e y e . c a n d y

So today is the second day of my quest to limit my sugar intake. Or is is the third? I can't even remember. Despite my poor memory and having a terrible case of the shakes both yesterday and today I feel good. Ok that's a complete lie.  Truth be told, I feel awful. I've been feeling terribly exhausted and as I type this I'm struggling to keep my eyes open. Last night I attended a rooftop cinema movie premiere and I actually fell asleep 45 minutes into the film. That is the first time I have ever fallen asleep watching a movie at a cinema. Movies at home don't count. I'm sure the fact that I was lying in the world's comfiest beanbag and was halfway through a bottle of red wine had nothing to do with it.

The point is that I'm not coping as well as I thought I would. Hopefully this is just a phase and my body will eventually adjust. I often crave dessert or something sweet after dinner and its been incredibly difficult having to go from eating something like this

to this

Don;t get me wrong I love berries but there's only so much you can do with them when you take sugar out of the equation. I'm not giving up though. Not yet anyway...

xx

f a t . d o e s n ' t . m a k e . y o u . f a t . . .

Sugar does.

That's a pretty big claim but according to Sarah Wilson it's true. I've followed Sarah Wilson's blog for quite some time now. If she sounds familiar, perhaps you've read her column in the Sunday Life magazine of the Sunday Telegraph. Or maybe you know her from her stint as host of MasterChef. Or as the editor of Cosmo magazine back in the day. The point is, Sarah knows quite a thing or two about a thing or two and she's not afraid to road test a thing or two. Of all the things Sarah has trialled, I would say that quitting sugar has to be THE biggest challenge.

Here's the thing. Sugar (which is half fructose and half glucose) is in practically everything. The problem is that unlike other substances, fructose doesn't contain a corresponding appetite hormone which tells the body 'Hold up I'm full! So when you eat that row of chocolate you just want to eat more and more and more. And more.  

We crave sugar right from the first meal of the day. For all you smug I-order-fruit-and-yogurt-when-I-eat-out-for-breakfast types, the jokes on you. Just to prove how much sugar you're ingesting, please observe:

Horrible isn't it?

I wont even bother enlightening you with how much more sugar is in your rich & creamy yogurt and your bircher muesli. Actually I will... A 200g mini tub of low fat yogurt = 7 teaspoons of sugar = 2 large scoops of icecream! You're much better off ordering the eggs florentine.

If you're wondering which fruits are the biggest sugar culprits you can find a table here. And if you're proud of your daily "healthy" juice and blueberry muffin for morning tea, then think again. Carrots, apples, grapes, mango and especially bananas are some of the worst offenders. Avoiding coffee? Well even some chai teas contain sugar in the mix. So what's the breakfast alternative? Well coconut water is a good start. Sarah has posted a few sugar free breakfast ideas on her blog and you can find one here. 

With all this hidden sugar in our foods and the very misleading food pyramid, i'ts no wonder there is a growing obesity and diabetes epidemic. These days I'll walk down the breakfast aisle and struggle to find a suitable breakfast option...apart from Uncle Toby's VitaBrits. It's by no means free from sugar, it's just that it's the best of the worst so to speak; it even trumps Sanitarium's Weetbix!

I'm going to give it a shot. Before taking this on though, I'm definitely going to do my research and have alternatives for when those pesky sugar cravings taunt me. Like tonight when I ate three four rows of dark chocolate...before dinner. Sigh.

Join me. I double dare you.

xx

r i g h t . c l i c k . s a v e

Just a few pictures from some of the blogs I haunt. The illustrations are incredible.

o f f i c e . s p a c e

DIY storage boxes via poppytalk

clipboard frame via rachel denbow

Lunch bag lights found here

old newspapers + wallpaper paste = a unique piece of furniture found here

a rattan circle as an accessory board

DIY wooden palette headboard found here

inspiration string: attaching photos and goodies to a fairy light strand with pegs

picture frame via decor8

light bulb branch feature

jean hooks

While we're on the subject of interior decorating, I thought I would share these photos as inspiration for your living space. I really like the idea of the DIY storage boxes. They're held together with document clips. Can you believe it?! From document clips to clipboards to wooden palette's, your next DIY project may very well begin at Office Works...or a raid of the office stationary cupboard!

xx

m a d . m e n . m u s e

Is anyone else addicted to interior design blogs?  Apartment Therapy is just one of the many websites I frequent and today I came across Meg and Brad's colourful Mad Men inspired student sanctuary. Decorating on a student budget requires a lot of imagination and plenty of patience, especially when you're trying to make your space more "you" and less IKEA. I particularly like Meg's pant hanger visual wall display and the mirror feature on the coffee table. The whole apartment is just so fun and and full of creative energy. Proof that you don't need a mammoth budget for a unique space.


xx