On average, U.S. kids consume their weight in added sugar each year; 64 pounds annually to be exact. Thanks to my guest, Jennifer Tyler Lee, author of Half the Sugar, All the Love, today’s show features secrets to cutting added sugar from your family’s diet without sacrificing the fun and flavor of your favorite recipes.
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My guest today is Jennifer Tyler Lee, author and healthy eating advocate. Her new cookbook, Half the Sugar, All the Love: A Family Cookbook, is coming out later this month, but you can preorder it here. Half the Sugar, All the Love includes 100 sweet and savory recipes that have been remastered to be lower in sugar (at least half) than their original counterparts.
Jennifer is also the author of The 52 New Foods Challenge and creator of the cool kids’ nutrition game, Crunch A Color. You can find her online at 52 New Foods.
“Added sugar is the enemy, and the antidote to sugar is cooking.”
– Jennifer Tyler Lee
Double Chocolate Brownies
If you crave a chocolate brownie, Jennifer has you covered with her Double-Chocolate Brownies, and just wait until you hear how she uses sweet potatoes as a secret ingredient. If you wonder how much added sugar is in that stir-fry chicken dish you ordered out last week, Jennifer is here for you with her better-for-you Citrus Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans.
IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME!
We’re giving away a copy of Half the Sugar, All the Love by Jennifer Tyler Lee to one lucky US winner. In the comments section below, post a comment and tell me why you’d love to win the book and/or your favorite sweet or savory recipe that’s lower in sugar than its original version. Giveaway ends January 1, 2020.
If you pre-order Jennifer’s book (before the release date of 12/24/2019), you’ll be able to claim 3 HOLIDAY BONUS RECIPES from Jennifer. Click here to learn about the bonus
Fruit and Nut Granola
Show Highlights:
- The basics of Jennifer’s busy life as a Canadian mom of two living in California
- The positive changes we see in the health of families due to the resurgence of cooking
- How Jennifer’s love of cooking comes from the influence of her grandma, who taught her that home-cooked family meals should be the norm
- How Jennifer’s new cookbook helps you cut the sugar in all types of recipes and enjoy the foods you love in healthier ways
- The current trend: 1 in 5 kids is pre-diabetic
- The secret to “half the sugar” is to sweeten with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables instead of added sugar
- Why “sneaky sugar” is an insidious problem in savory foods many so-called “healthy” foods, including yogurt and granola
- According to the American Heart Association, most people consume more than three times the daily allowance of added sugar. The AHA recommends that children and women consume no more than 6 teaspoons daily and men no more than 9 teaspoons a day
- New research that shows how artificial sweeteners and even natural sweeteners may lead to increased sugar cravings due to how the brain interprets them
- Jennifer teamed up with Dr. Anisha Patel for the book, and together they discuss the dangers of too much added sugar, which include obesity, chronic disease, Type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, and dental cavities
- Why Jennifer likes to sweeten recipes with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, dates, pineapple, and mango
- Some of Jennifer’s favorites from the new cookbook: Pumpkin Spice Waffles and Pineapple Teriyaki Short Ribs
- How Jennifer’s Double Chocolate Brownies cut the sugar in a typical brownie from 4.5 teaspoons to 1.5 teaspoons.
- How to determine the amount of added sugar by reading food labels and converting grams to teaspoons
- Why beverages are the easiest way to consume added sugar and excess calories
- How nuts, seeds, and dried fruits can be used as a sugar replacement
- The big challenges in removing sugar from a recipe are changes in texture and flavor
- Jennifer’s recipe for granola: It’s made with nutritious ingredients including oats, nuts, and dried fruits. This recipe is flexible, and maple syrup is the only source of added sugar
- Jennifer’s Citrus Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans is made with tangerine juice, ginger, garlic, toasted sesame oil, almonds (with zero added sugar)
- If you pre-order Jennifer’s book and enter your confirmation number on her website, you’ll receive 3 BONUS holiday cookie recipes
- An example of a recipe with dates: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- A random question from the Mason jar about Jennifer’s first food memory
LINKS:
My email: [email protected]
- The Parents On Demand Network
- www.superhealthykids.com
Follow Jennifer at:
Jennifer’s website: 52newfoods.com (where she shares new recipes each week)
Jennifer Instagram
Jennifer Facebook
Jennifer Twitter
Have a question about the show or a suggestion for a future show? Ask away by posting a comment below or joining my Podcast Posse
For other Liz’s Healthy Table Podcasts, check out:
Beautiful Boards with Maegan Brown
Two Peas & Their Pod with Maria Lichty
Half Baked Harvest Super Simple with Tieghan Gerard
I would like to win this bc my husband is pre diabetic and loves desserts.
