I have a terrible sweet tooth. The way I avoid consuming my weight in cake is that I simply don’t buy it. I get my love of sugar from my father, a dentist (!) who can’t resist the biscuit tin. Thanks Dad.
It’s not good for you. At all. Never mind what it does to your teeth (I have an obsessive and compulsive flossing addiction, if I don’t do it at least twice daily I start getting the shakes…) but what it does for your health. Which is precisley nothing folks.
And now they have scientifically proved that the excess consumption of sugar ages you, almost as much as sun exposure and smoking. Something to do with breaking down the collagen in your skin and making it sag. Great. Now every time I crave a fondant fancy I have to consider the adverse effect this small indulgence may have on my jowls.
I honestly couldn’t tell you how much is too much, I do know there are lots of “hidden” sugars in food stuffs you might not expect and I also know that cutting out the things I really love to eat completely would make me very sad indeed.
Apparently it’s about reducing your intake of refined sugars and replacing them with more natural sugars such as fruit and so on that’s the key. There are also various alternative ingredients you can add to your recipe repertoire to sweeten things up without relying on those teeny tiny innocent looking white granules which are (if rumour is to be believed) the root of all evil.
As I mentioned in my Body Matters post, I have a new found respect for my body post pregnancy and I don’t want to fill it with junk. This doesn’t mean I’m about to remove desserts from my life altogether or anything, it’s just a case of weening myself off the Kit Kats and using organic honey, apple sauce or algave syrup to create delicious yet ultimately better-for-you treats. It’s about eating clean and not being um….mean.
I’m doing ok with it. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how there are quite a few simple things you can introduce to your diet that make a big difference. I am actually going to be talking more about my intended “lifestyle” change on Monday but for now I was just wondering if anyone else is using sugar substitutes? Are there any you would recommend?
Do you like me become consumed with thoughts of the chocolate Hobnobs should they somehow find there way into your kitchen cupboard? (It was my husbands fault, he went and ruddy bought a packet with the Sunday papers from the One Stop…) Do you have the willpower to ignore them and have an apple instead? ( I did, but only just.)
I have been using brown rice syrup and agave syrup, brown rice syrup is particularly nice, thicker than agave and a lovely sweet caramel type flavour.
Oooh yummy Amy thanks for the tip! x
For me its all about cadburys. I try very hard to buy dark chocolate so its got less sugar in it etc but its really not the same. Those folk in Bournville must have earned a pretty penny from me over the years thanks to my sweet tooth xx
Do you remember Cadbury’s Spiras? they were like my “thing”, good job they discontinued them. I was offered a graduate job with Cadburys many moons ago, can you imagine if I had accepted it?!!!!! x
Oh I loved a spira they were the ones in a red and purple wrapper Oui?? Our friends used to live in Bromsgrove and we always used to visit at least 3 times a year ooops
I’m an all or nothing person, for sure. I can’t just have one square of chocolate, or one biscuit… the whole pack goes in no time at all. Chocolate fingers are my ultimate problem! So they are not allowed anywhere near the house. Last year, I realised I was eating too much of the bad stuff and joined WeightWatchers. Best thing I ever did, I lost 2.5 stone and got back into my size 10s (yay) – but now I’ve switched to maintaining I’m really starting to look at what each of my meals is comprised of. WW encourages you to eat low fat products, but often these have more sugar than the full fat versions – a muller light low fat yogurt is packed with so much sugar, it’s scary. So at the moment I’m trying to balance all of this out and keep my weight the same. To be honest, I’ve no flipping idea what I’m doing! I also eat a lot of fruit and worry about my sugar intake from that too. So all in all, very much looking forward to your Monday post! x
Hi Sian! WW has worked for a friend of mine but you are right, so many “low fat” products are packed full of sugar, I’m also with you on the fruit thing, it’s a case of choosing the right fruit and not consuming 18 bananas every day (tempting!) berries are a good bet apparently. x
I have a massive sweet tooth and although a fast metabolism together with being a keen runner means I don’t have to worry about my weight, I do worry about the other effects sugar has on my body. A recipe that I use regularly to still get my fill of sweet treats is this one: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/breakfast-muffins The muffins don’t have any added sugar, but the bananas, berries & apple sauce keep them sweet enough even for me. (On a side note, I use Ella’s Kitchen organic baby pureed apple in them, which now means Tesco thinks I have a baby and as such has targeted its offers and adverts wrongly – one way to beat the system I suppose!)
