Sugar consumption has received a lot of attention during recent years. With people becoming far more aware of what goes into food and what they put into their bodies, we’ve seen a huge shift in the food industry from highly processed sugary products to more natural, wholesome ingredients and I’m a huge supporter of this movement.
That being said a lot of products on the market, namely snacks, still contain high amounts of sugar whether it’s natural or not.
I’m generally quite mindful of my sugar intake, however I’m only human and sometimes the mindfulness goes straight out the window, especially when it’s that time of month (oh those devil cravings!!). I try to avoid food with refined sugar in it and stick to natural sugars only i.e. fruit and natural sweeteners (pure maple syrup, date syrup or honey) but it’s absolutely possible to overindulge on the natural stuff too (sometimes a batch of gooey date brownies are just too irresistible and get devoured in a matter of hours)! I always know when I’ve consumed a little too much. My tummy gets bloated, my mood becomes irritable and my cravings go CrAzY. Last week was one of those weeks!
This week, I’m trying to reduce my sugar intake. I’m sticking to no more than 1 piece of fruit a day and loading up on plenty of protein, healthy fats and deep green veggies. To help with my cravings and trick my taste buds into thinking they’re getting their sugar hit, I’ve been using my special little ingredient, stevia!
I always whip out the stevia when I go on a little sugar detox! It’s a natural sweetener made from an extremely sweet, green leafy plant. It holds zero calories and is c.40x sweeter than normal sugar (a little goes a very longggg way). Despite its sweetness, it doesn’t have the negative side effects on the body that sugar can have. It’s thought to help regulate blood pressure and doesn’t play havoc with your blood sugar levels like sugar does, making it very beneficial for diabetics.
Research also suggests replacing sugar with stevia can be a great tool for assisting with weight loss, so you can enjoy those homemade treats without worrying about the added effects of sugar.
There are a number of different types of stevia products on the market, some which are highly processed and contain weird ingredients that are just as harmful as refined sugar. When choosing your product, look for one that contains 100% natural stevia ingredients only.
I would suggest playing around with portion sizes to satisfy your own taste buds. I find stevia incredibly sweet, so only use a tiny bit at a time. Have a little play to find what works for you.
For more information on quitting sugar, there’s a fab ‘I Quit Sugar’ program created by Sarah Wilson. I’m a huge fan of Sarah’s work, she provides detailed knowledge and information on the science behind sugar, plenty of sugar free recipes and a number of tips and tricks on how to become sugar free! It’s my go to when I’m on a detox!
N.B. When I make smoothies with fruit, I always incorporate protein + healthy fat into the mix to avoid sugar spike. What happens when your blood sugar levels spike? They crash. Leaving you hungry and tired soon after. Keeping your sugar levels balanced helps regulate appetite and energy levels to avoid binging and sluggishness.
Ingredients:
1 small frozen banana – replace with 1 avocado if cutting out sugar completely
1 cup of spinach
100 ml almond milk
1 tbsp protein powder (I use pea or hemp)
1 tbsp flax seeds
¼ tsp. pure stevia powder – adjust depending on own taste
Toppings: optional
Goji berries
Cacao nibs
Sunflower seeds
Method:
Add all ingredients (excluding toppings) into a blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour into a glass and sprinkle with toppings.
