Realfoodology - 37: There’s Sugar in What!? With Rachael DeVaux

Episode Date: May 19, 2021

Rachael DeVaux, Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, is a lover of all things health and wellness. We chat about how sugar is everywhere - especially in places you don’t expect it to be and her 7 day added sugar detox which is a great starting point for someone wanting to get off sugar! Show Links: https://rachaelsgoodeats.com/https://www.instagram.com/rachaelsgoodeats/ 7 Day Added Sugar Detox https://rachaelsgoodeats.com/product/7-day-added-sugar-detox/ Sweat Guides: https://rachaelsgoodeats.com/ebooks/ Sneaky names for sugar: https://appforhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/46NamesForSugar.pdf E-Mail the Show/Submit Questions to be featured on the show [e-mail]

On today's episode of The Real Foodology Podcast. Again, like sugar is sugar at the end of the day. And so just learning how to limit that and just being aware. I think that's my whole goal with creating my seven day out of sugar detox is helping people become aware of how much sugar they're consuming and just opening their eyes to it. Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of the Real Foodology podcast. I'm your host, Courtney Swan. I'm the creator behind Real Foodology, which is of course

this podcast, but it started out actually as a food blog when I was getting my master's in nutrition because I needed an outlet to share everything that I was learning about health and wellness, nutrition, and the body. It's also an Instagram. So if you're on Instagram, please find me at real foodology. Today's guest is a really special one. Rachel and I met a couple years ago through Instagram because we both share the love of creating our childhood favorite foods, but making them healthier. We found each other on Instagram. And then actually when I was traveling, I was on tour with Tove Lo. She came out to a show when we played a show in Seattle. And so we got to actually meet in person. And we have since then stayed in touch.

We've met a couple times since then. And she's just such an amazing woman. I am constantly inspired by her and everything that she's doing on her Instagram. She has workout guides and she does live workouts on her Instagram that she started last year during the pandemic. She's just such a great motivator for at-home workouts. And she really makes me want to do more at-home workouts, which is something that I've struggled with personally.

She is a registered dietitian and she's also a certified personal trainer. And also she created a seven day added sugar detox, which we talk a lot about. We kind of go into length about it because after the podcast with Dr. Richard Jacoby, when we talked all about the detrimental effects of sugar on our body, I wanted to really provide you guys with a resource and kind of guidelines into how to slowly start taking sugar out of your diet. And this is a great way to start. So we're going to go into detail about that. We're going to talk about her at home workouts and so much more. So with that, let's get to a question. Did you know that most cookware and appliances are made with forever chemicals? Yes. That means your nonstick pans, your air fryers, your waffle makers, your blender could

possibly have PFAS. And yes, even our beloved crockpots and pressure cookers. I have actually been talking about this for so long. Back in 2006, my mom came to my dorm room and made me get rid of all my nonstick pans because she was concerned about me being exposed to something called Teflon. Teflon is a coating that is used on nonstick pans and a lot of these appliances that I just named. So I've avoided Teflon, nonstick, PFA coated appliances, pots and pans, you name it for a very long time. And the only option for the, for a very long time was just stainless steel pots and pans.

So I was really excited when a company like Our Place came out because they started creating really beautiful cookware and appliances that are like pieces of art. Every appliance that I have from Our Place, I legit want to store it on the counter. And I'm the type of person that does not want anything on my counter because I like it to look really just clean and minimal. But I'm so obsessed with all the ArtPlace products that I have so many of them displayed on my counter because they are legit pieces of art. ArtPlace is a mission-driven and female-founded brand that makes beautiful kitchen products that are healthy and sustainable. All their products are made without PFAS, which are the forever chemicals, and also made without

PTFE, which is Teflonon if a company is not outwardly stating that they don't use these chemicals then if they are using non-stick coating on their appliances they are absolutely using forever chemicals and there's been increasing global scrutiny for their impact on the environment and our health and recognizing this impact the eu plans to prohibit pfas by 2025 our place has always been p PFAS free and they offer durable toxin-free ceramic coatings, ensuring a healthy, safe cooking experience. And let me tell you, you guys, they are changing the game with non-toxic appliances. They have a blender, they have an air fryer, they have a crock pot, not to mention their amazing always pan. They have a perfect pot, which is just the perfect size for

soups. And they also just came out with a cast iron that I'm loving as well. And I more recently replaced all of the bowls and plates in my kitchen because I really needed an upgrade. My other ones were so old. So I got some from our place and they are so beautiful. The ceramics are beautiful. The colors are amazing. Like I said, everything is like a piece of art. If you want to try any of the products from our place, go to fromourplace.com and enter my code realfoodology at checkout to receive 10% off site-wide. That's fromourplace.com, code realfoodology. Our place offers a 100-day trial with free shipping and returns.

