The no sugar diet can sound easy enough to start with – just no more sweets, biscuits, cakes, desserts. Right? Actually…
What it is
You may not be surprised to know that there’s sugar in lots of things, but did you know there’s also sugar in mayonnaise? In spaghetti sauce? And in soup?!
Die-hard sugar dieters, like those who follow the 30 Sugar Free Days programme, go to extreme lengths to avoid sugar, cutting out on all grains, starchy vegetables like potatoes, and certain fruits.
However, Adele recently revealed she lost a significant amount of weight just by cutting sugar out of her cups of tea.
According to the Sun, she said: “I used to drink ten cups [of tea] a day with two sugars in each so I was on 20 sugars a day.
“Now I don’t drink it and I have more energy than ever.”
How it works
So which diet is the right one to follow? It really depends on your current diet, and what your long-term goals are.
No-sugar-advocate and blogger Kate Harris thinks quitting sugar shouldn’t be about feeling guilty when you have the occasional sweet treat. She lives on a low sugar diet and makes sure she knows everything she’s putting into her body.
TV presenter Davina McCall managed to tame her sweet tooth, and she recommends beating a sugar habit little by little and not all in one go.
First, get rid of the obvious sugar-loaded foods – including table sugar, cakes, biscuits, chocolate bars… the goods! Then, take a look at the amount of processed food you consume and slowly begin to replace them with unrefined ingredients.
Davina also suggested keeping honey and maple syrup in place of table sugar, because “they’re closer to their natural state”.
Recipe ideas
Here are a couple of sugar-free recipes to help you get started:
Chive, Kale + Parmesan Pancakes with Poachies by I Quit Sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cracked pepper
1 egg, whisked
1 cup milk
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
4 large kale leaves, stalks removed and finely shredded
¾ cups parmesan cheese, shredded
Butter for frying
2 eggs, poached
50g smoked salmon to serve (optional)
To make the pancakes, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in one bowl, and in another, whisk together the egg, milk, chived, kale and parmesan. Add the dry ingredients and stir through.
Heat a frying pan on medium high heat, melt a little butter to coat, and cook the pancakes – you should be able to make four.
Top them with a poached egg and salmon, and garnish with chives.
Sweet Potatoes Crusted Spinach Quiche by Sweet As Honey
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
400 g frozen blanched whole leaves spinach
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
4 eggs
200ml milk
A pinch of ground nutmeg
A handful of grated cheese
Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease a 24cm (9.5inch) quiche dish and set aside. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic and onion till golden brown. Add the frozen spinach, cover and reduce the heat, cook for about 15 minutes and then season to taste.
Arrange your sweet potato slices on the bottom of the dish – try not to leave any spaces in between. Cut the slices in half and arrange them flat side down for the border of the quiche.
Spread the spinach mixture over the “crust” evenly. Beat the eggs, milk and nutmeg, and pour over. Sprinkle the cheese over the quiche, then cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.
Serve immediately!
Sugar Free Flourless Chocolate Almond Torte by Sugar Free Mom
1 cup of unsalted butter, cubed
8 ounces of dark chocolate, 85% cocoa, chopped
6 large eggs, separated
¾ cup Swerve sweetener
1 tsp chocolate liquid stevia
½ cup sugar-free almond butter
Optional topping:
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp almond butter
½ tsp liquid stevia
Toasted almond slices
Preheat the over to just under 180C. Line a 10inch spring form pan with baking paper and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
In a heat proof bowl over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together till smooth. Mix together the egg yolks and Swerve sweetener in a separate bowl, then gradually mix in the melted chocolate mixture.
Add the chocolate stevia and almond butter, and stir to combine. Use a mixer (or a wooden spoon and sheer strength) to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the chocolate almond mixture to combine.
Pour into the pan and bake for 35 minutes – it will be very moist in the middle. Let it cool in the pan for about an hour.
Combine the heavy whipping cream, almond butter and liquid stevia for the optional topping, and spread on the torte once cool. Sprinkle over with toasted almond slices.
By Kate Ng