swap the sweet stuff!

We are surrounded by sugar. It is hard to avoid. It is in breakfast cereals, sports drinks, cakes, biscuits and also in savoury processed foods such as tinned, canned, jarred and packet food. At this stage its common knowledge that it is sugar that is one of the most damaging components of the modern diet due to the links with many degenerative diseases so I won’t harp on about it but instead give you some helpful pointers!

The only way to limit sugar is to reduce the amount of processed food in your diet and wean yourself off sugar gradually. Suddenly reducing sugar can result in a desire to binge but done gradually over time, the desire for sugar diminishes. I did this gradually with sweet treats like chocolate and biscuits. Now I have no want for milk chocolate, I don’t feel deprived at the sight of a box of celebrations, honestly!

However I do enjoy the taste of sweetness just as much as the next person, so I look to sugar in its natural form to get my fix! Sources of sugar found in nature also provide us with an array of vitamins, minerals, fibre and enzymes. These nutrients assist with the absorption and metabolism of sugar. Let’s look at some natural sweeteners I like and see what they are suitable for:

• Honey is the mixture of sugars that bees produce from plant nectar. Honey quality varies enormously so aim for a local unprocessed honey (raw) or manuka honey which are nutrient rich and use in moderation to avoid a spike in blood sugar levels. Stir a spoonful through natural yoghurt or use in sauces and dressings.
• Dates are great to use as a sweetener in baking, chopped in breakfast cereal, and bended into smoothies. Dates are high in fibre which, slows down the rate of energy absorption.
• Molasses is the concentration of crushed and squeezed sugar cane reduced by heating. It has a distinctive favour and is a good source of minerals including calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. Molasses can be used in baked goods such as museli bars, biscuits or granola.
• Stevia is made from the extract from the leaf of a South American plant. It is calorie free and is intensely sweet - up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Available more commonly in a powdered version in Ireland adjust recipes accordingly to balance with sweetness.
• Xylitol is a natural sweetener made from fruit and vegetables. It is a great alternative to sugar as it can be substituted unit for unit so its super convenient to use in baking recipes. It has little effect on raising blood sugar levels and is really good for your teeth! It’s in my Dads ‘sugar’ bowl back home… so far so good! Occasionally it can cause stomach upset for some people so it is worth trying it and seeing if it works for you. Just to note also xylitol is refined and contain no nutrients.

Prepare more food at home from scratch, read food labels and start today to make small changes to reducing your refined sugar intake. Rather than trying to avoid sugar, the best approach is to concentrate on eating lots of wholefoods and by doing this you will automatically find a good balance! How about trying my ‘fruit and nut slices’ recipe for a naturally sweet snack!

How about trying my ‘fruit & nut slices’ recipe for a naturally sweet snack!