The book in a nutshell

• A whopping 89 pages!
• 74 recipes, although some are variations taken from other Sarah Wilson I Quit Sugar books.
• Lots of extra and detailed information on things like the difference between cocoa and raw cacao.
• Pictures, prettiness and pure salivating material.

My favourite bits

• Substitution is easy (& encouraged). I don’t often have all of the random ingredients, and I like the fact that Sarah appreciates this and offers practical substitution options.
• Sarah emphasises that these are treats and because they still taste sweet, they’re not appropriate whilst you’re on a formal sugar detox. I am in complete agreement, so this is possibly a better buy later on in your sugar-free journey.
• Some combinations are brilliant. They’re creative and unusual, and I am thankful that they have been discovered!
• Apparently you can have some of these chocolatey things for breakfast. Coco Pops you’d better watch out!

Know this

• Recipes are generally made sweet tasting with rice malt syrup, stevia and coconut, so you’ll have to perhaps buy a few things. I will also add that fruit does not feature in any of the recipes.
• Lots of the recipes involve coconut oil or butter so you will certainly need to get over any fat fear (if it’s still lurking).
• Some recipes are what I would deem a bit ‘faffy’, but others are super easy and quick, so simple souls like me are well catered for.

All in all, I think it’s a good shout, especially if you’re at the point of being more or less safely off sugar, and you’re looking for a dessert alternative to natural yoghurt. You can buy and instantly download the Chocolate Cookbook for $16 which worked out just over £10. Some of these recipes are also great if you’re a serial baker or you want to impress some guests without a complete sugar blowout.

Here’s a picture of me with my adapted version of the Sweet Potato Fudge. I used walnuts and I didn’t add enough cocoa (whoops!). But they still turned out well and tasted mighty fine, hence the Happy Sugar Habits smile…

Note: If you decide you want to purchase and you click through one of my links, I am an affiliate for Sarah and I get a small thank you. I’ve given my honest opinion on the book and am purely reviewing it because I genuinely think it’s good stuff for those on a sugar-free journey. All proceeds go to support the continuation of this blog. 

Any other good sugar-free resources you know about? Feel free to comment and by doing so you’ll be sharing the love with all who read this post.

I can help a little and give you an idea what it is, what to expect and a few of the big tips that will help you reduce your own personal version of the no sugar blues.

What is sugar withdrawal?

When your body is accustomed to something, removing it often means it will respond in some way. Your body needs to learn to cope without the substance and it might just decide to kick up a bit of a fuss to start with. Sugar, like coffee or any drug, can elicit a number of responses. You can experience any of the following when you suddenly cut your intake:

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Lack of energy
• Lack of concentration
• Weakness
• Light-headedness
• Dizziness
• Irritability

What to expect with sugar withdrawal?

If you eat a lot of sugar, withdrawal will potentially be more extreme than for someone who is already conscious of their intake and keeps it minimal. By the time I came to do a full sugar detox, I had steadily been trying to reduce my sugar intake quite significantly for a fair few months in smaller baby steps, but I was still eating fruit and dark chocolate on a daily basis, with the odd stuff-face-with-cake blow outs and regular cravings.

Cutting everything and embarking on a detox, I did get a few mild headaches and felt slightly ‘groggy’ for a day or two. There was one afternoon where I just couldn’t concentrate and really felt that my body was missing sugar. I once banged my fist on the table (which I don’t ever do!).

As another example, my all round healthy best friend ate a tiny bit of chocolate religiously after lunch and dinner. She felt a little tired and reported being additionally grumpy when she stopped. Experienced now with coaching & mentoring others, I find many are often are lower in energy on some days and feel a little weak, even though the sugar detox in fact increases energy levels in the long run. Your immune system can also take a hit and you may pick up a cold or feel a bit under the weather.

Top tips for reducing your sugar withdrawal

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Some of the sugary and wheat based foods you may have previously been eating may have likely caused some water retention. A sugar detox may prompt your body to get rid of this water, resulting in mild hydration. Get lots of fluids down you to keep any headaches away or to a minimum.

Avoid polar extremes

Having a full on sugar binge day the day before you detox appears tempting behaviour, but is probably one of the worst things to do. Taper off your intake in the run up to a detox and you’ll reduce symptoms. It’ll also just make it easier to stay on track because it won’t be such a dramatic jump.

