The Essential Guide To Healthy Sugar Use In Your Family

Transcription

1 The Essential Guide To Healthy Sugar Use In Your Family Booklet by The Parenting Trip

2 Index Why Learn About Sugar? 4 Sugar: friend, foe or frenemy? 4 When You Become A Mom, You Need To Learn About Healthy Sugar Options 4 Five Facts About Sugar 6 #1 Sweet Flavour Is Essential For Health 6 #2 Our Love For Sweets Is Evolutionary Coded 7 #3 Sugars Are Our Body's Fuel 8 #4 Not All Sugars Are The Same 9 #5 Seek: Natural, Unrefined & Unprocessed 9 Sugar Alternatives By Category 11 Warning #1 11 Warning #2 12 Sugar Alternatives 13 Naturally Occurring Sweeteners 14 Sugar from Sugar Cane & Sugar Beets & Palm 14 WHITE SUGAR (PROCESSED & REFINED) 14 BROWN SUGAR (UNREFINED, NATURAL) 15 COCONUT SUGAR 16 OTHER PALM SUGAR 17 BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES 17 Healthy Sugar from dried fruits 19 DATE SUGAR 19 DRIED PLUM & APRICOT PASTE 20 Sugar produced by animals 21 HONEY 21 Sugary Syrups from Plants & Grains 23 AGAVE SYRUP 23 MAPLE SYRUP 23 BROWN RICE SYRUP 24 CORN SYRUP & HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP 24

3 BARLEY MALT SYRUP 25 Low Caloric Natural Sweetener 26 STEVIA 26 Artificial Sweeteners 28 SACCHARIN (E954) 28 ASPARTAME (E951) 28 SORBITOL (E420) 28 XYLITOL (E967) 29 ERYTHRITOL (E968) 29 Recipe ideas 31 Conclusions 32 Author 34

4 Why Learn About Sugar? Sugar: friend, foe or frenemy? We all have heard that sugar is a big no-no for our silhouette, our oral hygiene and general health. We know it is not good for us or our kids. Nonetheless most of us still love it and we still find each excuse to eat it. Who didn t have a big chunk of ice-cream after a bad breakup? Who could resist the chocolate bunnies and Easter candy eggs? What about the little treats Santa brings? When your kid begs you with puppy-eyes for a lollipop, can you truly always say no? When You Become A Mom, You Need To Learn About Healthy Sugar Options If your kids or husband are anything like mines, then they love anything that is sweet. If they go to daycare, visit their friends and see the others snacking on candy bars, lollipops or receiving store-bought chocolate pudding, they will want the same. With all the best intention in the world you cannot keep kids away from the unhealthy sugary treats. If you wonder why should even try, I would advise you to check out two documentaries: Fed Up and That Sugar Film.

5 It is not to scare you, only to give you a proper perspective on why and how refined sugar consumption is so fatal for our children s and family's overall health. So what s the solution? Keep your kids at home all the time? Certainly not. Your best option is to learn about sugar - because frankly it is a quite complex topic. But don t despair this booklet will lay out all the most important fact you will need to know. After reading it, you will be able to choose wisely and offer your kids healthier sugar options. So let s get us started!

6 Five Facts About Sugar #1 Sweet Flavour Is Essential For Health This is a concept originates from Traditional Chinese Medicine. According to these ancient teachings, there are five dominant flavours consistent with the five elements: sweet corresponding to Earth salty corresponding to Water sour corresponding to Wood bitter corresponding to Fire acrid (called also pungent or spicy) corresponding to Metal Each of these flavours is tied to different organs in our bodies and has the capacity to strengthen or weaken our health depending on our constitutional predisposition, the season of the year and our nutritional and lifestyle habits. The sweet taste is one of the most crucial flavours because it is in relation with our stomach & digestion and has the ability to harmonise & nourish our vital energy. Of course the type of sweetness referred to here is that of naturally occurring sweet foods like cereals or fruits and not the refined sugar that we usually describe as sweet in the Western society.

7 #2 Our Love For Sweets Is Evolutionary Coded Human breastmilk is sweet, it contains sugars. The principal sugar in it is lactose, but 30 plus other oligosaccharides are also present helping to build up the intestinal flora in babies. They also have a beneficial impact on immune cell responses in the infants. So it s understandable that babies taste buds are recognising this flavour from birth on. Of course, the level and composition of sugars that newborns receive from their mother s milk differ very much from the white refined sugar that most of the store-bought colourful candies contain. The point here is, that it is perfectly normal what s more evolutionary prerequisite for babies to have an inclination for sweet taste. Given our evolutionary imprinting, children develop easily a passion for sugary treats because the sweet taste reminds them of the first type of nutrient that their body needed. Unfortunately the food industry exploits this primordial inclination, leading our kids from early childhood on towards an artificially created sugar-addiction.