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It's how your body turns the food you eat into the fuel that keeps you going because your metabolism is at the center of everything your body does. Optimal metabolic health translates to a bunch of benefits, including easier weight management, improved energy levels, better fitness results, better sleep, and more. Now this is a really cool feature too. It can actually track your cycle as well as the onset of menopause and adjust your recommendations to keep your metabolism healthy through hormonal shifts. So if you want to take the next step in improving your health, go to lumen.me and use real foodology to get $100 off your lumen. That is L U M E N dot M E and use real foodology at checkout for a hundred dollars off. Thank you so much to lumen for sponsoring this episode. Before I get to the question, I just have a little disclaimer.

As always, these answers and this podcast are just for educational and informational purposes only. I am an integrative nutritionist, but I'm not a doctor. And I don't know you personally. I don't know what's going on in your body. So just know that this information on this podcast is not a sub for individual medical or mental health advice, and it doesn't constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor first. Today's question comes from Eleanor, and she wrote, I work as a bartender at a restaurant and work nights. Shifts start at 3

PM and I'm out about 11 PM or midnight. I love my job and I have definitely embraced certain aspects of the service industry lifestyle, late nights, booze, long and often stressful shifts with very little food and lots of coffee. But I also love waking up early, sleeping well, eating healthy and exercising. I work about four to five times a week and I try to walk every day. I honestly enjoy the dichotomy, exercise, healthy eating and self-care help keep my mind right for work and all that. But I worry that somehow I'm still not doing everything right, i.e. eating late, drinking. I hear all the time that the key to having a good morning is to stop eating at least two hours before you go to bed or don't eat past seven or nine or whatever and go to bed early. But that's not possible for someone who doesn't get out of work until at least 11 PM. Is it okay

to eat dinner at like a 10 or 11 PM? If I'm not going to bed until one to two ish, is it okay that I'm still getting to seven to nine hours of sleep? It's just all happening at a later block of time. Okay. Sorry if I'm rambling, but I guess what I'm asking is any tips on how to find balance between these two opposing lifestyles. Thanks again for all that you do. Okay. So I'm going to give two answers here because I want to be really honest. Um, and I, I can relate to this because in my 20s, I worked a lot of jobs like this. Actually, up until last year, I was working a job similar to this. Mine was different that I was also traveling on top of that. But we were not ending the shows. I used to work for a pop star and we wouldn't end until 11 p.m., midnight, 1 a.m. Mine was a little bit different.

I was able to eat earlier in the night, but we were still staying up super late. And then I was finding myself on my days off, sleeping for as long as I could to make up for the hours that I lost on the other nights. Now, it depends on who you listen to as far as sleep experts go. I've heard experts say this on both ends of the spectrum. Some say that you get the most quality sleep the earlier you go to bed. And I know that there is something to be said about our circadian rhythms. We are really meant to wake up with the sun and go to sleep as the sun goes down. And obviously no one's going to be going to bed at like 6, 7 PM. But generally we should be aiming to be in bed between like nine and 10 PM. If you go by

the science behind the circadian rhythm, I know we live in modern times. That's really hard for most people. And then obviously, like you said, you're not done with work until 11 PM. Um, I will say for me personally, I hit a point in my health journey where I just said, you know what? I can't live a lifestyle like this anymore. If I want to be truly healthy. Now, I know not everyone is able to, uh, make a decision like that, but you may find yourself getting to a point where you're like, you know what? I can't put my body through this anymore. And maybe you look for a job that's more in alignment with your health goals. But again, I know not everyone can do that. So, um, it really, that I would say, number one,

if you can maybe find another job, maybe you can work the earlier shifts, but well, you're a bartender. So that's not going to be possible. If there is a way that you can eat your dinner a little bit earlier, maybe you can pop outside in the back for 10 minutes. I don't even know if this is possible, but try to eat your dinner by like 8 or 9 p.m. But yes, the general rule of thumb is that you want to not eat at least two hours before you go to sleep. So if you disregard everything I said in the beginning, let's just work with your schedule. So let's say that you're going to bed between one and two. I would say, try not to eat any later than 11 PM because you want your body to, you

want to give it time at least two hours to digest before you go to bed. Because when we go to sleep at night, our bodies are doing so many different things. It's categorizing all of our memories. It's going through autophagy, which is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells. Sleep is really about renewal and renewing the neural pathways in our brain. And when we eat so close to going to bed, then what happens is our body is putting all this energy towards digesting instead of all of the other things that it needs to do. So this is why they say that it's really best to not eat at least two hours before you go to bed. And on top of that, oftentimes if you're really full and you're

still digesting, it's gonna make it harder for you to fall asleep. So that would be number one, I would say. And then I mentioned this in the very beginning, that it depends on which sleep experts you talk to, because I've heard this talked about on both ends of the spectrum. Some say that it's better to go to bed earlier to get maximum amount of hours. And then I've also heard a lot of people say, you know what, as long as you were getting between seven to nine quality hours of sleep, you're fine. So if you're going to bed between 1 and 2 a.m., which is what I used to do quite often, I would say try to sleep in until 9 or 10 a.m. That way you at least get your eight hours of sleep and you are allowing your body enough time to rest and restore itself. And then I want to address one more thing. You mentioned booze. And while I do love my wine,

