Healthy Living- Week 2

I know it's been way more than 1 week, but I've had a hectic 2 months, and I'm on vacation right now. So here we go, "week" 2.

Tip #2

Find good subs. (substitutes)   

I should probably start by defining exactly what I mean by "subs". Basically, they are healthier alternatives to less-healthy foods. But there a few things that you need to be aware of before you start.

Finding good subs is an important key to eating and living a healthier life. There are so many things that people love, but have a hard time giving up. This is why it's one of my top tips for making a change. The first step is to determine the first couple of foods that you are going to find subs for. Then, you actually have to find the subs.

In my next post, I will talk more about specific ingredients to look out for, but I will cover some major ones today.

The point of finding subs is to make the jump to a healthy lifestyle, easier. Slowly as you get used to different foods, you will be able to ease into a whole new way of eating.

I will take you step-by-step through the process, using an American favorite... Soda.

1. Say that one of your favorite drinks, is a coke (or some other kind of soda). So that's what you drink on a regular basis.

2. Then you decide to try a healthier version, like Zevia. Zevia is a drink company that makes many different products, that are all refined sugar and additive-free.

3. From there, maybe you move on to something like sparkling water. La Croix or something like that.

4. After that, maybe you make the switch to Kombucha or Kefir instead. Both of which are natural, and full of nutrients.

5. Now, you can get by with plain water! Or one of the healthier soda options once in a while.

Another essential thing to remember is to find a sub that you like. Maybe you try to find a sub but you don't like it. Instead of giving up, find a different one! Pick a sub that you enjoy eating! But make sure you watch out for preservatives. I'll talk more about food labels in my next post.

Now let's get on with the next food on the list...

Food #2

Ice Cream.

Ice cream is a favorite for almost everyone. (including myself) But it's full of sugar, and contains additives and preservatives. So, I have a "sub" for you!

Tropical Sherbert!

Now the reason I call it sherbert is because there's a difference between sherbert and sorbet. 

Sorbet: Fruit and sugar

Sherbert: Fruit, sugar, and milk or cream

Ice cream: Mostly cream, with fruit and sugar

This is a sherbert recipe, but it uses Stevia instead of sugar. Stevia is a natural sugar substitute, extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant. It comes in liquid and solid form and is actually sweeter than regular granulated sugar. (you can also use honey)

To start, you need either a food processor or blender. I used a Ninja blender. You also need frozen fruit of some kind. I used something called Daybreak Blend which had mango, pineapple, and peach in it. It also had strawberries but I didn't use them. Any frozen fruit will work, but you may need to vary the amount of stevia you use for different fruits.

And if you are dairy-free, you can substitute any kind of plant-based milk and it will work just fine. You can also use the same recipe and use water instead. But if you choose to do that, you will basically end up with sorbet, not sherbert.

Put 2 cups of your fruit of choice into the blender, and either pulse or blend on low speed until you get what looks like shaved ice. 

Next, add 1 1/2 cups of milk. Blend for 1 minute. If the mixture is too thick, you can add more milk 1/4 cup at a time and continue blending. 

Once it's smooth, you can add 10 drops of liquid stevia or 1 tsp of the granulated form. Also, add 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Blend once more, and you're done! 

Put the sherbert into the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until it's a little more frozen.

I like to serve it with a piece of frozen fruit on top, and sometimes a leaf of mint or basil.

(sorry for the bad quality of the pictures, I lost my phone that I usually use to take them)

-Jacey