8 #3 Sugars Are Our Body's Fuel Sugar is the commonly used name for any sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates or carbs. Many of us know what foods contain carbs (or sugars), but few of us actually know what carbs truly are. Carbs or sugars are one of the three main macronutrients, the other two being protein and fat. They can be contained in food naturally or added by us humans during food preparation. Naturally occurring carbs or sugars in whole foods like in fruits, beans or potatoes are thus crucial nutrients without which we could not survive. avoided. They are the fuel for our metabolism. They are not to be When we speak about sugars in this booklet we will be focusing on the sugars we can artificially add to our foods & drinks to make them sweeter. I put artificially in quotation marks because many of the options I will be proposing to you are natural unrefined substances (some even unprocessed). However, since we are are going to use them to sweeten something that would from nature on not have such a sweet taste it can be considered as an artificial act. However how could we get a healthy but still yummy muffin like these berry frosted cupcakes or this amazing chocolate spread without this artificial act? Right?

9 Therefore we rather learn how to make the best use of healthier sugar options. #4 Not All Sugars Are The Same Sugar per se even if added artificially- is not THE enemy, nor is our wish of experiencing sweet flavours. The culprit of the problem is rather, with what kind of sweets we are able to satisfy these natural cravings. The best possible alternative would be, if we could only eat sugar contained in wholesome foods, without no extraction or condensation process. Think of fruits & dried fruit, certain cereals or even veggies like ripe carrots or squash. Nature's sweet treasury is full of viable options. However, as mothers, we know that it is not really possible. As long as our children are seeing their friends having real treats, they will want the same. But thanks to the healthier sugar alternatives, we will be able to provide our little ones with nutritionally great options that taste good. We won t need to feel guilty about their developing brains & bodies, social behaviour and oral hygiene. #5 Seek: Natural, Unrefined & Unprocessed There are actually plenty different sweetening options, derived from different sources. For our purposes, a thematic division into three main categories with opposing ends proves to be more useful. In this

10 way, sugars can be grouped for our nutritional purposes according to various thematics: Refined vs. Unrefined Processed vs. Unprocessed Naturally occurring vs. Artificial As a general rule: natural, unrefined and unprocessed is the golden trio to watch out for when it comes to sugar alternatives. Nonetheless beware: plenty of sweeteners are advertised to us as unrefined, which is naturally a great alternative to refined ones. However, keep in mind that just because a sweetener is unrefined does not mean it is unprocessed. Any sweetener (or almost) that comes in a powder or liquid form, is not a whole food. It has been processed to some degree to reach that highly concentrated state that it s in.

11 Sugar Alternatives By Category Here is a summary of the most commonly available sweetening options for cooking or preparing beverages for our children and for ourselves. For each sugar type that made it to my list I m providing a short description and mark it with a colour code: RED means here that these sweetening agents to be avoided - unsafe and/or unhealthy ORANGE stands for occasional use but not ideal in exaggerated quantity GREEN implies that the sweetener belongs to the healthiest category should be always preferred if possible to the other counterparts Warning #1 This list is not complete. There are actually plenty more possibilities to sweeten our dishes and drinks than I have listed. Have you ever heard of Jiaogulan aka. Gynostemma pentaphyllum? You did not? Shame on you:-). and me because I have not either. Only after having dived into the subject of alternatives to sugar did I discover that it is also a plant like the more known stevia.

12 However, you would probably have a hard time finding it anywhere therefore it did not make my list. The ones included below are the options that you will come across more often either on a shelf in the supermarket & at your local health store or you may find them online for an easy order. I will provide you with my favorite brands in each description. Warning #2 Please consider that any sweetener, even those listed as green, are to be incorporated in your family s diet so that they enable the consumption of other healthy wholesome foods. So e.g. if a spoonful of natural unrefined cane sugar added on top of a great fruit salad makes your kids eat the fruit then do it. But do not overuse!