Get support and rant your heart out

There is a lot to be said for being able to vent, especially if Mr Grumps comes a calling. Don’t try and detox off sugar in isolation. Tell understanding or sympathetic friends and family so there’s an ear to hand. Just make sure they’re supportive and won’t tempt you off track.

Take it easy

Running a marathon is probably not a good idea. You need to be nice to yourself and not go crazy exercising like mad while you’re detoxing. Moderate exercise a few times a week is fine, just let yourself off if you really don’t feel up to it.

So in a nutshell, sugar withdrawal is a reality but there are things you can do to ease it. If you’re feeling it strong, take it as a good sign that your body was depending on sugar more than you realised and you’re on your way to being sugar clean.

Have you experienced withdrawal from any types of food or with sugar? How did you feel? Leave a comment as this could be the start of an interesting discussion and I would love to hear your thoughts…

I know moving away from porridge and sweet breakfasts can be a bit of a hurdle so this could be a nice bridge if you’re still struggling with full on vegetable breakfasts. It’s super filling, tasty and is a slightly indulgent sweet-ish tasting omelette that packs in the protein and has lots of nutritional benefit (from the eggs and sweet potato).

If you do try this, play around with the sweetness. Two stevia sachets was enough for me, but the sensitivity of your taste buds might require you to use a little less or add more, so gauge for yourself. You can always sprinkle on a little extra after cooking.

I ate half of the omelette for breakfast and then kept the other two quarters for tasty substantial mid afternoon snacks that were packed up easily enough in some tin foil. Clever eh?! For more handy, transportable snacks, don’t forget you can download my free snack guide when you subscribe.

Anyway, here’s the recipe (& my pictures!)…

Sweet potato vanilla breakfast omelette (makes 1 portion and 2 snacks)

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• few drops of natural vanilla extract
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tsp coconut oil or butter
• 2-3 sachets of stevia (or a few drops of the liquid variety)

Method

• Peel, prick and cover the sweet potato in a paper towel
• Microwave the sweet potato for about 5-6 minutes until soft and cooked all the way through (time may vary depending on microwave strength and size of potato)
• Meanwhile, whisk the four eggs, vanilla extract and two of the stevia sachets together
• Warm up the grill and melt the coconut oil or butter in a pan over a low-med heat
• Roughly chop the cooked sweet potato and add to the pan
• Pour over the egg mixture and cook for a few minutes
• Place under the grill and brown until golden (you can also sprinkle a little more stevia on top)
• Serve with some creamy natural yoghurt

I wanted to get to the bottom of Stevia. Sarah Wilson, my faithful sugar guru, goes with it. Others say it’s processed and natural honey would be better. I decided to do some deeper research and form my own opinion on the new kid in sugar-free town.

What is Stevia?

Photo from onezzzart

Stevia is touted as the ‘natural’ sweetener, derived from the Stevia leaf of a South American Plant. The refined extracts of Stevia called Steviosides are said be 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar. The Japanese have used it for years, however it’s relatively new in the Western world and especially in Europe.

Stevia is growing in popularity and comes in three main forms:

• White powder – this is the most processed form of Stevia. It has a ‘filler’ added to it and has spent time in a factory where it’s likely to have been bleeched or whitened.
• Liquid – The leaf goes through an extraction process but generally, no whiteners, bleach or additives are added
• Whole leaf (or green) stevia – this is Stevia in it’s purest form. It’s a bit like picking the leaves in your garden, drying them and crushing them into powder. It still contains the chlorophyll from the plant, which explains the green colour.

Stevia health benefits

It’s better than refined sugar. Why?

• It’s from a natural plant source (although the white powder form could be argued on this point)
• The sweetness comes from the Stevioside, not fructose, so you’re not adding to your fructose intake by eating it (your body can only really process a small amount of fructose a day which is the main problem with sugar)
• Studies have shown it does not increase appetite throughout the day, indicating stable blood sugar and satiety levels (that full feeling)
• It’s been used for years, particularly in Asia where it’s used as a diabetes aid

But…

• Most of the stuff you buy in the shop is of the more processed nature
• Research is continuing, we still really don’t know what the human body does with Stevia. As David Gillespie says ‘it’s your call’
• Increasingly I’ve read that the green leaf Stevia “tastes like grass” (I haven’t tried it myself yet but that point might be relevant before you decide to fork out)
• Lots of Stevia can affect your taste buds. This stuff is super sweet, so it’s not suprising that it potentially changes the taste sensations in your mouth after a while. Note: Don’t get addicted to it.

