5 ways to get a sugar-free sweet fix

I read an article this week entitled ‘How giving up refined sugar changed my brain’. The writer, Michael Grothaus, had already drastically changed his diet to lose 80lbs, so then he decided to completely quit sugar.

So much of the story resonates with me, especially when Michael talks about what he went through two weeks after quitting the refined sweet stuff: ‘I feel as if a veil has been lifted and I can see clearly for the first time,’ he says. This guy’s experience reflects exactly what happened to me two years ago. I liken it to a fog lifting; as if I’d been wandering around in a mist my whole life. Within weeks of quitting sugar I was able to think clearly, to work harder and function better. The difference to my health, skin and life was absolutely remarkable.

I linked to Michael’s story on Facebook and was suddenly inundated with messages from friends around the world, all wanting to know how to ‘come off’ sugar. Some had tried and failed, others wanted that feeling of clarity for themselves. All of them openly admitted they would find it incredibly tough to quit, even for just one week.

Our addiction to sugar is undeniable. Forget what you’ve read about fatty foods creating an overweight nation. Refined sugar is the real killer. This stuff has a powerful effect on the reward centres in our brain. It releases the feel-good chemical dopamine. When we regularly consume sugary foods these receptors down-regulate. The next time we eat something sweet the effects are blunted, we need progressively larger doses to attain the same ‘hit’. Make no mistake, sugar acts as a drug like any other, the addiction is no different and the withdrawal symptoms can prove just as powerful. It’s only the social consequences which are not as severe.

Sugar is in so many of the quick-fix snack foods we consume and is often listed as corn syrup or dextrose on the ingredients label. As well as bags of sweets and chocolate, it also appears in the most unlikely of things; anything from salad dressing to pasta sauce.

So what can I snack on instead?

I don’t have a problem with naturally occurring sugars. I eat fruit and use honey and maple syrup to sweeten home baked cookies and cakes. Unlike refined sugar, which has been completely stripped back to offer zero nutrition, fruit is ‘whole food’ and provides the combination of nutrients necessary to assist our bodies with the process of digestion, as well as offering beneficial vitamins and minerals. If you have a sweet tooth, snacking on a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts and dried apricots or dates, can often successfully combat those cravings and stop you reaching for a quick-fix bag of jelly sweets.

Piece of fruit

A banana, pear or apple is just as easy to enjoy on the move as a bag of sugar-filled sweets. Make sure your fruit bowl is always full and grab a piece of fruit whenever you leave the house to keep those sweet cravings at bay.

Date and cashew bars

There are some wonderful pre-packaged bars available that contain no added refined sugars. Sweetened with dates and cashews, these provide a healthier alternative to sugar-laden chocolate bars.

Homemade flapjacks

Shop-bought flapjacks often contain just as much, if not more, refined sugar than chocolate bars. Making your own not only means your can sweeten them with dates, banana or honey instead, it also means you can throw in flax, pumpkin or sunflower seeds for some wonderful added health benefits.

Rice cakes

There’s no denying that on their own rice cakes taste like bland cardboard, but add a spoonful of nut butter and some chopped banana or dates and these beauties are transformed into a simple, delicious, sweet snack.

Medjool dates

I don’t think there’s any food on earth that is as deliciously naturally sweet as a Medjool date. Bursting with sweet honey, caramel and cinnamon flavours, these beauties are packed full of goodness, which makes them the perfect alternative to refined sugar.