13 Sugar Alternatives GREEN: Blackstrap Molasses Date Sugar / Paste Plumb / Apricot Paste Honey Erythritol ORANGE: Unrefined Brown Sugar Coconut Sugar Other unrefined Palm Sugar Agave syrup Maple syrup Brown Rice Syrup RED: Barley Malt Syrup Stevia Xylitol (E967) Sorbitol (E420) White Sugar Corn Syrup (CS) / High Fructose CS Saccarina (E954) Aspartame (E951)

14 Naturally Occurring Sweeteners Sugar from Sugar Cane & Sugar Beets & Palm WHITE SUGAR (PROCESSED & REFINED) It is extracted from either sugar canes or sugar beets, refined and crystallised. The plant undergoes in fact a process with the use of chemicals to separate its sugars from the so called molasses to achieve a white transparent consistence, high solubility and evenly formed tiny crystals. It has a high sweetening power and it is the most commonly used product to sweeten dishes. It is stripped from all the nutritional values of the plant from which it originates (those remain in the blackstrap molasses) therefore it contains no anti-oxidants, vitamins or minerals only empty calories. Over-consumption of white sugar has been linked to diabetes, obesity, hyper-activity in children, tooth decay and other more serious chronic diseases. White sugar is often described as white poison or white death by nutritionists. CATEGORY : RED The use at home should be reduced to none and the exposition to children outside the house limited as much as possible.

15 BROWN SUGAR (UNREFINED, NATURAL) Beware that we are not talking about the commercially available variety which is actually nothing else but refined white sugar that has been coloured with the addition of some molasses it should not even be called brown sugar. Always read the label it should state unrefined and preferably the sugar should not be crystallised like white sugar otherwise it is only a cheat. Natural unprocessed brown sugars are darker in colour because they have not been centrifuged to separate molasses from sugar and they come in grainy texture or sometime as blocks. Though the visual aspect might vary slightly depending on some degree of processing. As brown sugars contain the molasses, they are more rich in nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, manganese and copper and some level of vitamins. They exhibit an intermediate antioxidant capacity lower than molasses but obviously higher than white sugar. Sucanat (full raw unrefined unprocessed) is probably the best of all; it is a grainy brown sugar that is basically just dried (evaporated) sugar cane juice. Demerara exhibits a crunchier texture but has also a dominant molasses flavor. Turbinado is a more refined version of demerara sugar. Panela, panocha, jaggery, muscovado and rapadura are all relatively unprocessed forms of brown sugar that may come in form of bricks.

16 CATEGORY: Orange. All in all, brown sugar is a healthier option than white sugar as it is unrefined. Look for those that are not even crystallised thus completely unprocessed like Sucanat e.g. FOR SUBSTITUTION: It is less sweet than table sugar so to achieve the same taste ca. 15% more is required. COCONUT SUGAR Coconut sugar comes from the coconut palm s blossom, out of which a sap is extracted. It is then concentrated down to a syrup and sold either as coconut blossom syrup or if the syrup is evaporated into a form of a more grainy textured powder- than as coconut sugar. Sometimes it is sold in syrup form, then the evaporation process was not made. Compared to regular table sugar it has a lower glycemic index (GI). A low GI indicates that the food is slowly absorbed, preventing the spike in insulin level. Researchers have found that the GI of palm sugar is 35, compared to honey at 55 and table sugar at 68. It also contains slightly more nutrients: potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, manganese and copper; small amounts of phytonutrients and an good level of antioxidants given that it is unrefined and comes actually from the real plant without much processing.

17 CATEGORY: Orange. It is a better choice than table sugar but because of only intermediate antioxidant levels falls into category orange. FOR SUBSTITUTION: Sweetness is similar to that of normal sugar. Can be sub 1:1. This is my absolute favourite brand. OTHER PALM SUGAR Here I regrouped all other palm sugars that do not come from the coconut palm. These include sugars gained from the sap of flowers or leaves of the palmyra palm, nipa palm, date palm and sugar palm using a similar concentration and evaporation process as for the coconut sugar. The nutritional values, recommended use and substitution for white sugar is in line with the above described coconut sugar. CATEGORY: Orange. FOR SUBSTITUTION: Sweetness is similar to that of normal sugar. Can be sub 1:1. Palm sugars often come in bricks and canes but I used a granulated version because it is much easier for baking or beverages. BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES To make molasses, the juice is extracted from the plants usually by cutting, crushing, or mashing (most often sugar cane though also other types like sugar beet, grape molasses or carob molasses exist).

