How does sugar affect your life? I tell you about my "no sugar" experience..so far {+ delicious chickpea burgers recipe}

3 weeks ago I went to a nutritionist as I was not getting the results I expected with my diet and sport.

I always worried that my metabolism was not good enough but turns out, my metabolism is perfect and the real bugger here is sugar (no, I'm not diabetic). As we all know, sugar is not the healthiest thing we eat and it actually affects woman hormones...a lot.

So, I challenged myself and decided to completely detox from added sugar for 10 days- the only sugar I got was from natural source ( fruits, nuts..etc..) + I used to snack only on fruits while now I combine them with nuts (protein), so my sugar intake is more balanced.

Worst thing to do? drink espresso without sugar..... it took me 4 days to get used to the flavour!

from pinterest

I used to take coffee with two teaspoons of sugar, so you can imagine what a shock it was for me to taste it black for the first time :)

But you know what? Persistance is your best friend and, not only I got used to drink it black, but I am loving it.

More importantly, I feel good. The spots I used to have on my chin have disappeared and for the first time in my life, I had no PMS and got my period on time {didn't even realise it!}.
This is a huge step forward for me. I always suffered from PMS, never had my period on time and the pain I had "before and during" was very intense.

So, if you ask me.... give this "no sugar life" a try! or simply, be aware of it and limit sugar as much as you can - you can even use substitute like stevia for example.

Added sugar is everywhere, so try and make things yourself instead of buying ready meals and make it a habit to check the nutrients and ingredients of the things you buy, so you have an idea of the added sugar you are going to put in your body if you buy that item.

You can also compare products and buy the one that has less added sugar in it.

***

I will start experimenting with food (especially cakes), because...if I can limit sugar intake in desserts...why not do it? I will be posting about my adventures!

I also want to increase my protein intake and I started messing with chickpeas :)

A few days ago, I have been playing with chickpeas and came up with some delicious burgers.

You can use eggs or flaxseeds in this mixture, depending if you eat eggs or not ;)

If you decide to give flaxseeds a try, remember to rinse them with a bit of water for 10 minutes, they will swell a bit and their consistence is sticky...perfect for burgers ;)

The recipe I will share today  is pretty easy but the result is fantastic! Chickpea burgers were tasty and even my meatlover fiancè loved them (and licked the plate clean).

:::Recipe:::

This makes about 9/10 burgers

2 cans of chickpeas (400 gr)
1 red onion
1 small tomato
1 egg or 2 tablespoon of flaxseeds
Salt and Black pepper
Optional: half zucchini

Squash the chickpeas with a fork or food processor in a medium bowl.
Slice the onion and the tomato is thin pieces and add them in the bowl. If you want to add zucchini, you will need to slice or grate them in the mixture.
Add black pepper and salt according to your taste. Now add an egg or two tbspoon of flaxseeds {rinse flaxseeds in water for 10 minutes}.
Now combine everything together and start making small balls that you will flatten to make a burger form.
Cook them in some olive oil and...enjoy!

PD: We have eaten them with an avocado and fennels salad :)


Until next time,
Daniela