My take on Stevia

To be completely honest, I’m not really on the Stevia train, but I do think it’s useful. Here are my thoughts…

I cut back sugar and as a result don’t really need loads of sweetness in my life anymore. If you’re desperately looking for the sweet fix or replacement, you’re not really off it right? I satisfy my sweet with fruit, coconut produce and a little dark chocolate. This seems to work fine for me.

Many of the times I do eat sweet are due to those ‘in the moment’ occasions where I make the lifestyle choice to do so i.e. I’m on holiday and want to try a local speciality, I have a smidge of a homemade birthday cake or I have a pretty looking cocktail by the pool. I doubt they’ve used pure green leaf Stevia just for my convenience and I’m not going to stress about it.

I do think Stevia is great if you like baking or you’re making a dessert. You’re in control and you can make something healthy and sugar-free that still tastes good. I made a carrot cake with it and and no-one noticed. Occasionally I add a sachet to sweeten up a smoothie. I plan to experiment with the liquid variety a bit more in the future and share some interesting recipes, but I’m in no rush to bring it massively into my diet.

To sum up…

Consider Stevia a beneficial natural alternative to sugar (especially when baking) that is handy on occasion. However, don’t rush to buy all the new shiny ‘Stevia-fied’ products thinking they’re all saintly and virtuous, because chances are they’re going to be somewhat processed and unnatural. If you are feeding a sweet need, you’re probably better off with a natural alternative like a banana or a few berries.

I say concentrate on adjusting your tastebuds permanently to desire less sweet, banish your cravings and move towards a more savoury diet. If you want to get started with this, don’t forget to subscribe to Happy Sugar Habits and I’ll send you an easy tip each week for 6 months. Implement all of those and you’ll be well on your way. No regular Stevia habit required

Was this useful? Any more questions on Stevia please fire away? Have you tried it?

Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/54052-stevia-processed/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/stevia/#axzz2SDavolKX
http://www.stevia.com/Stevia_Article/Frequently_asked_questions_FAQ/2269
http://balancedbites.com/2011/04/the-dish-on-sugar-sweeteners.html

Cool avocado and cucumber soup

Recipe slightly adapted from Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 1 avocado
• 1 small white onion (or half if you want less oniony soup)
• juice of 1 lime
• 4-5 generous tablespoons of natural yoghurt (I used 4% fat)
• 250ml water
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Roughly chop the onion, cucumber and avocado and toss in the blender
• Add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth
• Add more yoghurt, water, salt/pepper to reach desired taste and consistency
• Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top to garnish

Verdict

A cold creamy green bowl of goodness, I really enjoyed this and I can’t get over how easy it was. My age old blender coped fine. It was quite onion pungent though. I’d suggest going easy on the onion at first or maybe trying half of one, especially if you’re heading out later and don’t want to have onion breath. Just putting it out there!

Have as a mini starter or with a side of some ham and hummus on crispbread to make it into a more substantial meal. If it was really hot you could even have this first thing and you’d be getting some nutritious breakfast vegetable love. I’d definitely go easy on the onion though as this is one thing I still struggle to have earlier on.

The only problem with this soup is that I made two lots and it’s now raining today. I just don’t fancy it quite so much. However, I’m blaming the temperamental British weather rather than the soup for that.

I thought about those who actually might be reading the post, and I figured I could put together quite an insightful piece on these. It could help those at different points of their sugar-free journey, in different ways. So here’s a review; a handy comparison on a sugar front (they sent me every flavour); and my opinion on when I think eating these is most appropriate.

Nakd cereal bar review: The good and bad

One for the chocoholics!