18 The obtained liquid is boiled to concentrate it. In case of the sugar cane the boiling itself happens in three strep procedure producing different degrees of molasses: First syrup: result of the first boiling and contains the most sugar. It is often called golden syrup too for its colour. Second syrup: comes from the second boiling and it had a bit of a bitter taste not often used. Third syrup aka. Real Molasses or Blackstrap molasses: is a dark viscous fluid with a strong flavour. Only the third boiling is actually recommendable from a nutritional point of view, as the first one is actually liquid white sugar. However in the case of the blackstrap molasses majority of sucrose is removed through crystallisation. It contains considerable quantity of vitamins (B6) and minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium or manganese. (Only one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the recommended amount of these nutrients). According to Dr Greger (writer of How Not To Die on a side note my absolute favourite book about nutrition that even not vegan people love, like my dad:-) Dried date powder together with blackstrap molasses show the highest nutrient density and antioxidant power among all sugar substitutes. CATEGORY: Blackstrap molasses Green. (Other types -first & second syrup Red).

19 FOR SUBSTITUTION: it is less sweet than sugar (need ca. 30% more to achieve a similar taste) and has a strong characteristic taste that in baked goods can be great but for coffee or tea might prove too strong. When buying blackstrap molasses you should search organic unsulphured variety to reap the highest benefits it might be tricky to find, best is to order it like this one, my fav brand. Healthy Sugar from dried fruits DATE SUGAR Date sugar (not the same as sugar won from the date palm sap) is made solely by using dehydrated dates that are ground to resemble granulated sugar. For the production whole, pitted dates are used to make the sugar, the presence of fiber leaves a tiny grit to the sugar which is not possible to dissolve completely in hot beverages or even during the baking process. To work around this problem especially for baking an alternative to store-bought date sugar can be made at home : the date paste. Date paste is fairly easy to produce through putting pitted dates into water overnight then the next day pureeing the soaked dates with just a little bit of water using a high-power mixer. The ready paste can be kept in the fridge for quite some time (up to two weeks).

20 Date sugar is supposed to be one of the best alternative to white sugar as it is a wholesome food, where the dates themselves were not manipulated or processed in any way that could have destroyed their nutrients. Please note that as mentioned, according to Dr. Greger s findings, blackstrap molasses together with dried date sugar / date paste are the most recommendable sugar from a nutritional & antioxidant point of view. To find out how he uses it for sweets and other incredible nutritious recipes, he has also a cookbook. I use it in my favourite breakfast chocolate spread. CATEGORY: Green (this sugar is actually a whole food). FOR SUBSTITUTION: dried dates or date paste sweeten slightly less then white sugar they have the same sweetening power as natural brown sugar. So you will need to add 15% more at least in baking to achieve the same result. I love this brand for the dried date sugar. Otherwise you can just buy dried dates and make your own date paste. DRIED PLUM & APRICOT PASTE Similarly to the process of making date paste, dried plums and apricots (always pitted of course) can be used to make plum and apricot paste. These also count as whole foods and contain all the benefits of the dried fruits high nutrients and minerals as well as antioxidant powers.

21 They also have lots of fibers, so when using them in baking goods can ensure a healthy and regular digestion & elimination process. CATEGORY: Green (these sugars are actually whole food). FOR SUBSTITUTION: Plum paste sweetens less then white sugar you will need to add 20% more at least in baking to achieve the same result. Apricot paste is rather sweet, so it is almost similar to coconut sugar in strength. There is also a possibility to mix date, plum and apricot paste to enhance and combine the benefit of these three plants in your dishes. Sugar produced by animals HONEY There are various types of honeys, in this booklet I focus of the ones collected by honey bees. The plants that provide the pollen for the production can define the honey s health benefits. As a general rule, honey is not as rich in nutriments and vitamins as many may believe. It does contain some vitamin C (only if raw and not heated) and a group of vitamin B and some iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and manganese.

22 Nonetheless the quantities provided are not very significant. On the other hand, raw honey can favour the right intestinal flora and therefore influence positively our immune system. Raw Honey has also several antibacterial and anti-fungal properties (especially varieties like manuka honey or thyme honey) these can be exploited also for external use on wounds or as a beauty product for hair & skin. Please note that only raw unheated honey has these healthy attributes so pay attention to only buy untreated natural variety. Also because honey is made from plants, as in other sugar substitutes it is always a good idea to buy it locally produced and if possible organic. Furthermore consumption of honey for kids under the age of 1 can be dangerous and should be avoided (risk of botulism). CATEGORY: Green (It made it to the green category not so much for its nutritional value which is less than unrefined brown sugar but because its great antibacterial properties and positive impact on our intestinal flora). FOR SUBSTITUTION: Honey is very caloric and is sweeter as table sugar. You can sub in a 0.75: 1 ratio.

