Are you one of the millions of Americans who battle fatigue each day? Do you struggle with emotional eating and the cycle of guilt-binge-guilt? On March 4, Dr. Mehmet Oz devoted his talk show to showcasing solutions to end that energy crisis and heal your emotional eating. His expert on ending fatigue: Dr. Jen Landa, author of "The Sex Drive Solution for Women: Dr. Jen's Power Plan to Fire Up Your Libido" (click here to get it now). And to discuss the painful cycle of emotional eating: Lisa Lillien, also known as Hungry Girl, who recently crafted a new cookbook: "Hungry Girl to the Max!: The Ultimate Guilt-Free Cookbook" (click here to get it now). Plus: You'll love the comfort food recipe from Lisa that follows.
One of the key causes of fatigue: Sugar highs and lows. Dr. Jen warns that "energy from sugary foods and drinks only lasts about 30 minutes," resulting in an energy crash. Her solution: A new line of artificial sweeteners made with monk fruit. It contains less than three calories per serving and is all-natural. My tip: It's available under the brand name of NECTRESSE Natural No Calorie Sweetener (click here to get it now), and it's ideal for mixing into hot drinks or stirring into plain Greek yogurt with a dash of cinnamon! You can also get NECTRESSE Natural No Calorie Sweetener in packet form and take to restaurants to add to your beverages without having to resort to those yellow, pink or blue packets.
One of the biggest causes for weight gain: Emotional eating. To help, Lisa suggests dark chocolate, which releases endorphins to reduce your stress level and help you feel better. But before you bite into a guilt-inducing mountain of candy, Lisa has created guilt-free chocolate recipes to try, such as the one below. The secret to making it healthy: Pure pumpkin, which is low in calories and high in fiber, to keep you full. In addition, pumpkin contains antioxidants and vitamin A.
Dreamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (makes 36 squares) Ingredients
- One 18.3-oz box fudge brownie mix
- 2 cups canned pure pumpkin (My tip: Make sure to get pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix. I recommend Farmers Market Organic Pumpkin - click here to learn more).
- 2 tbsp light chocolate syrup (My tip: Try Hershey's Sugar-Free Chocolate Syrup now by clicking here.)
- 2 tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter, softened
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" x 8" baking pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, mix brownie mix, pumpkin and chocolate syrup until completely smooth and uniform. Batter will be thick. Spread batter into the baking pan. Spoon peanut butter over the batter, and use a knife to swirl it in. Bake until edges are slightly firm and top center is dry to the touch, about 35 minutes. Let fudge cool completely. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours. Cut into squares. Fudge Tip: The cooked batter will remain very thick and may look underdone.
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