I will say that this is something that you are going to have to make a personal choice with, unfortunately. And I know you probably don't want to hear that. And I'm sure it's really hard as a bartender. I know because I was once a bartender and I know people buy you shots and you want to be a part of, you know, the entertainment. And that is really tempting and really hard when you're around that environment all the time. But booze, unfortunately, we all know this is not super good. It's not good for us. And doctors and nutritionists and wellness experts, experts alike say that we really shouldn't be drinking more than like a glass of wine a night. So that I would say if you can limit it. So maybe you have like you pick one or two nights a week where you're like, okay, I'm going to drink with my

friends after work, or, you know, I'm going to drink with people that buy me shots at bar, whatever it is. And then the rest of those nights, hold yourself accountable because if you're really truly wanting to live a healthier lifestyle, you're going to have to figure out how to drink less booze. I don't know how else to say it. Anyways, Eleanor, thank you so much for writing in. If you guys are listening and you have a question, please email me at realfoodologypodcast at gmail.com. I would love to answer your questions. Rachel, thank you so much for coming on today. I'm so excited.

I'm so excited. Yay, me too. So for those listening who are unaware of your amazing recipes and your online workouts, please give them a little background on you and what you do. Okay, so my name is Rachel DeVoe. I have been a registered dietitian and personal trainer for like the last four years now, which is crazy. My job is predominantly online through my Instagram, Rachel's good eats, which I created

my senior year in college studying nutrition. And also my blog that launched about a year after that. A part of my job includes working with brands that I've either been using for years and I love or through brands that are newer to me and I've had a chance to try them out and I love them enough to share on my page. I'm very picky. And then a bigger part of my job is creating eBooks that help people either in the kitchen with their diets or through workout programs. So I have four eBooks total on my website right now. And before last year, I was never the type of person who worked out from home.

Like just, it did not happen. But once the pandemic hit, I was kind of like, I don't know, I felt like I needed, I felt responsible to help people. And I was determined to help people either get in the best shape of their life or stay in shape with intense workouts that you could do from the comfort of your home, literally within five feet of space behind me in my kitchen. That's where I do it. Um, and also through easy, healthy recipes that are simple. So it's kind of a little backstory. Do you want to hear the biggest discovery of our time for promoting healthy aging? Of course you do because all of us are concerned about aging. There is a class of ingredients called senolytics that were discovered less than 10 years ago, and they are being called the biggest discovery of our time for promoting healthy aging and enhancing your physical prime. Now, when I'm

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neurohacker, N-E-U-R-O-H-A-C-K-E-R.com slash realfoodology for an extra 15% off your purchase. Thanks to Neurohacker for sponsoring today's episode. This is really exciting. Organifi now has kid stuff. They just released two kid products. One is called Easy Greens, and it's a refreshing green apple juice where kids will never know that it's packed with veggies. And the other one is called Protect. It's a delicious wild berry punch like the Kool-Aid that we used to have as a kid, but without any sugar. This is really exciting. And if you've listened to the podcast for a while, you know that I'm a huge fan of Organifi and most specifically because every single product that they make is glyphosate residue free. So you know that you're going to be able to give

these powders to your kids and know that they will be able to consume them safely without any glyphosate in it. So let's break down each one. The Easy Greens is a nourishing and delicious blend of superfoods and veggies that provides essential nutrients, probiotics, and digestive enzymes to bring balance to kids' growing bodies without fillers, additives, or junk. It helps to fill in nutritional gaps, aids in growth and development, supports digestive health, has a rich micronutrient profile, and includes digestive enzymes. This would be a great way to sneak in greens for your little one without them actually knowing that it's healthy for them. And the second one, which is the wild berry punch, similar to Kool-Aid is called protect. And it is to support your child's daily immune health with food derived nutrients that work to strengthen their body's

first line of defense. I know just through girlfriends of mine that have children that when your kids are going to school, going to daycare, uh, they're coming home sick a lot more often just because they're getting exposed to different kids and different viruses when they're out in the world playing with kids. So this would be a great way to help to support your little one's immune health. It's organic and it's also made with real whole food ingredients. It has a delicious berry taste and it's low sugar and it's gentle enough for kids to take every single day. And I really love the ingredients in this one. It's orange and acerol cherry, which is a powerful source of vitamin C and antioxidants, astragalus, elderberry, and propolis. These are all really great for overall immune health. If you want to try the

products that I talked about today or any of the Organifi products, go to Organifi.com slash RealFoodology and use code RealFoodology for 20% off. Again, that's Organifi. It's O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I dot com slash realfoodology. Yeah, I love that so much. I know. I loved your workouts that you've been doing on Instagram. If you guys listening don't follow her, definitely go check those out. They have been so amazing for this last year because I'm the same way. I'm like, oh, God, I cannot work out in my living room.