Cereal bars were my thing. I was at the forefront of trying the latest one. They were the supposedly ‘healthy’ way to cure my sweet fix. About 2 years ago I discovered Nakd and I liked them a lot, for the following reasons:

• Made with 100% natural ingredients i.e. not overly processed
• Contain mainly just fruits and nuts. Not refined sticky rice puffs like other cereal bars
• They are pretty substantial and do fill a gap
• They have a little protein from the nuts
• They taste delicious (I LOVED the cocoa orange one)

However, on a sugar front they are not so great, due to the following:

• Most bars are made with dates and raisins. Nearly all of them are made with approximately 50% dates and then another 10-15% raisins on top.
• Dates and raisins are two of the highest and most concentrated forms of sugar (and fructose) around. Some would even compare them to sweets.
• They are big portions. 35g in a packet equals more sugar in one go (hard to not eat the whole thing)

How much sugar?

On average we’re talking 14-15g sugar per bar. This is near enough 4 teaspoons which is quite a lot in one hit. I’d say I eat 25g of natural sugar a day now, so it’s a big proportion of that. I found the average cereal bar, for example a Special K, usually was around 7g, so these are over double that. Natural sugars yes, but high in sugar nonetheless.

Artistic shot of Nakd bars on my laptop!

Here’s a list of the lowest to highest sugar content by flavour:

• Ginger Bread 11g
• Pecan Pie 12g
• Cashew Cookie 14g
• Cocoa Orange 14g
• Cocoa Delight 15g
• Cocoa Mint 15g
• Berry Delight 16g
• Caffe Mocha 17g
• Rhubarb & Custard 18g

The lower sugar ones are my favourite anyway and the Rhubarb & Custard tastes a bit chemical-like, so that makes picking easy in my eyes.

When to eat these?

So the question is, when are these appropriate? Here’s my view:

1. As a ‘better’ substitute

If you’ve decided you’re going to eat something sweet and are about to reach for a chocolate bar, a flapjack or a full on dessert, these are a better substitute. They were a definite ‘bridge’ for me in terms of switching bad foods to ‘better’ foods. However, now I would have a square of dark chocolate over one of these, and some greek yoghurt over that. I believe somewhat in a progressive journey.

2. When hungover

I’m most likely to have one of these when I’ve indulged on alcohol the night before. I’ve written about alcohol and blood sugar before, where you might find your body is craving energy while it processes the booze. One of these cereal bars can provide that sugar hit in a more natural way than a bottle of Lucozade if you’re on the go, and are desperately feeling awful.

In summary…

I’m hoping this post has been helpful to you wherever you are on your low sugar journey. I do think Nakd bars have a lot of sugar and they certainly aren’t something I’d advise to eat if you’re actively looking to cut down. They are a big NO for those on my Mentor Me Off Sugar programme and not something I eat regularly these days.

However, I appreciate, everyone is different and at varying stages of lowering sugar, so really, it’s your call. Some are mighty tasty and they are a lot ‘better’ than other sweet things. At least now you can save yourself some sugar credits by opting for the lower sugar ginger bread flavour and you’re fully aware of how much sugar you’re putting away when eating one.

I can’t believe I managed to sit with these on my desk and not eat all morning. A good sign I must have eaten a decent enough protein filled breakfast, and that I’m ‘safe’ from falling back to old ways.

If this has been useful please share, like, comment or wave

What do you think of Nakd bars? I would really love to hear your thoughts on these….favourite flavour, when you eat them etc. 

As Tony puts it…

 “a belief is any guiding principle, dictum, faith or passon that can provide meaning and direction in life….When we believe something is true, it’s like delivering a command to our brain as to how to represent what’s occurring.”

OK, it sounds like I’m getting super deep here and if you read that too fast, it’s a bit confusing.

Quite simply, it means that if you deeply believe something, you’ll make it happen that way. For example, if you believe you’re always going to need sugar in your tea, you’re not really conditioning yourself to do otherwise. If you believe you could stop the tea-sugar habit one day, you’re in a much better place to do so.

Likewise, some other common limiting beliefs around sweet to be aware of:

• I will always need something sweet after a meal
• I’ll never be able to give up my [insert favourite food]. For me, this was carrot cake, biscuits and dried fruit! (I hardly eat any of these now, about once a month if that. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest like I sometimes considered it would)
• I don’t have the will power to go cold turkey (yes you do, if you choose to)
• I can’t control myself once I’ve started. This is a classic belief with sugar that conditions the brain to binge. Sugar is addictive and makes us want more, but I believe the human brain is stronger, and can win with the help of solid ‘beliefs’

I’m not saying you can’t be any of the above, you should just rephrase them to empower yourself with the choice at all times…

• I currently choose to have something sweet after a meal
• I’ve decided I don’t want to give up my [favourite food] right now

You get the idea.