Katie
Thanks Katie! I actually have all of these ingredients!
I am more concerned about the effects on my body other than the obvious weight gain implications. At least recipes like this means we can still have muffins x
I wasn’t thinking about chocolate hobnobs until you mentioned then damn you!!
Like everything in life, its everything in moderation isn’t it. I agree that cutting out refined sugar (and other refined foods) can only be a good thing but at the end of the day, sugar is sugar and it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Too much agave nectar is just as bad as too many hobnobs (must stop thinking about hobnobs!!)
Absolutley, even the better-for-you stuff isn’t perfect, it’s about not eating anything excessively and making positive changes where you can.
The hobnobs are still in my cupboard…..
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but savoury sins are my downfall. I love crisps so much. A life without kettle chips isn’t worth living in my opinion….
Really happy to see you talking about this topic – I recently made the switch to not eating any refined sugar. Now I find that if I do eat something with refined sugar in it, I get an instant headache, and a wrinkly scrunched-up forehead! Clearly not good for my body!
I use dates as an alternative to sugar. Blended medjool dates, to make a date paste, are actually heaven, you don’t need that many either.
Look forward to your post on Monday, as I too am undergoing a bit of a lifestyle change 🙂
Hi Beth, ooooh blended medjool dates, that’s one I haven’t heard of.
I also get headaches from too much sugar, it does make me wonder what it’s doing to my insides in order to make my brain ache x
Really interesting post as I too have been thinking about my sugar intake recently. I’ve put on half a stone or so since I got married and am having trouble trying to shift it on the WW-type diet I’ve done in the past. Now I’m thinking maybe I need to re-think my approach my food, and sugar in particular, but I’m finding it very hard to get out of the mindset that a lot of low fat / low calorie things are actually bad for you as they are full of sugar and instead I should be opting for foods that I would previously have steered clear of as I thought that they were too high in fat.
I have a very sweet tooth and love a little sweet dessert in the evenings. Does anyone have a suggestion that wouldn’t be too high in sugar?
Laura x
I also can’t resist a daily treat Laura, you can’t deny yourself completely, life would be so dull….
I enjoy the organic children’s fromage frais from M&S, also I make mini pancakes with just two eggs and a small mashed banana, I top with a tablespoon of low fat organic yoghurt (unsweetened) and fresh raspberries.
Real fruit ice lollies (no added sugar) are also a good choice for summer x
Haha I’ve just been going through my food plan folder my nutritionist made me and writing a very strict ‘do not deviate down the interiors, clothing, shampoo or sweets aisle’ shopping list and trying to sum up some decent determination before I head to Tesco – to BUY A HEALTHY TROLLY FULL. I will… I really will! She instructed me to use a little honey or maple syrup as a refined sugar replacement – also not to be conned into buying fancy honey (its still not good so there are no real health benefits of getting manuka apparently). Essentially she said eat less of it, lose the taste, because it is an addiction and so it can only really be broken by cutting it out or cutting down so that you don’t crave the taste. She also, interestingly, said that even in products that don’t have sugar added but are low fat (eg low fat natural yogurt, skimmed milk etc) the lactose is imbalanced because the fat has been removed so it’s actually better to have full fat because it will fill you up better and proportionately has less sugar in! I’ve managed to switch to full fat natural yogurt but I’m still struggling to pick up the blue milk! I guess that makes total sense – fat is one of our food groups but we’ve been so obsessed with cutting out that we’re now just replacing that need with sugar. Also apparently cinnamon can slow down the sugar rush we get and help our bodies deal with it. She says whenever you eat any sugar add it in and eat with any pieces of fruit you can and it will stop that ‘high-low-crave more’ pattern we get stuck in. Off I go to NOT buy Haribo…
I was tempted by the posh honey! good to know it’s not worthwhile, so expensive!
