Do Diet Drinks Matter?

Diet Drinks – Do They Matter?

The answer to the question is ‘of course they do – everything matters.

Admittedly, I was ‘The Fat Girl’ who would go into a fast food place and order a double you know what with everything, super giant fries with mayo for dipping.......and a diet drink. I knew the joke – I knew it applied to me...and it still didn’t sink in that something needed to change.

So I wondered  – does the theory of ordering a diet drink, or switching from regular soda to diet make us even a smidge healthier?

The answer is no.

I started with regular soda. I drank these for over 20 years and I drank way too much. I substituted the sugary drinks for the water, tea....even coffee. I have never had a real cup of coffee in my life, yet I could pour the cold carbonation of a soda down my throat every morning. I cracked my first soda before I hit the bathroom – and sometimes, I did both at the same time. There – I said it.

I also admit that I thought I was enjoying every millisecond of it. I would chug my morning meal, then be sure to pack another for the ride to work. I figured it was all that was keeping me going, and I needed the caffeine.

What I didn’t know was the silent effects these chemicals (and that is what they are) were doing to my system. To start, a soda has a Ph of approximately 2.0. Our bodies operate optimally at a Ph between roughly 6.7-7.2. Armed with the information that dis-ease can occur in our bodies when our Ph level falls below 5.7, it should be a no-brainer to stop throwing a Ph of 2.0 into the mix.

The other factoid that I learned was that caffeine, one cup of coffee or a soda will stay in our system for up to 30 hours. Someone who drinks a pot of coffee a day is probably running on sheer caffeine. There is nothing wrong with a cup of java in the morning as long as the desire isn’t to consume every grande latte tall cappuccino espresso we come across. One soda, (based on the theory of the caffiene 30 hour rule) will do the same thing.

So when I would drink over 12 cans of soda in a day – I literally drank myself to dis-ease.

Awareness and the desire to change is all it takes to go that next step toward wellness. I always thought I was weak, without will power and destined to suffer for all of eternity.

I soon discovered I held all of the power to change....and then I did.

 

 

Let's Make a Date.....Paste.

We're always looking for ways to sweeten things we make without using sugar. We have tried them all - even agave which we later learned is worse for us than high fructose corn syrup if you don't get the truly raw stuff. Due to it being so ridiculously expensive, most of us aren't buying it or even being able to locate it with ease - so we turn to other more financially viable options.


Want to learn how to make date paste?

I knew you would!

It is super simple - take a cup of dates (without the pits) and soak them in 1 1/2 cups of water until soft. You could even soak them overnight.

If you stick around to watch, the dates will go from this hard, candied like object and turns into something that sort of resembles a cockroach in a swimming pool. I know, not pretty......but wait!

While the dates are soaking be sure not to stand there watching too long. There are other things to be doing....we'll come back when it's time.....

 ONE OVERNIGHT LATER:

It's time!

We soaked our dates in a bowl and then tossed it into the blender/Magic Bullet

**(Note to self: Talk to the Magic Bullet people about all of these selfless promotions I am giving them).

 The mixture will look like this.

The sweetness offered by this natural method saves so much time and we know exactly what is in this blender. Dates and water.

When a recipe calls for a certain amount of agave, be sure to add double the amount of date paste.

Blend the heck out of this stuff until it is creamy and smooth. I tend not to wait, so mine may have little bits in it - but by the time you toss it into a recipe, it isn't going to matter much.

I use my date paste a little thinner than usual, but you can make it whatever consistency you prefer.
We discovered this little treat and now we add it to so many dishes! Store in the fridge up to a week or two!
Enjoy - and let me know what you think! Comment below. :)