But it's nice to have. It feels like when you do those, it feels like you have a class that you're in, you know, and you get to follow along and yeah, it makes it a little bit easier. It's like, it's so motivating to me that people are now expecting it. So it, that gives me motivation to kind of keep, you know, doing the live workouts even a year later. It's crazy to think about I've been doing them, but yeah, I mean, it's, it's the highlight of my week, me and bridge both do it. My husband now it's crazy. Um, but we, yeah, we do the lives every week with people and we've built this incredible community and it's honestly changed people's lives. It's helped change our lives.

And I'm so grateful for it. So cool. It's a great way to keep yourself accountable and also other people too, you know, cause now they've come to rely on it. I love that so much. So, well, let's go into some of those exercises. I know you have a couple of eBooks out now that people should go and buy from your website, but what are some, um, great at-home exercises that people can do? I don't know if this is something you can explain or if you want to direct them to your ebook, but I mean, I, I, okay. So the exercises, I guess it could be anything like my biggest tip would be like pick four of your favorite exercises and then put them in like a circuit format. So repeat each circuit or sorry, each exercise for like 40 seconds straight, take a 20 second break between

that and the next exercise, and then do like three rounds of that. So that's like a simple way of doing it. You can honestly go to my Instagram page. I have more than 90 live follow along workouts free that you can do. So if you guys are wondering like what you should do, that's like a great resource. And then you can see if you like the style of that. And then, yeah, I have a few eBooks on my website, my at home training guide, which was initially six weeks only like a six week training guide, but so many people loved it that I added on four extra weeks. So it's a 10 week guide.

Um, that has just been the most popular one. I feel like people are diehards once they start doing the workouts, there's so much fun. Most of them range around 30 minutes. So it's not like it takes, you know, a lot of time in your day. You just have to make time for it. And we have this incredible Facebook community that we help each other. We support each other. We share our progress, recipe tips, like everything you can think of. It's, it's the best community. Oh, that's so good. And I bet it's so good for people that are really struggling to find motivation for workouts. You know,

it's great to have that community where you can all kind of like help each other and support each other through that. Especially so many people haven't had family or friends to connect with this past year. So I think that's been so important for people to feel connection. Like I remember a time, like I didn't even know, I mean, I still don't know what day it is being at home all day, every day. But I mean, there's a point where you like, don't remember the last human that you saw or hung out with, you know? So being able to log into Instagram, do a live workout, feel the energy, like you would feel like you're in a real workout class. That's like been my favorite part of this whole quarantine. So, and you know what I really love so much about your approach girl is that people can come to your page and they can get, it's all

encompassing, right? It's the workouts. And then you also give great recipes. You give great tips for health. And it's just super amazing to see. Cause I feel like sometimes in the fitness community, it's either like one or the other, or I see sometimes that there's like a, I don't know. I just feel like there's a focus on like calories and just things that to me, I'm like, I feel like they're losing the focus here. They're just so focused on the exercise and food is a huge part of that too. So I love your approach with that. I feel like it's very digestible for people and makes it super easy. I mean, since day one, I grew up playing sports.

So I've always been interested in fitness. And then I think in high school is when I like realizing the relationship between nutrition and fitness had. So that's why I wanted to go the nutrition route. And then that's, I just wanted to combine my two passions in life. So food and fitness has always been something so important to me. And it's something that I don't want. I think the biggest thing is that people feel so overwhelmed when they think about living a healthy lifestyle.

Like it's kind of an all or nothing, but people need to realize like no one's perfect. Everyone is different. They all have their, you know, some people might not like a certain style of exercise. So that's totally fine. I don't want exercise to be like a chore to someone. I want them to feel like they should be able to do what they enjoy, you know? And so it's such an overwhelming thought for a lot of people. And that in turn makes them feel very frustrated. So usually that's like kind of the breaking point for people is that they don't go ahead

with trying to live a healthier lifestyle or make those healthier steps into being more balanced is because it's, you know, such an overwhelming thing. So my hope is from people looking at my page of, you know, it is such a balance between food and fitness. And that's not just, you know, the main points of life. There's so many other things, but I would hope that people think that incorporating small attainable habits over time is what's really going to make the biggest difference. So maybe that's, you know, learning to drink like a hundred ounces of water every day for a couple of weeks.

And then once you have that mastered, add on another habit that you want to, you know, incorporate into your life. So maybe that's having a morning smoothie that's filled with spinach, protein powder, you know, like flax seeds or chia seeds, and then a small amount of fruit. And then once you do that for two weeks, you can start thinking about incorporating exercise like two to three times a week for 30 minutes, just very small, attainable goals. And then those over time will stick because you've been doing them, you know, over and over again. So I don't know, everyone is

different. Take your time. It's not going to happen overnight. I created Rachel's Good Eats literally to show my friends and family that eating healthy doesn't have to be hard or boring. It can be fun, something you can get creative in the kitchen with. So that's another tip is like when it comes to healthy eating. My main idea, I guess when it comes to eating healthy, it would be to get more familiar in the kitchen and just like experiment more, maybe try a new recipe every single week, and then like learn to put your own spin on things with that. I love that. And when I was first learning how to cook and was really starting to get into health and wellness, something that I love to do

is think of all of my childhood favorite foods that I loved for so long, and then like remaking them healthy. Yes, which is why I love you, girl, which is why we found each other early on in the world. But OK, so what did you post yesterday? It was like cereal, but it was. Oh, wait, which one did I do yesterday? Was it the cinnamon? Oh, I did Reese's peanut butter puffs the other day. Oh, my God. OK, they were. The next thing you need to make like toaster strudel like that would really just put it over the top. So that's, that's on my list.

