It may be that you’ve decided you’d like to give sugar free living a go but you’re unsure where to start, or perhaps you don’t know whether to do it and if cutting out sugar is for you.
It’s worth remembering that in the beginning the best (or worst) types of sugar to eliminate from your diet are the most obvious. Any sugar in drinks, for example added sugar to tea and coffee, any fizzy drinks, sports drinks and flavoured waters. Even juices have a high concentration of sugars and should be avoided.
The other form of sugar to avoid is that in snacks – sweets, chocolates, biscuits and cakes. To begin with, I admit, it’s hard to do without these ‘staple’ snacks! You may be thinking what will I have with my morning coffee/afternoon tea?!
To begin with I found that corn cakes with peanut butter were the closest substitute to an afternoon biscuit that satisfied my craving. But as time has gone on my list of sugar free snacks has become extensive and the combinations have become increasingly adventurous.
Here is a list of foods that I use to snack on. I create different combinations with the below snacks and ingredients, my current favourite being Philadelphia on carrot sticks, which is something I would never have thought of but now I crave.
Peanut butter
Almond butter
Nuts – mixture of your favourite nuts (I use unsalted nuts)
Cheeses – my favourites include:
Somerset Brie (I try to keep produce organic/British where I can)
Full fat cottage cheese
Organic mild cheddar
Boursin/French roule
Full fat Philadelphia
Crackers and crispbreads:
Mrs Crimbles gluten free cheese crackers
Kallo corn cakes
Oatcakes
Variety box of crackers
Carrots
Celery
Cucumber
Apples
Clementines – although any fruit and veg can be used to snack on.
Fage Total Greek yogurt (full fat)
Houmous
Pate
Any combination can be used but here are some of my favourites:
Almond butter on apple, Philadelphia on carrot, any cheese and cracker combination, celery with cottage cheese topped with a walnut half
To be fair, at the very beginning of a sugar free trial, I can’t see a problem with snacking on anything, provided it’s not sweet. Those initial days are the hardest and should be used to break the sweet-craving-eat-sugar cycle. As time goes on, your cravings and appetite should regulate meaning you can snack on the healthier alternatives if you prefer.
A colleague of mine was upset this week because she snacked on a packet of crisps on her second sugar free day. I think that’s ok!! It’s not a diet, it’s a change in an addiction so indulging in something, provided it doesn’t contain sugar, is OK in my book. I certainly did.
Join me on the continuation of my sugar free journey (and other general musings) on Twitter: @LondonHealthMum
Read all about the start of my sugar free lifestyle and why I decided to try it out here.
My other blogs:
How Becoming Sugar Free Has Changed Me
LondonHealthMum 
really really interesting and inspiring. im in such a rut with food and eating at the moment. I start my day with a red bull and breakfast is a donut/croissant or cereal bar. junk basically. literally nothing good. and I have been hiding away and trying to “forget”. I really need to cut the crap – I feel exactly like you said too – tired, lethargic all the time, ibs symptoms, bloating etc etc etc. 😦 I think planning is key to something like this working. I know it would be for me…ive bookmarked this site and followed you on twitter – ironically as my blog me and b make tea – which started as a way to make good food for my son! he eats so well and I need to start caring for myself.
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Hi Emma
Thanks for your comment and your likes today. I’m glad my blogs have made you think – I so wish I had read something years ago to make me realise that perhaps it was my favourite thing in the world (pretty much!) that was making me feel substandard.
Can I suggest something – before you make any choices. Write down (maybe in a new blog?!) why it is that you’re eating in that way and what it is you’re trying to forget?
Because by identifying what the issue is you’ve taken the first step to change.
After that – there are many tips and ways of eating that can help the change if that’s what you want.
Xx
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Thank you. Makes sense. I might add a new section on my blog to document it… To give me motivation to keep at it. A lot of the problem for me is laziness and making excuses for not eating well. I haven’t got time is my main one. Xx
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