This sounds all good and straight forward right? Yes Tony makes sense, but what if you’re really not sure? I occasionally doubted if I wanted to let sweet go from my life and wondered if it was really possible. At some of the worst times I certainly started to believe that cutting out sugar was going to make my life miserable and boring.

Luckily, I think I managed to turn this one around before I really believed it. And guess what? Cutting out sugar made my life far from miserable. It empowered me, and in fact, it gave me the belief that I could overcome things I initially doubted, which is an incredible new belief to guide me through the rest of my life.

So on top of the numerous health benefits, overcoming sugar had a profound effect on my self confidence and own belief system. There’s a win win if ever there was one.

Even when I messed up and stuffed a massive piece of chocolate cake, I just tried to believe it was one slip up, a completely normal part of the whole process (which it is) and that I would be still fine if I carried on (which I was).

So just take stock of your current ‘beliefs’ and if they’re the wrong way around, repeat 10 times in the mirror the new one you should be working with. It just might turn you around or help you condition your brain to enjoy your tea sans sweet.

Some empowering beliefs to install around sugar

• I believe I have complete control over every morsel of food that passes my lips
• I can say no to things, but sometimes I exercise this choice and say yes. It’s up to me.
• I could stop eating chocolate tomorrow
• I could stick to a plan if I really tried
• My body doesn’t need sweet all the time

I leave you with another quote…

“Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can’t, you’re probably right”  Henry T Ford

OK, I know it doesn’t hit the spot all the time, but tea can seriously help on more occasions than not.

I still try new teas, even with a lack of cravings these days. My cupboard is stacked up in quite a ridiculous fashion. If there’s something I will enjoy reviewing for this blog it’s TEA!

Here are three that currently rock my tea filled world…

Regular Rooibos

Rooibos was initially a caffeine free option I wasn’t entirely sure of at first. I wanted to ease off the Earl Grey later on before bed. Fair to say it’s grown on me…loads. It’s got a distinctive taste and is very different from normal decaffeinated tea. A bit nutty and even moorish? I find I like a decent splash of milk to make it creamy.

I buy the Tick Tock brand in Morrisons but I find most home supermarket brands are pretty good.

Green Tea Rooibos

I got given a few samples of this Tick Tock Green Rooibos at a recent trade show and I like it a lot. I go through real phases with green tea and I’m not usually a big fan. You can seriously mess it up by leaving the tea bag in too long and I’m prone to this. If you like rooibos tea however, this is a nice combination. The bitter edge that green tea can sometimes have is taken away. It’s also decaffeinated, which is a plus if super sleep is on your agenda.

Equali hazelnut and caramel loose leaf tea

Again, I was kindly given some of this and my heart shaped tea strainer came out to play. Named ‘It’s a secret’, it’s described like this on the website…

“A soft whisper, this tea reveals itself by releasing a woody and gourmand bouquet. The round flavours of caramel and hazelnut mingle happily with complex notes of Pu Erh, transporting us to unknown, but exciting territories”

I’m not quite there with this sophisticated level of tea description, but I’ll do my best.

I’ve never gone crazy for fruit flavoured teas because I found they smelt so amazing, and I’d be disappointed by the fact they tasted more like dark scented hot water. Just me?

Anyway, this tea did smell incredible. Sweet, indulgent and like a Cadbury’s caramel bar. I was worried the same disappointment would happen. It does and it doesn’t. Obviously this tea does not taste exactly like eating a hazelnut drenched in sweet caramel, but it is satisfying, sweetish tasting and surprisingly refreshing. Unknown exciting territories? I’m not sure, but I’ll certainly drink it again. Just a bit unfortunate that currently you can only buy online.

Tea reviewing done. Time to get my daily rooibos fix.

Any crave soothing tea favourites? Or fruity teas that are worth a try?

P.S I’m trying to take better pictures if you haven’t noticed!

Laura