Heading into a new year always is a good reminder to prioritize your health! Believe me when I say, small simple changes can make a huge difference in your overall health goals. I have seen it in my own life. I can feel it when I’ve had too many carbs and / or too much sugar. My body is good at telling me and I have learned to listen, but it wasn’t just a switch that was turned on… it’s something that I have had to take time for and prioritize. I’ve had to learn to recognize the way certain foods make me feel.
I’m always amazed at the knowledge of others! When I first heard about the “hidden sugar effect” I initially felt very overwhelmed and honestly felt like I needed to remove all carbs completely! There are some carbohydrates that convert to sugar when your body digests them… you don’t see the sugar but your body definitely does. An excess of foods like breads, potatoes, low fat yogurt, pretzels, and fruit drinks can cause our blood sugars to spike which over time can have adverse effects on our health. But not all carbs are bad! There are plenty of healthy substitutes that can be made in place of those sneaky sugars.
Over the last few years, I have learned a lot about food and how to supplement out those that cause the “hidden sugar effect” for healthier alternatives, just like with my Zuppa Toscano Soup.
Here’s the recipe: Please note that this recipe makes 6 servings. If you are doing ATKINS40, you can use 1/2 small potato (or less) per serving.
Ingredients:
1 lb Italian Sausage
1 white onion, diced
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (optional)
3 small potatoes, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale, chopped
2 14oz cans chicken broth
3 cups water
1 can coconut milk
Directions:
Brown and cook onion, bacon & sausage together.
Add garlic, potatoes, chicken broth & water- cook over high heat until potatoes are soft.
Add kale & coconut milk.
Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
For me, figuring out which foods actually are doing more harm than good was probably the hardest part. Once I knew where improvements in the quality of food could be made, I knew exactly how to move forward.
There’s a lot of good information out there in the world! I am grateful for brands like ATKINS that push themselves to deliver quality content with accurate information. ATKINS does a great job at staying on top of health trends as well as research and studies. This is a huge benefit for me, as a full time working wife and mom, it’s nice to know they have done the heavy lifting for me.
ATKINS has done a great job at proving information, resources, and tips for living a healthier life and they have also made my life easier with some of their low-sugar products that are easy to grab and go that help me avoid the “hidden sugar effect“! One that I have been turning to more frequently is the ATKINS Protein Powders. Not only is the chocolate amazing in my morning smoothie, but the nutritional content is right in-line with my needs and expectations, with only 1 gram of sugar, 15 grams of protein, and 2 grams of net carbs.
You can find more information about ATKINS here! You can totally enjoy a low carb lifestyle that will fit with the season of life you are in. ATKINS also has countless recipes to inspire your palette and align with your lifestyle changes. If I can fit healthier changes into my life, I know you can too!
This post was written as part of a paid partnership with ATKINS, all opinions are my own.
My issue is artificial sweeteners or sugar derivatives, including stevia. I get migraines from them. So, many of the diet bars, supplements, shakes, etc are off limits for me.