Today on the blog Kari reviews the new printed version of The 21 Day Sugar Detox by Diane Sanfilippo (Balanced Bites). This is truly a product that we believe in, having done a couple of sugar detox cycles of our own, most recently in January. We think that this program can help almost anyone break their sugar cravings, reset their palate for sweet foods, and even resolve lingering health issues. You don’t even need to be paleo to benefit from this resource!
The book also has a ton of new recipes you’re sure to love!
We just started a new 21 Day Sugar Detox yesterday. You should expect to see frequent updates about our progress on Instagram and Facebook. And don’t forget to check the tag 21DSD on the blog for lots of compliant recipes!
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When I signed up to review The 21-Day Sugar Detox: Bust Sugar & Carb Cravings Naturally by Diane Sanfilippo (Balanced Bites), I did not fully realize what I was getting myself into. For a while I’ve been considering doing a detox but did not know what kind of detox would be the most helpful. When I considered going 21 days without sugar, I thought, “Oh, this will be easy, I don’t really eat any sugar as it is.” But what I didn’t think about is how much wine I drink, how often I sweeten things with honey or maple syrup, and how much fruit I eat!
I received the book on October 8th and read it cover to cover. There is a lot of great information about why sugar is a problem, what it does to your body, and why you should consider doing the detox. There is a short quiz which takes your current eating habits into consideration to help you determine which level (1, 2, or 3) of the detox you should complete. I found I was to complete Level 3. I read through the “what to expect, day-by-day” section, printed off the “Daily Success Log” from the 21-Day Sugar Detox’s Resource page and planned to start my detox on the 11th The first few days were a little rocky. I was missing maple syrup on my pancakes, and grapes, and wine! But after the first week I was sleeping better. I had more energy. I was thinking more clearly and my memory was improving. After the first week, eating sugar free became second nature. Before I realized it, the 21 days were over. I had lost 5.8lbs (which was unexpected since I thought this detox didn’t change my diet too much)!
Now, to my personal favorite part of this book: the recipes!!! My favorite recipe that I tried was the Shrimp Pad Thai. I have made it at least 3 times in the last 3 weeks. Once with chicken. Very tasty! I loved the Cucumber Cold Noodle Salad, too. With both recipes I got to use my spiralizer (which I’m in love with).
Ingredients
- 4 large zucchini or yellow squash
- 1 cup snow peas, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
- 4 dozen extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup almond butter (raw or roasted)
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 4 drops fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon minced or grated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions (scallions)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. Place a steamer basket in the pot.
- While the water comes to a boil, shred the zucchini or yellow squash into noodles using a handheld julienne peeler, a spiralizer tool, or even a regular vegetable peeler (if using a regular peeler, the noodles will be wide and flat versus spaghetti shaped). You should get 4 cups of noodles. When the water is boiling, steam the noodles in the basket for 3 minutes, then remove them and set them in a colander to drain off the excess liquid as they cool slightly. Place the snow peas on top of the noodles in the colander.
- Place the shrimp in the steamer basket over the still-boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until pink all the way through. The cooking time will vary with the size of the shrimp.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until well combined.
- Place the noodles, snow peas, sauce, and shrimp in a large skillet over medium-high heat; toss gently to combine and heat through.
- To serve, garnish with sesame seeds and top with the green onion and cucumber slices.
Here is a list of other recipes I loved from the book:
- Tomato-Basil Quiche with Bacon & Spinach
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Vanilla Bean Coconut Butter
- Jalapeno Bacon Burgers
- Asian-Style Meatballs
- Rainbow Collard Wraps with Herb Almond “Cheese” Spread
- Savory Herb Drop Biscuits
- Sweetener-Free Ketchup
Even if you are not interested in completing the detox, this book is a great resource for some fantastic recipes! Diane is coming out with the 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook which is scheduled to hit the shelves on December 17th. I have already per-ordered it and am not so patiently waiting for it!
If you decide to complete the detox, there are a lot of great resources. Visit the 21-Day Sugar Detox’s Resource page for 1 Page Guides, Recommended Products, Shopping Lists, and more. You can follow The Official 21 Day Sugar Detox on Pinterest, the21daysugardetox on Instagram, and The 21-Day Sugar Detox on Facebook.
