Challenge: To go Sugar Free Charity: Diabetes UK Total £ accrued: £9 Thoughts: It’s been tough but I’ve learnt so much.
The Tenth Challenge: Going Sugar Free
Autumn is in full swing, and winter is threatening as the days get colder and darker. The feel good rays of the sun are harder to come by, replaced with a consistent grey and damp atmosphere. It’s no wonder that this time of year we start to crave sugary comfort foods more and more. We need a pick me up, something to make us feel good, and our bodies want that extra layer of fatty deposits that we love to call our “winter coats”.
Instead, this month I have resisted the urge to indulge and harnessed all my will-power to replace the sweet white granules with healthy and naturally occurring substitutes.
What can you eat?
If you read my last post, 12 every day foods that contain added sugar, you may have thrown your hands up in despair and thought there’s no way you could do a month without sugar. I did!
But don’t be disheartened, going sugar free can be easy if you know how to use what’s available to you. To save you the headache of coming up with creative meals that are also nutritious and delicious, I have written up a menu for you. Also, if you click on the titles, you will be lead to the full, legit, tried and tested recipes!
Menu
Banana Muffins Crispbreads, Cheese & Salami (check for sugar free) Coconut Yoghurt with Fruit & Honey Pancakes with Berries & Maple Syrup
Flatbreads & Smashed Avocado Veg & Hummus (check for sugar free) Plantain Chips with Home-made Salsa Crispy Coconut Curls Nakd Bars Munchy Seeds Pistachio Nuts Fruit
Baked Sweet Potato with butter & grated Cheddar Rye Bread with Goats Cheese & Avocado Pitta with Brie & Avocado Macaroni Cheese
Pitta Fajitas Veggie Stir Fried Rice Halloumi Pitta Burgers Spaghetti with Olives, Veg & Feta Vegetable Frittata with Feta Linda McCartney Sausages, Egg & Chips
Home-Made Berry Ice-Cream Chocolate, Coconut & Peanut Fudge Yoghurt with Fruit & Maple Syrup Watermelon Cake
The Conclusion
Success rate: 9 Failures across 6 days Accidentally on 7 accounts, 2 are “maybes” because I was out for dinner and couldn’t ask the waiters to read through all of their labels Cost per fail: £1 Money raised for charity: £9
Do I feel any different? The only thing I have noticed was occasionally feeling quite shaky at first and I wondered if that was a symptom of withdrawal. I was surprised to learn that sugar has effects on opioid pathways within the brain, as it does with drugs like heroin and morphine making it pretty addictive.
It is no wonder, then, that sugar is added to nearly everything; to keep us coming back time and time again to buy their products.
Will I carry on? I will definitely reduce my sugar intake and look to substitute with natural sweeteners wherever possible. But I’m really looking forward to a good brownie!
Next Challenge: A Technology Diet!