Summer Sweets RE:Defined
I know you're going to love these RE:Defined summer sweets, but first I want you to know why I recommend upgrading. I am sharing some of my favorite cold summer sweet treats with you below.
First, I want you to know why you want to keep the sweetness and ditch the high sugar and dairy.
Sugar and dairy are known culprits for so many more problems and symptoms we experience and hate, more than just weight gain. The impact sugar and dairy have on our health and hormones is so disturbing. Thankfully there are so many healthier options to still enjoy summer treats without creating hormonal imbalances.
Sugar’s Impact on Your Hormones
Do you have cravings?
1.Think about what you crave and when you crave it? (Daily, monthly, passing a certain place, before your period starts, or at a certain time of day, lack of sleep, high stress?)
2. What do you do when you have a craving? (Wait, let it pass, give in every time, enjoy a healthy upgrade, enjoy a little bit, cave in and have a lot because it's "off limits" and you're not going to have it again so better eat a lot now?)
Are you eating more hidden sugar than you realize?
Morning coffee, packaged bars, dried fruit, more than 2 servings of fruit a day, bread, pasta, baked goods, daily desserts, wine/alcohol, yogurts, condiments, tea and salad dressings with added sugar.
Anything ending in “ose” is sugar (dextrose, sucrose, maltose).
Look for other words such as syrup, molasses, honey, raw sugar, brown sugar, carmel, cane sugar or juice, high fructose corn syrup (even if the marketing says no HFCS the ingredient label may still have it because if it's a small amount they can still say no HFCS).
Taking all the hidden and obvious sugars out can help balance your blood sugar. Then a miraculous thing happens, the more your blood sugar is balanced, the less cravings you will have.
Balanced meals help to balance blood sugar. Never eat a carb alone. Ex. Pair a green apple with a handful of cashews, a grapefruit with a hard boiled egg, salad with grilled chicken and avocado, and wild salmon with roasted vegetables and 1/4 cup brown rice.
What we eat changes our hormones and changing hormones impacts what we want to eat.
Eating high sugary foods can create cravings for more high sugary foods.
However, have you noticed that when stress gets high or during different times of the month your crave different foods?
When cortisol is high and serotonin low = might crave simple and sugary carbs
When cortisol is high and serotonin level in normal = might crave high fat and high in carbs.
The more you balance your hormones and change what, when, and how you eat the more you can eliminate cravings naturally.
What happens when we eat sugar?
- Dopamine and serotonin are both released in our brain when eating sugar, which boosts mood. The problem is it can become addictive. You can get the same hormones released from healthy choices that will benefit you and not create imbalances and other serious side effects from gut imbalances, mood problems, and diabetes. “Science shows that sugar addiction is compatible to cocaine addiction”
What to do?
Light up the reward part of your brain and do healthy activities that also release dopamine and serotonin like getting your workout in. Do the things that you love and enjoy, upgrade to dark chocolate that has less sugar, orgasm, listen to music, etc.
Magnesium regulates glucose and insulin levels as well as dopamine. Deficiency in magnesium can cause really bad sugar cravings.
- Take Dr. Rons Mag Max - I recommend 2 before bed.
- If you are deficient (blood sugar problems, high stress, heart palpitations, cramping, anxiety, constipation), then I recommend 2 in the morning (if you have sugar cravings, blood sugar problems, and/or anxiety) and 2 before bed.
- If you have constipation, hot flashes, and trouble falling or staying asleep, then I recommend 2 with dinner and 2 before bed.
- Once you fill in the deficiency, you can drop down to 2 before bed. You may want to bump it back up to 4 per day spaced out prior to your period starting (After ovulation until your period starts), then drop down again.
Eat foods with tryptophan (like homemade ground turkey burgers) and b6 (asparagus), which is a precursor to serotonin. Take Rhodiola to boost serotonin (do not take if you take an SSRI).
- Refined sugar stresses your adrenal glands. It is so important to know this because your adrenal glands regulate cortisol (stress hormone that causes belly fat) and also your thyroid (maintaining your metabolism, body temp, and brain function).
- High insulin caused by high sugar tells your ovaries to make more testosterone. High androgens like testosterone trigger acne and facial hair. PCOS - protocol
- Research - high-fat and high sugar diet disrupts the preovulatory hormone surge and induces cycstic ovaries in cycling female rats.
- High insulin also impacts your sex hormone binding globulin (transports hormones - and influences hair not optimal can lose hair) by lowering it and in turn throws off estrogen balance. This is a problem because it releases more estrogen and can lead to sore breasts, heavy painful periods, weight gain in butt, hips, thighs, and fibroids.
- Low progesterone - pms, food cravings - also impact blood sugar - estrogen dominate
- Wrinkles, pre-mature aging, and joint problems = Sugar breaks down collagen (elasticity and strength of your skin and joints).
- Anxiety and depression can happen when low in B vitamins. Sugar depletes our B vitamins.