I'm going on vacation and then it's going to be the next thing I tackle, I think. Cause that truly was childhood for me. Toaster strudels and Dunkaroos. Oh, that's what I posted the other day. It was the Dunkaroos. Yeah. Well, that's like the same thing. It's like, I want to be

able to eat my favorite things. And like over the years I've figured out what makes me feel good and what doesn't. And like those crap ingredient filled packaged candies, they don't make me feel good. And I don't want to feel heavy and lethargic and brain fog after I eat something. I want to feel energized. I want to feel good. So like, I've learned to, you know, like maybe as hard as it was, like when I started to eat a lot more vegetables and kind of incorporate that more throughout my day over time, that's what I started to crave. So now I like legitimately crave these healthy nourishing foods. And so it's, again, it's like small yeah, small habits over time,

it's going to add up and they're going to be more sustainable that you can do for the long term. Yeah. And you brought up a great point. Once you start changing your diet and you really take note of how good you feel in your body, you're not going to want to stop doing that. You know, yeah, that's exactly how it is with, with fitness too. So once you start exercising more, you, you learn to feel so good. You know, that it's going to energize you throughout the day. That's why I love getting it done in the morning. I feel like I'm more awake. I'm energized. I feel like it just jumpstarts like all my healthy habits throughout the day. And I just feel so good. Yeah, I agree. So I, um hike a lot. And I haven't really

been doing a lot of like cardio exercises the last year, but I go for a hike every single day. But I went to a workout class yesterday that was outside, it was like super safe. But when I came back home, I met my assistant, we were like working on some stuff. And she was like, you are so full of energy right now. What did you do this morning? And I was like, I did it like a cardio workout. And I feel fantastic right now. It really does like make it really does. It really does. Yeah, I'm like, okay, I got to get back on those kind of workouts. But um, so let's talk about food. I recently had a doctor, he's actually a neuropathy surgeon on the podcast. And he obviously sees diabetic patients all day. And he went on for two hours about the detrimental long term health effects of sugar on our bodies. And I wanted to talk about this because I know this is something

you've been on for a long time too. And you have an amazing seven day added sugar detox ebook. So I want to talk about that. Cause I know after listening to that podcast or just in general, even if people haven't heard that podcast, I feel like sugar is kind of on everyone's minds right now. So what would be, well, let's talk about it. Just tell everyone about your seven day added sugar detox. So, oh gosh, when was it? It was probably in, I think I came out with it in 2019 in the summer. So before that, it was about six to eight months of me kind of like testing this whole thing out before I even put it out there. And for me, it was just like, I want to feel

better. I want less brain fog. I want more energy. What's going to happen if I just take out added sugar? You know, like I don't want to take out fruit, sweet potatoes, carrots. That's what so many people I think get the wrong idea when they think of a sugar detox is I'm not removing natural sugars. We're limiting fruit. So like I would say two to three servings a day, which is, you know, fantastic to get in all your antioxidants, your vitamins, your essential nutrients. But I started looking at just all of the things in my pantry and my fridge. And it was absolutely mind blowing when I was first getting. It's frightening when I was first getting into this and just, I mean, at the time I was out of college, which I just studied nutrition and

dietetics for four years. So for me to like finally have this like aha moment of like, okay, this is wild. How much sugar is in literally everything, drink mixes, uh, syrups, condiments, rotisserie chicken at the store. It's, it's just wild dressing and everything. So I tried to go a week without added sugar. I was unsuccessful. I think I made it like two days. And I mean, that just goes to show how like addicted I was. And I think for me, it was a big, like eyeopening experience and how much fruit I was consuming. And I didn't even think like, Oh, you know, fruit is healthy. Fruit is great. It's a great snack. It fruits amazing. It has so many benefits to it. But again, like sugar is sugar at the end of the day. And so just learning how to limit that and just being aware. I think that's my whole goal with creating

my seven day out of sugar detox is helping people become aware of how much sugar they're consuming and just opening their eyes to it. Because I think we're taught from such a young age, no one really talks about it. At least no one did when I was growing up. And so for me to like finally realize that, uh, was huge. And so the next time I attempted it, I think I made it like four days without any added sugar. And so I just, I waited a few weeks and then I would try it again. And I finally got to seven days without added sugar. And I'm like, Whoa, like I, I finally had like, you know, like a bowl of fresh strawberries at the end of the seven days.

