My Fave Health Foods - How I Kicked Junk Food to the Curb

I honestly believed that I would never, ever reach my fitness goals. Okay, so I'm 5'4" and 115 lbs and most of you would rather beat me with a brick than listen to me complain about my figure. But really, it's all relative, right? Even supermodels and actresses whom we regard as perfect have their own struggles, be it with weight, breast size, cellulite or whatever. No matter how others see us, reality is we are our own harshest critic.

I've been addicted to sugar all my life. My 71 year old diabetic father eats a MINIMUM of 3 chocolate bars a day and trust me, you don't even want to know what the rest of his diet consists of. I swear all the preservatives he consumes will keep him alive until he's 104. Oh, if only it worked that way. Sigh. An-y-way, I always had a dream of looking like a fitness model - a toned, taut physique carefully sculpted, with nice lines and striations and long lean muscles that were not overly developed, but perfectly round and full. I wanted to achieve that body, not for competitions or anything really, but rather just to see if I could. My intention and my motivation was always to test my body's limits; to push and to improve; to be faster, stronger and to function optimally for a longer life - a better quality of life, without ever taking any steps to abuse or hurt my body I.e: using fat burners or getting to extreme low levels of body fat that could compromise my health and my immune system. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm in it for the long haul.

However much I trained, in my mind I knew I would never get it together enough to get where I wanted. I dawdled and lollygagged. I trained hardcore with weights, but didn't do any cardio and I ate cheesy noodles every day. Or I did an hour cardio per day, no weights and ate cheesy noodles everyday. Or, I didn't eat cheesy noodles for a whole week, did tons of cardio and weights and then went insane from a "diet"of deprivation - strict, bodybuilder-style: grilled chicken breasts, egg whites and NO fat. :( It broke my little heart and before long I would eat my weight in cheesy noodles and say screw it! Sound familar?

Alas, at the tender age of 31, I seem to finally have my act together. It has been exactly 17 days since I've gotten clean, with the exception of Thanksgiving - I had some chocolate cake and cheesecake for dessert. Aside from that, I have wiped out all processed foods, white flour, non-natural sugars, non-dark chocolate and cheesy noodles from my life. For the rest of my existance? I'd like to think so. But who knows really. Like any addict, I must take it one day at a time, focussing on eating the foods that make me feel good. Since I can't seem to manage junk food in moderation, my only option was to cut it out all together, and I finally able to do that without feeling like I was missing anything. How? By finding ideal replacement foods filled with good fats and real sugar that leave me happy, sans cravings. And let me tell you, I feel amazing.

Without further ado, here is a list of my sugar replacements/substitutes that have helped me kick my habit:

1. Lemons/Limes. Squeeze some into a glass of cold water in the summer, or in the winter, drinking hot water with a slice of lemon AND lime squeezed in is a great alternative to coffee or hot chocolate. I also squeeze both all over any seafood I have as well as certain veggies. Makes raw broccoli and cauliflower more edible for sure.

2. Teas. I love Orange Pekoe Tetley Tea and their red tea called Rooibos- it's a vanilla flavoured tea without caffeine. I add a drop of 1% milk and it feels like dessert. Some others I like are mint, strawberry, raspberry, passionfruit and green tea. Green tea is full of antioxidants and is all kinds of good for you.

3. Antipasto in a jar. I can't believe I had no idea what it even was for so many years. Fantastic as a sweet snack, it's a nice salsa-like mix of various veggies and it's delicious on whole wheat crackers. I enjoy Triscuit 100% Whole Grain crackers. They're very crunchy (probably taste like cardboard alone) and with a bit of antipasto on top, it's a party in your mouth!

4. Yogurt. One of the hardest things to give up. I mean the sugary sweet kind that I loved and pretended was good for me because it was yogurt. I had always bought either the Fat Free kind that was loaded with sugar (~ 20 grams), or a regular, full fat kind that had, well, fat and sugar. What about the fat-free, low sugar one (~4 grams), you ask? Well, the taste is not that great. So I compromised - bought one that was low fat, low sugar and one that was high in sugar and I use a teaspoon of the high sugar one to add taste. I also add blueberries, strawberries and All Bran Buds for a bit of crunchy fun. Bran Buds are another one that taste like those houseflies you find on your windowsill from the summer before, which is why you add them into your yogurt/berry mix. MMmm. It really is delicious.

5. Air-popped pop corn. You get fiber (super important to keep you full longer AND to keep you regular) and no butter added. A great snack for when you're watching tv.

6. Edamame. In the shell. Who would have thought that a food so good for you could taste so good AND be a complete protein (the only veggie that is). They take 5 mins to make and sucking them out of the shell keeps you so busy, you'll actually eat slower and realize you are full faster.

7. Crunchy peanut butter. I buy organic and make sure the ONLY ingredient is peanuts. You don't need any weird oils or fillers. Au natural it's full of good fats. But it IS high in fat, so don't eat too much. Also, a handful of nuts (only a handful, same high fat rule applies) like almonds or mixed nuts, without salt of course, is a great (and filling!) treat.

8. Fruit! The obvious substitute for processed sugar. I love kiwis, watermelon, blueberries, raspberries, apples, red/pink grapefruit and black plums, to name a few. Now remember, fruit is still high in sugar, so have a small piece after dinner, or when you're craving sugar really bad. If you're going to snack a lot, try veggies like red peppers, cukes, and celery. Or just eat a whole damn watermelon. Whatever keeps you from going to 7-11 for 3 chocolate bars and a flaky.

**Reading labels and comparing products is a great way to learn more about what your consuming. Ingredients are listed in order from most to least, so you want to make sure the good ingredients are ranked high on the list, and others like sugar, near the bottom.

I like to make salads out of all the nutrition-packed powerfoods in my fridge. One of my favorite is a spinach/mixed green salad filled with pecans, strawberries, red onion and goat cheese. For dressing try vinegar or even balsamic vinegar/olive oil. I like squeezed lemon/lime myself. I also like bowls of Bran Flakes with skim or 1% milk in the am and before bed. I used to add a few raisins to make it sweeter and slowly weened myself off them. Now I don't miss them.

Other treats I like to have on hand are cheese sticks (those real cheese ones, the kind you pull apart; I like to eat one with an apple), hummus and whole wheat pita and canned oysters on Triscuit crackers. Yes, many of my fave foods are HIGH IN FAT. But they are all GOOD FATS. The kind your body loves. When you have a choice, choose GOOD fat over sugar anyday. You will be satisfied and crave less sugar. I promise.