23 Sugary Syrups from Plants & Grains AGAVE SYRUP It is made from cactus plants agave (mostly produced in Mexico). It is an unprocessed sweetener that has some moderate amount of vitamin C and B vitamins. However, the overall antioxidant activity it exhibits is pretty similar to white sugar. Agave syrups are sold in light, amber, dark, and raw varieties the raw one is to be preferred. CATEGORY: Orange FOR SUBSTITUTION: For every 1 cup white sugar called for use 2/3 cup agave, and reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup. Agave, though it is not nutritiously very rich makes a great occasional use for coffee or salad dressing we use this type. MAPLE SYRUP Maple syrup can be obtained from the sap of maple trees (sugar, red and black variants most often). Maple trees are tapped by drilling holes into their trunks to harvest the liquid, which is then processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup. Maple syrup does not have a very attractive micronutrient content, although manganese and riboflavin are at high levels along with moderate amounts of zinc and calcium. Maple sugar is made by dehydrating maple syrup. CATEGORY: Orange

24 FOR SUBSTITUTION: Maple syrup is at least 30% sweeter than white sugar and maple sugar is twice as sweet as whitesugar. When using the liquid form reduce your overall liquids in the recipe. A great maple brand we have been faithful to is this. BROWN RICE SYRUP It is made form brown rice and enzymes that are cooked as long as it is reduced into a uniquely flavoured liquid. The taste reminds of butterscotch and it can be used in dishes where honey is called for if one is on a vegan diet. It is not as nearly as sweet as sugar, but it can prove to be a great binder for homemade cereal bars due to its sticky nature. On a nutritional plan it is more similar to agave and maple contains some minerals and vitamins but not nearly as much as e.g. blackstrap molasses. CATEGORY: Orange FOR SUBSTITUTION: use 25% more than you would with white sugar (but because it is liquid if you make with it you may need to reduce the overall liquids in your dish). This organic brand is really tasty. CORN SYRUP & HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP Corn syrup is made from the starch of corn. It is sometimes called glucose syrup by food producers who tend to add it to their products to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and improve taste.

25 High-fructose corn syrup is different from simple corn syrup because in this a big amount of original glucose is converted into fructose it is thus sweeter. Their at home use is not very widespread but they made it to this list because in industrial food production they are used in massive amount for their cheap price. CATEGORY: Red: Both are processed and often refined sweeteners and are to be avoided if possible. BARLEY MALT SYRUP It is an unrefined sweetener processed by extraction from sprouted barley Its use is not that widespread but you can find it in some well-stocked health food stores. It resembles a bit the blackstrap molasses as it is dark brown, thick and sticky, and possesses a particular flavor often referred to as malty. It contains some vital micronutrients but not as rich as blackstrap molasses. CATEGORY: Orange FOR SUBSTITUTION:It is about half as sweet as white sugar.

26 Low Caloric Natural Sweetener STEVIA Stevia is actually a plant (Stevia rebaudiana) the leaves of which are very sweet. The dried leaves can be grind into fine powder to be used as a wholesome natural sweetener. However, in many countries stevia in leaf form is very hard to come by, unless you are cultivating your Stevia plant at home or ordering from internet. Commercially sold stevia is a processed product extracted from these leaves. The extracted active compounds of stevia have up to 150 times the sweetness of sugar, resist well the heat, are ph-stable and not fermentable. They mostly come in crystallised form that resembles white sugar or as a clear water-like liquid. At the same time stevia extract contains virtually no calorie which can be very interesting for people trying to lose weight. There have been studies raising concern about the human safety when using this sweetener (especially in its processed form) but results are still inconclusive. Dr. Greger estimates that up to two stevia flavoured drinks per day for an adult are harmless, however he advises against the extensive use of stevia. CATEGORY: Orange (it would fall into Green if the daily quantity is strictly kept in the recommended guidelines) FOR SUBSTITUTION: Much sweeter than sugar (up to 150 times) but depending on the extraction method and production different stevia brand could provide varying degrees of sweetening

27 power. When I use Stevia I try to buy the leaves, unless it is for my husband s coffee than the crystallised form is our preferred one.

