Reducing an item in your diet

coffee

Today while getting coffee at our local coffee shop, I overheard a conversation between two ladies. One was saying how she had to reduce things in her diet such as milk. Therefore, she was going to use half and half (I had to bite my tongue here). The other woman said that even if she was put in jail she could never drink black coffee. While I didn’t chime into their conversation, it made me want to share how I stopped drinking coffee with flavored creamer. As my father says, “If you want a candy bar, eat a candy bar. Don’t drink it in your coffee!”

To make the transition from “candy bar” coffee to black coffee, I started by reducing the amount of creamer I used. Then, I switched to almond milk and a little sweetener. I started with a little organic sugar, then transitioned to rice syrup, which has a very mild, sweet taste. Lastly, I gradually reduced the amount of the almond milk and rice syrup. The first few days drinking black coffee wasn’t fun. I only had one cup instead of three or four, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Now, I drink one cup of black coffee most mornings.

While at a friend’s house, I recently tried some flavored creamer in my coffee and it was way too sweet for my new tastes! Yay! It’s the small victories that make me smile! This can be applied to reducing other items from your diet, too! I hope sharing my story has inspired you to slowly make healthier changes in one of your food consumption patterns.

Have you done something to positively change your diet? I would love to hear it in this comments below or on my Facebook page!

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21 comments

  1. Alaina Bullock says:

    Congrats on making the switch! I am trying so hard to move from drinking soda to water, and it is tough! Thanks for the inspiration!

    • Stephanie says:

      Thank you! You could try putting fun things in your water like fruit and/or mint. I also drink coffee, tea and the occasional soda water which may help, too. Good luck!

  2. Michelle says:

    Thank you for the tips! I don’t drink, smoke, do drugs, BUT I am addicted to sugar with lots of International coffee creamer which maybe should be nicknamed crack for coffee? I will pick up some almond milk the next time I go to the store.

    • Stephanie says:

      Same here! The more I have been reading about sugar, the more I agree that it is very addictive. I am trying to reduce it from my diet and coffee was the first target on this journey. You could try starting small with vanilla or regular almond milk, which is sweetened, and slowly transition to regular almond milk. Best of luck!

  3. Sheryl at LibertyHillHouse.com says:

    I can’t stop laughing about that poor woman thinking that half & half is healthier than milk! You must be a very good giggle-hider.

    Thanks for your tips – I just realized that the slip the other way, from black to cream, to flavored creamers has somehow happened in my life without my noticing it. I’m going to take your excellent advice and reverse the tide.

  4. Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says:

    September of 2013, I began something I called, No Salt September. I used to add salt to everything, before tasting usually. So I promised myself I was going to cut back on salt and not add any extra.Before I knew it, No Salt September had stretched in October, and here we a year later and I am still not adding salt. I it a personal victory for me. 🙂

    Milk… Half and Half… wow! LOL

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Lorelai

  5. Sarah Sofia Knepp says:

    I went on a detox diet over 2 years ago where for 2 weeks no dairy, no soda, no juice, no sugar, no white flour, no oils. I have continued a moderate little to no dairy and sugar diet ever since. I no longer drink Diet Coke. I use Agave instead of sweetner and love coconut milk! It take time, but now my stomach gets upset when I eat dairy or fatty foods.

  6. Mary Hill says:

    Wow, I wish I had your discipline. I guess it is a good start. I thought about switching to monks fruit sweetener. Anyone hear about that? Anyone have success using it. I read a lot of great ideas in the comments too.

    • Stephanie says:

      Thank you. Baby steps! I have heard of it. Shaklee uses monk fruit in some products, so have tried it there. However, I haven’t used it as an everyday sweetener. Please let me know if you try it!

    • Stephanie says:

      Thank you! That is great news. You can always start small by switching to regular vanilla almond milk (which is sweetened) and gradually reduce it or replace it with the unsweetened kind. Best of luck!

  7. Karen W says:

    Way to go on this small yet important victory. Personally, I am not a coffee drinker, but when I do drink some I really do like some peppermint creamer in it, usually drinking a few sips of my husband’s He used to only drink black coffee but splurges once in a while with the creamer. We have been meaning to try making homemade creamer, but haven’t yet.

  8. Sherri S says:

    I stopped eating sugar and started using Stevia. I use it in everything now and have yet to find I miss the sugar. Most of the stuff in the grocery stores are cut with all sorts of nasty stuff (or at least fillers that I don’t want to be ingesting). My favorite kind with no aftertaste and great potency is by Kal. I get it on Amazon here: http://tinyurl.com/KALSTEVIA

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