A Day With Stacy: What's On Her Real Food Plate?

I like food, but food doesn't always like me. My stomach started giving me grief at least 20 years ago. I've had times of great healing since then, but always need to stay on top of what I'm eating to make sure my health doesn't slide down the wrong path. I also have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is greatly improved with a real food diet. As you can see, food is really important to the way I feel. It's important for all of us. But sometimes we get off track and it doesn't take long to feel the effects (especially if you have a chronic illness). Earlier this year I began to have an autoimmune flare-up. This came after the stress of the holiday season and a little too much sugar consumption. After focusing on improving my diet and getting enough rest for a week or so, I was able to pull out of the flare without too much trouble. Since then I've had a nagging feeling that I might need to address my love of sweet things (even real food "healthy" sweet things) just to make sure I'm in charge of my food and my food is not in charge of me. I decided the best course of action would be to commit to the 21-Day Sugar Detox. The 21-Day Sugar Detox is a program designed by Diane Sanfilippo to help break sugar addiction. It is based on a real food diet, with some specific tweaks tailored to taming the sweet tooth and ushering in better health. As I write this post, I'm in the middle of it. Today, I'm sharing my meals with you so you can get a glimpse into a day in the life of someone who is quitting sugar. Many people consume too much sugar. If you are one of those people and have been interested in trying the 21-Day Sugar Detox or just want to reduce your sugar intake, I hope this post will give you a decent idea of what that might look like. So here's what's on my Real Food plate today...

Breakfast

Today's breakfast consisted of 2 turkey-sage sausage patties, wilted greens, sweet potatoes, and a little avocado. This is my go-to breakfast topped with some spices and a pinch of salt. I switch out the sausage patties for fried eggs many mornings and don't seem to get tired of it. I've found this is really easy to throw together each day as I baked a few sweet potatoes at the beginning of the week and store them in the fridge. Now I only need to scoop out the middle (or slice it into rounds) and warm in the pan. Ghee, coconut oil, or olive oil work really well to saute the greens and sweet potatoes. This meal keeps me full a long time and I don't usually need a snack between breakfast and lunch. The amount of protein and fat keeps my blood sugar in check too.

Lunch

Chicken salad on lettuce leaves with sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado. This is another meal that's easy to throw together. Prepare the chicken salad and veggies ahead of time and you can have this ready in minutes. Chicken salad and egg salad are two of my favorite protein-based salads to keep on hand. Side note: I made my own mayonnaise for the chicken salad. Industrial oils are off-limits during the 21-Day Sugar Detox (and really should be all the time — they are terrible for us!). It's tough to find a 21DSD-compliant mayonnaise at the grocery store. I made this one with a mix of avocado oil and Wildly Organic's Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was really tasty!

Snack

Green-tipped banana and 1 tablespoon nut butter (Wildly Organic's Almond-Pecan Butter is perfect for this). The 21DSD allows one serving of specific fruits each day. Green-tipped bananas are included because they're lower in sugar than ripe bananas. They're also high in resistant starch which may aid in digestion and improve insulin sensitivity.

Dinner

Roast beef, green beans, carrots, and roasted cauliflower. This roast beef is a family favorite. I especially enjoy the fact that it's super easy to prepare! Its made in the slow cooker with a drizzle of olive oil and coconut vinegar. I sprinkle oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper over the top, then add a teaspoon or two of rosemary. Cook on low for 5 hours and it's ready. However, to tell you the truth, the roasted cauliflower is my favorite thing on the plate. And I could probably just eat that for dinner! Toss cauliflower in oil, cumin, paprika, salt, and turmeric then baked at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. These meals keep me well satisfied and energetic. It is getting easier to go without sugar, but still something I crave. One note to make if you're attempting the 21DSD: don't go too low-carb. It's tempting to cut out all carbs, but not necessary and that's not the intention of the plan. I hope you've found this peek into a day on the 21-Day Sugar Day Sugar Detox helpful. If you're struggling with sugar addiction, I highly encourage you to check it out. Wildly Organic has many great pantry staples to aid you in your 21 Day Sugar Detox. Having them on hand will make the detox much easier!

Have you ever quit sugar or done a sugar detox? What was it like for you?