Thursday, April 7th is World Health Day. In the spirit of being healthy, we are talking with Barry Friedman, author of “I Love Me More Than Sugar”, an amazon.com #1 Best Seller to learn more about how we can work towards being healthier people. You can even take his 30 day Sugar Free Challenge!
Available for Kindle or in Paperback on Amazon
The Idea
I quit eating foods that contained processed or refined sugar in early 2012. Crazy? Maybe…
You see, right after polishing off an extra large bowl of frozen yogurt with all the toppings, my 9-year old asked me what I was going to leap for Leap Day.
With my stomach tumbling, my teeth pulsing, and my skin feeling oily and gross, the answer was easy.
“Sugar. I’m going to go the day without sugar.”
That one day turned into my own 30-day challenge. By the time March ended my addiction – or even desire – for anything with added sugar had dried up and died. The guy who didn’t go a day without kicking some bills into the pockets of Big Sugar was getting all his sweetness from fruit and vegetables.
No honey. No syrup. Just what came in foods as they were delivered to us here on planet earth.
And I’ve never looked back. Eating processed or refined sugar at this point in my life would be like waiting in line, buying a ticket, and sitting through a movie I didn’t like the first time.
So Why Chocolate Coconut Date Balls?
I bet that I forgot to mention that I’m a four-time world World Juggling Champion and balls have been a big part of my life.
Balls.
Juggling.
I doubt the subtlety was lost on you, but I wanted to cover my bases.
This is a recipe I make a few times each year. They are really simple and always well received. No one can believe they are made without added sugar.
Ingredients
- 3 cups pitted dates
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups crushed walnuts (or nut of choice – guessing these would be yummy with almonds, too!)
- Splash of milk (almond, rice, soy, or go old-school with cow milk if that’s how you roll)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Preparation
- SOAK: Soak the dates in warm water for an hour and then drain the water out. Put them into the food processor and then add the cocoa powder, walnuts, splash of milk (go light at first – you can always add more).
- Pulse it a few times and then let it go. Stop after about 30-seconds and scrape the contents down into the middle and then let it go again. You are looking for a doughy consistency. Taste and see if it needs a bit more powder to put it as the clear leader over the date taste.
- Use a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon to scoop up the mixture and roll with clean hands.
- Roll: The balls onto a plate of shredded coconut and roll them around.
Depending on the size of your balls, this will yield about 40.
Don’t Jump on Me Without Reading the Fine Print
These little babies are plenty sweet and I want to be clear about something: I eat sweet foods. I do not eat anything with added sugar. My goal in telling you this is to save you from having to write the comment that I have read thousands of times in the last 4 years: the body treats all sugar equally.
First, that’s wrong.
Second, simply removing added processed/refined sugar from my diet gave me more change that I ever imagined possible:
- weight loss
- better sleep
- calm mind – anxieties are gone
- clearer skin
- ninja-level focus
- a 32″ waist – down from 36″
- the right to wear skinny jeans!
Could I be even healthier if I eliminated all sugar from my life? Maybe.
Barry & His Wife Annie
What we do as human beings is draw our own line in the sand and assess the outcome. I look younger, take part in triathlons, sleep 6 hours a night and have energy to spare, run two businesses, and have been married almost 30 years.
This relationship to sugar has provided me with enough change for now but stay tuned!
Want to know more about Barry?
Visit his website: http://30dayssugarfree.com/
Send him a letter:
578 Sutton Way, #169
Grass Valley, CA 95945
Email:ba***@30*************.com
Click here to get the book on amazon.com
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