I’ve also heard about the whole milk thing, I’m not a huge milk/cream fan in general though but from what I’ve read it makes sense.
I love cinnamon, I have been adding it to my oat porridge to give it some flavour x
I’ve always had a savoury tooth – pizza, crisps, fries, more pizza etc etc so I was super surprised to find that when I got pregnant I developed a sweet tooth. I try and eat natural sugars like fruit and yoghurt etc but its so hard. I bought the Clean and Lean books which teach you its all about the ongoing life changes rather than fad ‘diets’
Although now I REALLY want a Spira.
XX
I think I need these books! pregnancy just made my sweet tooth worse, I constantly craved pick n mix.
I also always fancied pie and chips….altogether not a great combination x
Ah love the health kick, I could bore people to death with my paleo phase. That is amongst other things, cutting out as much sugar as possible and def no sweet treats! I use my fitness pal which is really good cos it breaks your daily intake down into carbs/fats/proteins/sugars and salt etc so you can keep a close eye on it all! I’m obsessed with it. It’s also pretty high fat too which they say is better for you as the fats your allowed are quick to burn off and are the good kind of fats too for the heart etc. The no dairy prevents the sugar from yoghurt etc but I do take a calcium supplement as my intake is now very low on this.
My tummy feels flatter and I feel good cos I know I’m putting the best things in my body but I don’t feel hugely diff otherwise. I’m not bursting with tons more energy etc, I do have less hunger pangs though and don’t get bloated anymore (no wheat/grains/oats allowed may be the key to this for me).
The only sweetener it allows is Stevia cos it’s plant based and iv not had to use it yet, we can have raw honey but I don’t like the taste of honey anyway. And very dark choc allowed in moderation which iv made peace with. I love almond butter and the nuts you’re allowed though! There are lots of recipes for baking but use almond flour instead of any other flour/substitute.
I read in the paper the other day too that whole grain foods/gluten free dad lots of sugar in them and are not that much better than normal white bread pasta etc. the Dr writing it said it’s the equivalent of low tar cigarettes vs normal ones the whole grain thing and it’s just best to avoid it altogether!! Lots to read about!
Sorry for epic post! I’ll bore off now lol!
Xx
I love epic posts! I do find Paleo interesting, it seems quite restrictive though and I don’t think I could live without grains (I don’t eat red meat or fish so I feel I just wouldn’t eat anything!)
I didn’t know there was such a thing as almond flour? every day is a school day!
I always check low fat foods, there are often full of sugar which is worse than the bloody fat….my gluten free oat porridge is sugar free, I add sweetness with raisins.
Just bought some almond butter – excited to try it (does that make me sound like some awful food geek?!) x
Not anymore of a geek than I sound like! Yep almond flour is going to allow me to bake hopefully paleo friendly treats! X
I gave up chocolate for lent this year and thought it would be really difficult. However after the first week I found that I didnt crave it at all. I have since had chocolate (only just finished the Easter haul) and must admit I am not that taken with it anymore – this is coming from someone who used to have chocolate EVERY day!
