A Year of No Sugar: a Recap

There is something wrong with me reading a book about A Year of No Sugar while munching on frozen yogurt complete with chocolate topping that's left over from my child's party. But Eve Schaub's book shows just how prevalent sucrose and its cousins can be.

I was initially intrigued by the the book, as I had actually attempted a day off no sugar on several months back and I was shocked by the sheer amount of sugar that was an everyday things I didn't think of. But as I'm a working  mom and a diabetic who's working to improve her health, I approached at A Year of No Sugar with the idea was there a lesson that I can learn and take to improve my children's and my family's health for the future. While I'm not certain the level that sugar is linked to other health conditions, other than the strain on your pancreas and increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes is never a good thing.

Lately I've taken more attempts at reducing sugar in my own life, whether it's watching the carbohydrates that I use in my breakfast or simply counting carbohydrates to match my insulin. It's so surprising how quickly the sugar in any form  -- honey, sucrose, etc. -- adds up. Even things that I might otherwise ignore, like ketchup and pasta sauce, have extra added sugar in it.

After my one-day, frustrating experience, the idea of a family with giving it up for an entire year blew me away. It wasn't easy by any course; in fact the family enabled "cheat days," which probably helped their sanity and saved the project. Most interesting to me was when Schaub detailed her family's trip to Italy and how vastly different other countries see the use of sweet treats and sugar within processed foods.

What did I learn from her Year of No Sugar? The book reinforced what I learn time and time again from registered dietitians: Moderation is key. You don't have to completely remove sugar from your diet - but any reduction in it will have a positive impact on your health. I'm encouraged by the fact the kids were healthier during that year-long experiment.

Indy Reads: Indianapolis' best independent bookstore

The Indy Reads bookstore, nestled downtown on Massachusetts Avenue, is a treasure chest of used books, new books and community resources for those dedicated to adult literacy.

I learned about Indy Reads some time ago but had not had an opportunity to head to Massachusetts Avenue to check out the bookstore.

The inside reminded me of an old bookstore I frequented during my college years in Lawrence-- high wooden bookshelf with books tall to the ceiling, cozy chairs to snuggle in and read a good book, hot coffee at the ready, and little nooks to nestle in for reading or discussion. The store even had an area on this rainy night for children learning to play chess.

The best part? There is a section for pay what you can afford so that nobody can go without a good book.

I appreciate the fact that not only it's an independent bookstore in Indianapolis but also that all the proceeds benefit programs for adult literacy. I had no idea the extent of literacy problems in our city -- one in five adults struggle to read a basic billboard -- before I talked to the staff.  You will be bet I'll be back not only to shop but to "return" my finished books to go toward the cause. (They take donations.)

Indy Reads is located at 911 Massachusetts Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46202. For more information, call 317.384.1496 or visit its Facebook page.

Honest: A review of Jessica Alba's "The Honest Life"

Trying to do the right thing for your kids is pressure enough. But sometimes you do the best you can.

That's the overriding theme of Jessica Alba's recent book, The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You Being natural shouldn't come at the expense of insanity. It can come in small steps and simple ways.

Unlike a lot of green living books, "The Honest Life" has a very conversational, non-doomsday approach. I appreciate Alba's honesty in the fact that trying to live a green and organic lifestyle can lead a parent to questioning and requestioning whether they are making the right choices for their child. But that decisions can be made in little ways: from choosing hand-me-down clothes or seasonal foods or making your homemade body scrub.

Alba's book is a quick read and a great starter resource for a number of affordable choices for healthy, organic living - from pregnancy and early motherhood to cooking, clothing and home decor. I appreciated that many of these options were achievable for the everyday person who was concerned about natural living without sacrificing your budget in the process.

Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too: A Review

My family could be using 400 pounds of plastic a year. A pound per day in our household alone.

It's a statistic that's shocking but not exactly surprising. When you factor in toys and my husband's creamer containers and toothpaste containers and everything else we use on a daily basis, you can see how quickly consumption adds up. Even if you consider yourself on the more environmentally friendlier side of the equation.

I recently read Beth Terry's Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too I've followed Beth's blog for years and was thrilled to get a chance to read her book that was just released.
Admittedly in one of my more lax phases as a parent and environmentalist (hampered by bad work schedules and led astray by back to school and store closure sales), I know I also have a responsibility to my children and to future generations. We've been having family conversations lately about reducing our consumption - from turning down the lights and water to whether we want to buy "things" or "do things" for Christmas. (I'm paving that path now.) But Beth's book gives me great discussion starters and family project ideas that even young gradeschoolers and preschoolers can tackle:

• Tallying up your recyclable and non-recyclable items to see how much you add up in a week's time. It's a natural extension for our kids - who fight over who gets to take out the recycling - and has the added benefit of a quiet lesson about addition and charts.
• Collecting all those plastic bottle lids from prescription bottles, milk jugs and soda bottles - those that I've tossed for years - and send them to Evansville's Caps N Cups. (This may actually end up being a Brownie scout service activity during our Wonders of Water badge journey this year!)
• Choosing fresh, more waste-free ideas for school lunches. (I confess: Though we use reusable bags and containers for school lunches, I'm not perfect on this. My son's spacer and his troubles chewing means I've stocked up on fruit cups and other soft options until this brief phase is over. Then we'll be back to his much-missed apples!)
• Cook a little - whether it's crackers, bread or even nut milk or yogurt. (It's healthier, and a great way to spend the afternoon with your children.) 
• Make your own sugar scrub and other toiletries. I love the variety of recipes and tips in this section, and I'm anxious to try them out once my work project passes!

Wherever you are in the journey towards lighter living, whether you're a young child or have hours to devote to a cause, Beth's book has a new idea for you. Check it out!

Chole's Kitchen: A review

Vegan anything and my husband. Seriously, it's not two things that go in the same sentence easily. But I was surprised to see his willingness to go out of the box recently.

I had the chance to review the vegan cookbook Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way . I fully expected to see this be one of those things that mommy does when daddy is working late. After all, I married a good Midwestern, beef-loving boy.

After flipping through the cookbook, I was impressed by his willingness to try out vegan recipes from the book. Truthfully, vegan isn't a large step from meatless, anyway. I loved the idea that we're a few cups of almonds away from mock mac and cheese. (Something I haven't yet tried because of my cutting back starches.) The stray and hay pasta was fabulous - subbing almond milk for a more fat-laden substitute. If I hadn't had the audacity to include the sub-dried tomatoes, it would have been a huge hit.

Chloe's Kitchen got us off the fence into doing what we've been meaning to do anyway: Introduce healthier, more varied options into our diet. It's given us a fresh inspiration as we head into farmer's market season.