another. It also taught me that health isn’t just about food; it’s about lifestyle, relationships, movement, and doing work that fulfills you.

Today, I mostly avoid gluten. I’m not celiac, so if it’s mixed into something, I can eat it, but it’s not great for my system. I eat a lot of whole, plant-based foods. I don’t eat meat, though I do have fish occasionally. I avoid white sugar almost entirely. When I bake I use maple syrup or honey instead of refined sugar. While they’re still sugar, maple syrup doesn't spike blood sugar levels as much, making it a better choice for sweetening desserts. Baking with dates or date paste is even better

The results speak for themselves. I've lost weight, I’m no longer lethargic, and my digestion has improved. My once-high cholesterol is now within normal levels.

It's a process, no doubt. No one is perfect, but I can say with 100% certainty that what you eat and how you live directly impacts how you feel. The food you eat can help you heal from or prevent disease, give you energy, help you lose weight, and even improve mental clarity.

I imagine some of you have similar stories—loving sugary foods as a kid. Maybe you still struggle with cravings for baked goods or candy. Maybe you've gained weight and feel lethargic and tired. Perhaps you nod off at your desk or take cholesterol medication.

All of these issues can be dramatically improved by changing the food you eat. This is why I’m leaning into my holistic health coaching. I am 100% clear that helping people eat healthier so they can feel better, lose weight, get off medications, wake up energized, and just feel great all day is how I can make the biggest impact.

If your energy is depleted by the time your 3 o'clock meeting rolls around, or if you’ve gained weight, making better food choices can help you. If you experience brain fog throughout the day, changing the food you eat can help you think more clearly. If you don’t have the energy to do what you love, working with me to make small changes to the food you eat and making lifestyle changes can have a huge impact on how you feel.

Reach out today to SCHEDULE A FREE HEALTH REVIEW. Let’s talk about how you can leave the office at the end of the day with as much energy as you had when you walked in.

A fun fact - Did you know that the average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day—more than 60 pounds of sugar per year?