And even though I was just limiting fruit throughout the whole week, that bowl of strawberries felt like a bowl of sugar. Like my taste buds completely changed. They were more sensitive to sweet tasting things. I didn't have to add like sugar to anything because my, I feel like I unlocked my taste buds, you know, ultimately. It's like they were so much more sensitive to things and flavors and everything tasted better. I, my brain fog was gone. I felt more energized, even though the first few days of the taking out added sugar is kind of brutal. Most people get headaches because it's just your body's detoxing from taking away that sugar.

So you may get headaches. You may feel low energy, but my key is just drinking tons of water, eating healthy, wholesome foods, things that are going to help you feel full throughout the day. You're not taking away any major food groups. That's like a big part of my philosophy. We're not taking out anything that, you know, is going to give you essential nutrients and vitamins. The only thing you're doing is taking out added sugar, which your body does not need a lot of. So that's why I created seven day added sugared Sugar Detox. It's basically a how-to guide in reducing and becoming more aware of all the added sugars in your diet. There's like a page of all the things that it usually sneaks into, all like the sugar substitutes that kind of mask their way into the ingredient list that people don't really necessarily know about. There's 22 healthy recipes from breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts. And I mean, more than 10,000 people,

which is freaking crazy, have done this sugar detox with me. And I know the word detox can usually get like a bad rap. People can usually feel like a, it's like a negative connotation with the word detox. But for me, like the only thing that I would ever detox would be like added sugar. So I've found that it's so helpful. And I know that there's like thousands of other people that have found this so helpful in removing added sugar. And it's just from, it's just seven days. Like it's just to help you like realize and become more aware of, but yeah, seven days really makes like a huge difference. Yeah. Well, and you touched on something that I also had a similar experience where when I

really started waking up to sugar and I started like tuning into the fact that we were, that sugar was being put in everything. I also was like taken back because I thought I was eating super healthy. And then I started reading all the labels of everything. And also was like taken back because I thought I was eating super healthy. And then I started reading all the labels of everything. And I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's sugar in my nut butter. There's sugar in my salad dressing. There's sugar in my salmon that I was buying. And you have to think about it like that. Like for me personally, I want to share or I want to save my sugar for the times when I can really enjoy it, like a cookie or something

that like really tastes good and what I really want. Whereas like, I don't want sugar in my salad dressing, you know, it's kind of just like you can do without it. And this is why I love so much about doing this seven day detox because I feel like it really it shows people truly the amount of sugar that they're being exposed to. And have you found that by the end of these like seven day detoxes that, um, that you kind of don't crave sugar as much anymore? Like, has it really helped with that? Oh yeah. Like, yes, your taste buds change. You really have like either no cravings or just very drawn back cravings to sugar in general. That's when you can kind of like start craving, like nourishing healthy foods. And you also mentioned a point where like, you really want

to enjoy the treats that you have or the sugar that you do have. This sugar detox is not to say that, you know, sugar doesn't deserve a place in your life. That's not what, that's not what the sugar detox is about. It's more about just opening your eyes to your diet overall. So yeah, everything's a balance. I love that so much. So for people listening that are really new to this, what are some common places that sugar are hidden that you maybe not necessarily would know that they were in there? I know we've named a few, but if there are other ones. I mean, I just saw the other day when I was shopping, like, the quick rotisserie chickens. I think I already mentioned it.

But at the grocery store, like, you think that there's nothing in there. But they put sugar in there, which is wild. That makes me so mad. Just any sort of drinks, especially when you go out, like get your coffee, the syrups that they put in, like mixes, matcha mixes, chai mixes. Yeah. All kinds of milks. Usually the barista blends at coffee shops tend to always have sugar in them. So I just become used to like asking for unsweetened options if they have any, um, or just making mine at home. Yeah, I do that too. I love that. And another thing that I found when I

was slowly trying to cut back my sugar, and I think you can probably attest to this as well. What really helped me a lot with my cravings was eating more good, healthy fats because I found that it helped like balance out my blood sugar because oftentimes we're searching or we're reaching for those sugary treats often when our blood sugar is really low and our body's looking for that quick energy. And so when you eat fat, that keeps you full for longer, satisfied. That really helped me a lot when I was really like detoxing off sugar. Healthy fats, quality protein, fiber. You want to eat that honestly at every meal and snack throughout the day so that you can have that elongated blood sugar curve and feel full.