28 Artificial Sweeteners SACCHARIN (E954) Is is an artificial sweetener that has a power of 300 times that of white sugar. It has been tied to many serious health concerns among which to cancer, allergies, skin-related symptoms. In certain countries it is already banned from commercial use. CATEGORY: Red ASPARTAME (E951) According to one of the world-wide experts on Aspartame Dr. H.J Roberts this sweetener is a real toxin. It is a synthetic chemical mix made of phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. Aspartame has been linked to more adverse symptoms, severe health problems, and disease than one could count CATEGORY: Red SORBITOL (E420) Sorbitol is most often produced from corn or cornstarch. It naturally occurs in fruits and is a closely related to sugar. Many diet foods contain this sweetener. Its use is actually safe for the human body, however, if it is consumed in large amounts it could provoke diarrhoea and other intestinal problems.

29 CATEGORY: Orange (but only in small amounts) XYLITOL (E967) Xylitol reminds of white sugar in consistency and flavour, but contains only ca. 30% of its calories. Similarly to Sorbitol, it is generally safe for human consumption but it may cause intestinal problems -like diarrhoea if eaten in larger amounts. In my family, since both my daughter and I have rather the opposite problem too slow digestive times, I tend to use this artificial sweetener more often. Xylitol is also a sweetener that can cause very little dental problems or tooth decay. CATEGORY: Orange ERYTHRITOL (E968) It is a polyol a sugar alcohol that is a common ingredient in many reduced-calorie foods. It contains virtually no calories, is safe for diabetics and in line with appropriate oral hygiene (does not cause tooth decay). From the artificial sweeteners, this is probably the most recommendable one. Other than rare allergic reaction, it does not have any safety contraindication.

30 In fact, its molecules are absorbed into the blood and excreted with urine almost unchanged, so very tiny part reaches the intestine thus it does not provoke adverse effects in the digestive tract like sorbitol. CATEGORY: Green (it is green not because it provides vital nutrients but because it is a calorie-free safe alternative to sweeten especially recommended for beverages) FOR SUBSTITUTION: Erythritol is similar to white sugar as a sweetener, in baking or in beverages you can either sub 1:1 or add slightly more (ca %) depending on your preferred taste. I tend to buy erythritol on the internet because only one supermarket in our neighbourhood carries the pure variety others have products mixed with other sweeteners.

31 Recipe ideas Want To See The Healthy Sugar Options in Action? If you feel like trying some healthy recipes for sweet treats with only healthy sugar alternatives check out some of these recipes: World's Best Nutella Replacement: The Heavenly Bounty Chocolate Spread The Two-Ingredient-Fruit-Jam You Can Make In 15 Minutes The Energy Boosting Morning Glory Muffins The Berry Frosted Chocolate-Strawberry Cupcakes

32 Conclusions It s possible to eat deliciously sweet treats and stay healthy. I hope this sugar guide will help you in your efforts to keep your family and yourself in the best physical and mental shape possible. For a quick reference, use the cheatsheet I provided you with, while this booklet might be your learning companion. For any advice, questions or comments, please don t hesitate to write to me (info@theparentingtrip.com). I m always glad to receive your feedback or help you further in your own parenting trip to the best of my abilities. If you did not subscribe yet, then please do so and become part of The Parenting Trip Community. I will provide you with monthly updates, lots of goodies (like this free guide) and help you become the mother, woman and person you desire to be one newsletter a time. If you would like to subscribe and receive other gifts and updates please click here. Please note that I hate spam so will never send you spammy s. Also I will not share your s with anybody else. You can unsubscribe any time you wish. Furthermore, please consider that some of the links in this booklet are affiliate links I may earn a small percentage if you buy through these links nonetheless rest assured I do not link anything that I have no personal knowledge or experience with! For more information

33 please read my disclosure page on my website. Thank you so much for reading!

34 Author My name is Agnes, and I m the owner and author of the blog TheParentingTrip.com. I m also a social psychologist and former researcher & consultant. I have two wonderful kids, a girl, and a boy, - almost three and five -whom I raise with my hubby abroad, in Germany. I firmly believe that: Life is a school where you learn how to remember what your soul already knows. My life mission is to help women remember how to be happy and loving mothers, wives and persons and how to raise a healthy and joyful family. Besides my blog, I write non-fiction books about parenting & ways to achieve a healthy, happy and balanced family life. I also publish fiction books under a pen-name (if you are interested to know more just ask me:-)). Hope that we can learn from each other, so please don t shy away to contact me with any questions, concerns or opinions you may have. Bests, Agnes