- PMS, cramps, irritation and moodiness = sugar depletes magnessium.
- Fatigue and weight gain in menopause. Sugar also makes menopause symptoms worse. “High blood sugar, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome have been linked to higher incidences of hot flashes in menopausal women”. Less insulin sensitive as we age. Have to be more careful.
When you stop eating sugar your hormones will function so much better. You can improve sleep, balance moods, lose weight, improve cognitive function, clear skin, boost energy, and improve digestion.
Should you go dairy free?
”Dairy products, especially those with a full-fat content, contain high levels of oestrogens that can interfere with your own levels and promote endometriosis as well as, hormone-related cancers, like breast, womb or ovary. But that’s not all, ourhormones work in balance to regulate our cycles, mature eggs, trigger ovulation and promote implantation so excess oestrogen can be affecting your fertility.Dairy cows are also pregnant which make the levels of oestrogen in modern milk much higher than in the past and more likely to affect our hormonal levels.“
”Milk and other dairy products contain a hormone known as Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, which promotes the production of androgen hormones such as testosterone, which can worsen hormonal imbalances not only in cases of testosterone dominance but also when there is an excess of oestrogen as testosterone can be aromatased into oestrogen in fat cells, which can be exacerbated when we are overweight. And guess what? There is a link between dairy and acne…because excess androgens can stimulate sebum production which block hair follicles and result in those dreadful pimples!“
Summer Sweets RE:Defined
1. Homemade Popsicles - Simple 3 ingredients. The electrolytes make this a hydrating option for a hot summer day. No harmful additives, dyes, added sugars, and so easy to make.
- 1 cup fruit (berries, pineapple, or watermelon)
- 3/4 cup coconut water (no sugar added)
- 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
- Optional: Few drops of sweet leaf stevia
Blend in blender, pour into popsicle molds, and freeze.
DEEBEE’s organic superfood freeze pops - like otter pops, but without the artificial color, flavors, or preservatives. I do not eat these since I prefer to eat real whole fruit, but my kids love them.
2. Dairy Free Ice Cream
Coconut bliss is my favorite dairy free ice cream. Simple real and minimal ingredients. The high fat and fiber makes it a filling and satisfying treat and also helps to keep blood sugar stable by slowing down the release of sugar.
So Delicious is an other dairy free option for ice cream.
Daily Harvest Scoops is full of superfoods making it a great option.
A REAL TREAT
“We did it. We made Scoops, the most decadent, creamy frozen treat you’ve ever dreamed of. And we did it without fake fillers, gums, or refined sugars. Just whole, nourishing ingredients that make every scoop deliciously unique.”
“Plant-Based Goodness - Made with almonds, this plant-based treat is the perfect non-dairy version of your chocolate soft serve.
No Refined Sugars - Sweetened with dates, there are no refined sugars here!
Top it Off - With your choice of delicious plant-based toppings like granola butter & vegan gummy bears, make the perfect better-for-you sundae!“
Ingredients: almond milk (water, almonds), dates, alkalized cocoa powder, sea salt
3. Smores -Dandies marshmallows (A better marshmallow - no artificial colors, no HFCS), gluten free graham crackers, and upgrade to dark chocolate.
4. Dark Chocolate - The darker the chocolate the less sugar it will have. I like Evolved & Lillys chocolate because they have no sugar and are sweetened with stevia instead.
5. Açaí bowls
- 1 packet unsweetened acai
- 1 small partially green banana frozen
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
Blend in blender and top with your favorite toppings (chia seeds, hemp hearts, berries, partially green banana)
6. Banana soft serve - Simple, easy, and healthy.
Peel partially green bananas, chop them up, freeze them, up them in food processor with a little unsweetened nut milk. Blend until a nice consistency. Image is from the full helping and you can find a recipe at the full helping. 
Take away:
1. Curb cravings by eating real Whole Foods, balance blood sugar with balanced meals, and fill in nutritional deficiencies. Food is not moral. Eat to feel better not worse. Pay attention to how you feel when you eat too much sugar or dairy.
2. Too much Sugar and Dairy cause hormonal imbalances, but you can still enjoy sweet treats with healthy upgrades.
3. Healthy Fat, Protein, Magnesium, B vitamins, Sour foods, Water, Enough sleep, Re:Defined workouts, and recovery all help to reduce and eliminate cravings.
Action Step:
1. Read your labels and look for hidden sugars. Throw out sugar laden foods and upgrade to healthier options.
2. Pay attention to your cravings. When, why, how, where? When do you not have cravings is also good information to look at. What makes you crave more sweets and what decreases cravings for you.
3. Try it for yourself. Go sugar and dairy free for 4 weeks and notice improvements in your skin, digestion, sleep, and energy levels.
You are in control of how your hormones communicate and function by how you eat, move, and sleep. When you change how, what, when, and why you're eating, you can change how you feel, think, and experience the joy of living a healthy vibrant life.
Your coach,
Jessica
