Ah, the accidental slip up.

A guileless mistake free of loopholes or excuses. It was bound to happen, and my take is: it’s not a big deal.

The granola in question.

I woke up this morning, poured some buckwheat granola (a recipe from my new book) into a cereal bowl, topped it with almond milk, ate it while drinking my coffee, and then started my morning writing. It wasn’t until 30 minutes later that I realized I had eaten something with added maple syrup in it.

Now, yes, there is something like 2/3 teaspoon of maple syrup per serving in my buckwheat granola recipe. And the rule for my experiment is: no added sugar. Right? But, am I going to throw out the day because of that slip up? Maybe hard-liners won’t agree, but I think the benefits of the seeds and oats—packed full of fiber and protein, outweigh the negative. That’s why I’m including the recipe in my new book, which includes a few recipes that are low in sweetener, but not completely free of it. The point of this year without sugar is to see what living this way is like, to come away with a clearer idea of my relationship to treats, and to eventually create a guide for people who want to similarly want to rethink their relationship to sugar. I learned today that I sometimes eat first and think after, and that was a worthwhile lesson to learn.

Choosing this grey area might not make me have a “perfect score”, but it seems preferable to me than throwing away this day as one of my 10 free days. I’m choosing to see eating a little maple syrup-sweetened granola does not make this a failure, but rather a normal stumbling block during this experience. This will happen, and I will choose to see a 95- or even 90-percent success rate as a huge feat.

Hello world! It’s me, Lindsay Maitland Hunt, a nerdy cook and writer. You might be wondering why I’m here, writing at all, when the internet is jam-packed, over-stuffed, really, with people thinking they have something to say. Why add my voice? And isn’t “blog'“ a dirty word by now? (I feel an eye roll throughout my whole body each time I say the word, and a speech bubble with BLAAAHG is floating above my head.)

The reality of the internet today is one of quantity, but not guaranteed quality. The key to cutting through the BS is turning to a trusted voice. So, after almost a decade in the food media industry, one published cookbook, and another on the way, I am excited to create a space to share cooking tips, recipes, and my reviews of kitchen tools, products, and more. I’m particularly interested in helping home cooks discern a good recipe from a bad one, and explaining what it even means to develop a recipe at all. Consider this your source for any behind-the-scenes curiosity.

I won’t just be writing about food, but about health and better living overall. My upcoming book is about how to eat for gut health—about how crucial food is to maintaining good bacteria in our gut, the connection between the gut and physical wellbeing, and how mental health is related, too. I’ll be sharing a lot about these topics, as well as documenting my upcoming year of no sugar.

No what? Yes, that’s right. No sugar. I’m doing an experiment where I go a year sans sweeteners. Part of doing right by your gut (and by extension your health overall) is cutting the sugar way down to almost zero. But if I—a cook by trade who loves being in the kitchen—can’t do it, then how can I ask my readers to do so? I’ll post my guidelines for my no sugar experiment tomorrow, and I’ll keep you updated regularly on how I’m dealing with cravings, breakdowns, and more.

Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts about what you’re looking for help with. I am first and foremost a problem solver, and I’d love to help with solutions for your healthy eating and living dilemmas. Happy New Year, and here’s to a healthier, happier 2019.