And so you're not feeling hungry and wanting to reach for that sugary snack. Yeah. Okay. So for anyone listening who is struggling with getting their sugar intake kind of in balance, do you have any advice for them? Maybe like some success stories from people that you've seen that have done these detoxes with you? Oh my gosh. I mean, my first recommendation would be to get my whole how-to guide. It breaks everything down. It tells you what you're going to experience, gives you healthy recipes. People that I know who've done my seven day added sugar detox, use those recipes all the time. They don't just use it for the seven days. Um, they've become like staple recipes. Um, I know that people have said every time they do it because I, people get the sugar detox ebook, but then, you know,

they do it once they realize how amazing they feel after they take a couple of weeks, maybe a couple of month break, and then they do it again. And it gets easier every time you do it. And you kind of like figure out new things about yourself and your eating habits every time that you do it. So like over time, I think I've done, I've done more than 20 now, 20 different weeks of no added sugar, which is crazy. It's, it's, it's honestly amazing because every time that I do it, I just become kind of used to not having the added sugar and not relying on added sugar throughout the day. Oh, you know what? We didn't even touch on this yet. So what qualifies as like no added sugar in your detox? What do people like take out? Because

you said that you still allow like a couple servings of fruit, which I think is great, natural sugars. But what are people specifically cutting out of their diet for those seven days? Like what qualifies as it? So I technically say like only really look at the ingredient list. I don't say the nutrition facts panel because a lot of foods naturally have sugars in them. So I think the nutrition facts label gets kind of, it gets really confusing for people to look at because it says, you know, no added sugar, but there's four grams of sugar. And so they're like, well, does that mean I can't have this? You know, but if like sweet potato had a nutrition facts label, it would say that there's sugar in it, but it's natural. So that's totally fine.

We're keeping natural sugars in it. We're just limiting fruit to two servings or less per day. And I, again, like I said, recommend looking at the ingredients list. So becoming aware of different names for sugars. And then if it hasn't the ingredients list, then you just cut it out for those seven days. Okay. Yeah. And that's a great point. Emphasis on added sugar. And that's another thing too. All of the different, so food companies are getting really sneaky now. One, like you said, with the nutrition fact labels, I think that they're confusing for a reason because companies don't want you to really understand how much sugar they're putting in there. And then now, yeah. And now they're

labeling sugar with different words. There's dextrose, there's maltodextrin. I mean, there's a whole, I'll leave a link in the show notes for you guys. There's like a whole list of sugars now and they just have been renaming it with different things so that it sounds a little bit healthier and better. But honestly, it's all sugar that they're adding in. So that's something we really need to like become aware of. But I love this so much because this, this in my mind is such a healthy approach to it because natural sugars should not be avoided. We should be eating sweet potatoes and fruit. It's all about these like sugar cane, agave, et cetera, that's being snuck in our food. And we don't even know about it. And one thing like what, before I started doing the sugar detoxes every now and then is that like,

I would have healthy sugars, like coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup. Like those are my go-tos, but even like healthy sugars, you know, you know they do add up same with fruit so yeah so if even if you cut it out you'll notice by the end of those seven days like you your cravings will be little to none you'll be able to taste things that are you know sweet without adding all that sugar and so over time it just totally changes your whole mentality and approach I I guess. But like when I'm not doing the sugar detox, the sugars that I do stick to would be, you know, like raw honey, maple syrup. And then I love cinnamon for everything.

Like I put cinnamon on everything. So good. Yes. I love that. And I also, I'm a big fan of stevia. And if you get pure monk fruit extract, but I know for some people that's like a little bit controversial, especially now because they're cutting it with a lot of like sugar alcohols and stuff. So if people want to stay as natural as possible, I love that advice, like honey, coconut sugar. It is still just important in general to remember that sugar is

sugar, you know, and so to be mindful of how much of it you're eating every day, you know, and be in control of it yourself. So you're not eating those nut butters. Exactly. Well, that's like another thing is like making things from scratch, like making things at home. So like you are aware of the ingredients that you're putting in things. So like back to like making our childhood favorites, like I love making Twix bars, like Reese's peanut butter cups. And like, you can make it in a way like where there's not a lot of sugar in it. I just made the Reese's peanut butter copycat eggs, the peanut butter eggs for Easter. And there's only, I mean, like two tablespoons of maple syrup in the whole recipe and then the chocolate outer coating. So like when you compare it to the

real thing, I mean, it's going to be less sugar than that. Oh yeah. I mean, in one of those eggs alone, I don't know actually how much is in there, but it's probably like three or four tablespoons in one egg alone. If you buy them from the store, that's also a great point for people listening. This is another little hack and trick that I do. Unless if you're following Rachel's recipes, you can do it. You can follow them spot on. But like for a lot of recipes that I find online, I will cut the sugar in half. Exactly. Yeah. Because you actually don't need that much sweetener in there. And then if you're mindful of the sugar that's going in your mouth, you're going to over

time, like Rachel mentioned, your taste buds are going to change. And things that you used to be able to eat, you're not going to be able to eat the same way anymore because they're going to taste so sweet. It's really wild. Yeah, I agree. Like fruit starts like tasting like candy. It's nature's candy. It is.

I'm sure people are like eye rolling right now, but like seriously, try it. Because it really does, it happens. It's so cool. God, well, I love your approach so much to healthy eating and your recipes and everything. What's kind of your, where do you like find inspo for your recipes? And can you talk a little bit about your approach overall to healthy eating? I mean, my approach is that I'm going to put information and tips out there that have worked for me in the past and that work for me currently, and people can kind of take it or leave it. I've never,

I've never been the kind of person that it's going to push information on you. I like to make things less overwhelming for people, especially in the nutrition world. It's like everything you read, you're like, wait, is that actually true? Like, this is so confusing. I just want to put out simple information, easy recipes. I guess I get a lot of my inspo from things that I grew up eating. You and me are the same that way. But like chicken parm, like I just remade a chicken parm recipe.