Yes, it sure would be helpful for your hubby!
It’d be great to cut back on sugar & have food still taste good!
I would love to win this cookbook. I’m always looking for ways to cut sugar and make our meals and deserts healthier. I love listening to your podcast Liz. I look forward to each one and get a lot of good ideas from you. I recently made your fruit crisp and it was so delicious. Everyone love it. Thanks for what you do! Enjoy your holidays.
I love that fruit crisp too. It’s one of my go-tos at parties and when I’m teaching cooking classes. So happy to hear you’re enjoying the show.
I would love to win this book because I really need to cut down the added sugar in my diet. I have no recipes with less sugar, so this would be a huge help!!
You would love this book. Jennifer uses a lot of dates to cut sugar. Fascinating!
I am trying to lose weight and be healthier and have found that cutting sugar is key to success. I would love to win so that I can make healthier versions of some of my favorite food such as brownies.
My goal for me and my family is to cut back on added sugar. I loved your podcast and learned so much about how sugar sneaks into foods. This cookbook would help me to make delicious foods without that sneaky sugar.
I would love to win to make more healthy treats for my kids.
My husband and I have been working very hard to get healthier and cutting sugar has been part of that, but it would be great to have some help! Thank you!
My husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic recently, but has a hard time making the appropriate changes on his own. I started cutting out a lot of sugar from my diet to help and have seen a change in energy–an actual boost! I think this book would be very helpful in helping both of us transition into a lower sugar diet without sacrificing delicious options. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Good luck with hubby. Sounds like you’re working hard on making positive changes 🙂
I would love to win this cookbook because my entire family adores sweet treats and other foods. Now that I have a 2 year old, I see her love for sugar and sweets developing. She isn’t allowed candy and cakes with the exception of special occasions, but I’d really appreciate having more recipe ideas using natural sugars and less sugars to create delicious recipes that we can all enjoy!
Sounds like you’re working hard at this. It’s not easy … but the recipes in Jennifer’s book are really amazing!
I am always looking for new îdeas on how to cut down on sugar consumption without sacrificing enjoying the food we eat.
I want to win this cookbook because it’s so timely. Yesterday morning my husband and I were talking about white sugar and decided to start transitioning away from it. Since I make most of our food from scratch I could really use some help knowing where to start!
That’s so funny that you were just talking about that! If you haven’t listened to the show yet, be sure to tune in. Jennifer has so many great ideas.
I would like to win Half the Sugar, All the Love by Jennifer Tyler Lee because I am pre diabetic.
I’d like to win because I love trying new recipes and cooking/baking.
I’d love to try these recipes… Always wanting to be smart about what I eat but definitely need all the help I can get!
Oh my goodness this give away is so very exciting! My father has type 2 diabetes and I know that means my genetic line is more susceptible. I am doing everything I can to help my daughters and myself to enjoy sweets without as much worry.
Having this cookbook would be incredible!!!
I would love to win a copy of this cookbook! I just finished this podcast and really enjoyed it! I have 3 kids (8, 7, and 5). We have already talked to them about trying to cut back on sugar after the holidays! This would be a great tool to help us get started!
Wow. You have a full house! Glad you enjoyed the show. Happy holidays 🙂
I definitely associate cooking, especially treats (usually with lots of added sugar) for my family with love, so this book is very interesting to me. I like the idea of still being able to make the comfort food my family enjoys, with love, and at the same time reduce the added sugar and increase those fruits and veggies!
Reducing sugar in our diet is a great goal that aligns with our overall goal of improving our health in 2020.
That’s a great goal … and doable! Hope the podcast provided helpful tips!
I’d like to win this cookbook because my whole family is planning to lower our sugar intake in the New Year! Mainly to reduce inflammation and prevent long term medical issues.
That’s a great New Year’s resolution!
Thank you, Liz! Thank you for your great podcast! I would love to have this book as I go into my second year of working to maintain a 90-lb. weight loss. Blessings to you in the new year!
Karen, that’s great news on the maintenance of your weight loss. Keep up the great work!
I am excited for this book, the photography is impressive, perfect for my kitchen counter. As a millennial these recipes are great given they are tasty, healthy, and instagram worthy.