Ring in the New Year, Naturally!

So decorative, you almost don't want to eat it!

Cookies, candy cane brownies, and ginger bread houses leave you feeling gross after the holidays?  I’m not big on refined sugar, so when I do eat it, it takes it’s toll on me.  Every year, I love decorating a ginger bread house.  But since I’ve been vegan, I don’t buy a kit.  I make the dough from scratch and cut my own walls and roof.  Then I use all natural colors and vegan candy to make it look cute.  Sure, it’s “natural” and cute, but it’s still sugar…

Sugary foods are super addicting and are also some of the most damaging.  This year, I made my gingerbread house with 25% less sugar, but it was too much anyway.  After eating the chocolate door, a few gingerbread people, a couple gum drop bushes, and part of the roof, I felt ready to cave in.  Of course this binge was spread out over the course of a couple days, but still, eating sugar makes you want more sugar. 

Trying to detox my cells from sugar, I surrendered my efforts to getting more protein to curb the cravings.  It’s been three days now with no sugar at all and I’m finally starting to feel balanced again.  I think I’m anything but alone when it comes to eating junk around the holidays.  I’m so bent on health food, that it makes me start to think what the rest of the world is doing around this time of year.  If the worst of my Christmas season was a ginger bread house, candy cane brownies and some cookies, I think I did okay.  How many parties do you show up at and there’s some mystery dip with bacon or a cheese-and-bean bake?  If your family is anything like mine, then holiday parties are a plethora of junkfood, including all the sugary desserts!  Let’s count the positives, I’m a vegan and I’m into healthy food.  I wish the same could be true for my family members, but unfortunately they are more of a meat-eating, eggnog-drinking, pastry-bringing type…

So, as a well-planned, successful attempt to clean myself up after the season, I’m completely cutting myself off from sugars, except for fruits, and getting back to basics.  I made a red-lentil soup yesterday (I’ll share the recipe soon!) and am munching on a delcious tofu omelette that Rob made for breakfast!  It’s been some serious love to the protein because if I don’t, then I’m doomed.

I’ll leave you all with two final thoughts.  One, I’d suggest trying to increase protein if you suspect you have an issue with sugar.  Check out the post called “Plant Proteins Rock” (veggieedge.com/blog/nutrition/plant-proteins-rock.html#more-1070)  Two, I’m on a quest for next year’s holiday season to create an alternative to the usual, as to avoid the tempting sugar aspect of Christmas…I know I’ve already found a great recipe, thanks in part to Dreena Burton.  I have her Vive Le Vegan cookbook, and there is a recipe for Crispy Rice Squares.  I altered it slightly by doing half maple syrup and half agave nectar and by adding Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips, which have half the sugar of regular chips.  Needless to say, they were totally wonderful!!!  Maybe I’ll try them again with all agave next time?  Maybe add a drop or two of vanilla extract?

If anyone has good ideas for desserts with natural sugars, let me know!  I’m not into Splenda or xylitol or malitol, but I do love using fruit syrup, applesauce, stevia and agave nectar!  Well, I guess it’s back to basics!  Refined sugar, or even Turbinado sugar like I use, is not natural enough.  Time to return to nature…I’ll bust out the juicer and get those celery stalks and cucumbers going… For now, Happy New Year!