It's so good. It's gluten-free. It's like with the simple mills crackers. So I make like crispy chicken. And then I put the Primal Kitchen unsweetened marinara over the top. And then I use goat cheese. It's so gush. So, so good. So gush. Anyways, it's really gush. But yeah, I just, I, and I also get a lot of inspiration for recipes while I'm traveling. So this, this last year has been kind of hard in that sense. But a lot of my favorite places, like I love Mexican food.

Yeah, like fresh ingredients, Mediterranean style food, that sort of thing. I just like putting my own twist on it with ingredients that I like every day. Yeah, I love that so much. That's where, again, you and I are very similar. I just want to follow my taste buds. I want to eat the foods that I genuinely love and crave because I'm of the mind that you can have both. You can eat healthy food and you can also enjoy it and love the food that you're eating. So I always tell people,

think up of all of your favorite meals that you've had and then go to the store and get clean ingredients for it. Organic if you can. There's a lot of budget places you can go now, like Trader Joe's Walmart target to get organic food and then make it at home. And it's going to be super healthy. There's not going to be a lot of added, you know, crap in there, no sugar in there by the unsweetened pizza and pasta sauces and just to have fun with it. I mean, now's the time, like this day and age, like there's so many alternatives for your favorite things. Like there's really no excuse. I hate to say it for not finding like a better alternative for the foods that you love. Yeah. It's so true. Cause there's a lot of options now. And there are

a lot of places that are providing like really, um, cost efficient food. I know we talked about your workouts already, but I'm curious if you have any advice for people listening that are just really struggling, um, in any area of their life to either like eat healthier or to work out what's some, um, maybe like advice or motivation you have for them. I feel like social media can be a really good or a bad thing. So I feel like if someone is not making you feel good, every time you go to their page, stop following them, follow the people that inspire you that offer value every single day that you can take things from their content. You can either make recipes, uh, you can get a good

workout in again. I have like more, I counted the other day. It's like more than 90 free live workouts. So if you're really struggling to find motivation, like just press play on one of those workouts, get in your workout clothes, get five feet of space. That's literally all you need. My workout program, uh, the at home version, you only need a set of weights and a chair or a bench. Like you don't need all this heavy equipment. You can get in the best shape of your life. We've had the most incredible progress and transformation photos and stories. It's amazing. You just have to like, you have to be willing to make a change. And so I think my biggest tip would just be to start, start something small and just stay with it,

make it a habit and be disciplined over time. I love that. I also think finding an accountability support buddy too. Yes. So get a friend. Um, if you guys can't do it in person outside or whatever you feel safe and comfortable with, then set a time every morning that you guys call each other and you're like, all right, we're going to do Rachel's workout right now. Like let's do it. Cause I have a girlfriend that was really struggling getting into a workout routine. And she has a friend that they now do workouts every day together and they hold each other accountable. And I think that really helps a lot too. That's amazing. Totally. Yeah. Workout accountability group or a person,

your best friend, your mom, so many people just need anyone. Yeah. Just work out with someone. And if you don't have anyone, you can join good sweat. You can work out with me. We work out in our kitchen like once or twice a week on live. Like there's someone out there. I know that will be your accountability partner. Yes. I love that so much. So before we wrap up, I want to know what are your health non-negotiables? These are things that you do for your health, no matter what, whether that's on a daily basis or a weekly basis, minor, like I always go for a walk outside with my dog and I go to therapy once a week. What about you? Oh gosh. Okay. Movement is my number one. I feel like that's my me time every day. So

I think first you have to figure out if you're an AM or a PM kind of workout gal. Yeah. And I'm an, I'm an AM. So I get it done in the morning. If I don't get it done in the morning, it's probably not going to happen. Um, again, like it wakes me up. It energizes me for the day. Another thing would be drinking water. I try to fill this 32 ounce water bottle up like three times throughout the day. So that's another big one. I get massages like once every four to five weeks. That's great.

That's my self-care. I love that, especially for how much you work out. Your body needs it, you know? I need it. I need it. Yeah. Well, for everyone listening, where can they find you and where can they find your eBooks? So you can find me at Rachel's good eats on Instagram. It's R-A-C-H-A-E-L and then good eats. And then you can find my eBooks at Rachel's good eats.com.

Amazing. And we'll put all those in the show notes too. So thank you so much, Rachel. This was really great. Thanks court. I've missed you. Thanks so much for having me. Yeah. I've missed you too. Thanks for listening to today's episode of the real foodology podcast. If you liked this episode, please leave a review in your podcast app to let me know. This is a resident media production produced by Drake Peterson and edited by Chris McCone. The theme song is called heaven by the amazing singer Georgie, spelled with a J. Love you guys so much.

See you next week. Bye.