Very much looking forward to the post on Monday Charlotte – I think there is a lot to be said for eating ‘clean’. x
Emma the pressure! I’m hoping we can all share ideas and recipes, motivate each other and whatnot x
Ummmm, as a cake baker I’m not sure I agree with this post! he he! However, I am seriously trying to cut down on sugar and resist all the nice things. I am currently trying, but failing, to resist all the cake that is in my house during wedding season. I have zero will power. I love agave syrup and is great in all sorts or on fruit and yogurt. Bizarrely I have a drizzle of it in (my now one cup of tea a day after your post last week) which is yummy. Or bananas are excellent in baking for natural sweetness. Another thing I have just discovered is coconut water. Not a sugar replacement but it is absolutely delicious that I am treating it as my treat every day. I am fast becoming addicted! x
I love coconut water – i started drinking it when I went to visit my sister in LA a few years ago. I hate how its so expensive over here though 🙁
I know, it’s ridiculously expensive. I struggle to limit myself to one glass a day though as I absolutely love it. It tastes divine x
I don’t like coconut water at all 🙁
I’ve been adding some apple/mango squash to water to make it more interesting….sugar free obvs x
Love this post!
I use algave to sweeten things or unrefined brown sugar.
I’m on an anti chemical diet and am trying to eat real and unprocessed food and that means no artifical sweetener. Have a read up on the effects of aspartame you will find it really interesting. Since avoiding “sugar free” or “low sugar” and opting for food with real ingredients (as apposed to man made ingredients) I have less headaches, my skin is clear, and my tummy is flatter!
Full fat milk here too, and almond milk. I use organic full fat milk because I read too many stories online about poor cows pumped full of antibiotics to ward off mastitis – or cows with mastitis who are milked too hard *cor I know that feeling!* and the process that skimmed and semi skimmes milk goes thru just made me feel a bit sick. I don’t want my milk contaminated with antibiotics thank you!
Anyway fab post and loving how we are all so much more nutritionally aware x
The low fat stuff is scary isn’t it?! to think – all those years of eating fat free desserts (!) may as well have had sticky toffee pudding 🙂
I haven’t heard the cow/antibiotic news, that sounds grim. I’m not a huge fan of milk in general, almond is ok, I’m going to try Oat as recommended on here I think x
I hear ya. Been desperately trying to eat clean but I struggle with will power.. especially since I set up my own business and started working from home. Kitchen raids have become hourly to keep me going. You should check out the guys behind Fitter Food. They have some awesome recipes completely free from any processed nasties and they cook with coconut oil a lot and also some sweet substitutes. http://fitterlondon.co.uk/fitter-food/ their debut book is awesome too and well worth getting. They make courgette spaghetti!!. I’ve got a girl crush on Keris FYI.
Lynne thanks so much for the link, awesome recipes, I’m going to make the pepper and feta one tomorrow! x
[…] batches so they last a few days, these muffins for example were recommended by reader Katie on my sugar sugar post last […]
I have been meaning to try banana pancakes for ages! Must do this weekend.
I really struggle with finding sugar free wheat free breakfast options! I leave the house at 6.50am so don’t have breakfast until I get to work. I was having the different flavoured instant porridge a from Sainsbury’s every day but so much sugar and got bored. Then I switched to granola but even the healthy ones have so much sugar! Trying the plain instant porridge today and have bought blueberries to add into it to give it some flavour and sweetness.
I have organic fruity yoghurt for dessert if I’m in need of something sweet after dinner. I must get some fruit I’ve lollies now it’s so warm. Any healthy breakfast ideas welcome!
Francesca have you tried adding chia seeds, cinnamon and banana to porridge? it’s yummy. Also low fat (but unsweetened!) greek yoghurt with berries is lovely too x
I have a very sweet tooth and love coffee. This year I decided to buy the sugar free syrup and use it as a replacement for my big spoonful of sugar in every cup (at least 2 a day!). I feel much happier using the sugar free syrup but recently I’ve been reading some blogs about how sugar free alternatives are the ‘Devil!’ My bottle of syrup is all used up and I can’t decide if I should buy a replacement! Surely the alternative is better than a spoonful of sugar?! I really don’t know! Gem
It’s so confusing isn’t it Gemma, I avoid aspartame as that’s full of nasties (apparently) but I do use Stevia – or any Stevia derivative. It’s just made out of some crushed up leaf so is supposed to be 100% fine. Or at least for now! x