You can’t open a newspaper or magazine without reading about the latest
diet fad, which foods will give you a “bikini ready body” or what you must
immediately cut out of your diet. Personally I believe that most things are
fine as long as they’re in moderation, and whilst I try and eat very clean
during the day – fruit for breakfast and vegetables and salad for lunch – I often
eat out in the evenings so could easily end up consuming most of my daily
calories in that one meal. I love nuts and avocado, both of which people avoid
due to their high fat content (despite it being the “good” fat) but one thing I
do try and avoid is sugar. There isn’t a “good” sugar. Excessive sugar
consumption is linked to a whole host of horrible diseases and is hidden in
many of the foods we eat, whilst also sprinkled liberally into hot drinks by
many. I’ve never been one to add sugar to my coffee, and I don’t drink tea, but
it still crops up in so many foods and drinks. And though I try to actively
avoid sugar laden products, I do love a glass of bubbly which is full of the
stuff. I’ve put together a little guide for you here about how you can cut
down, or cut out sugar. I did it fully for a week, but even if you manage to
reduce your intake you’ll be giving your mind, body and health a really good
boost.
Drinks.
Drinks fall into three categories for me – soft drinks, hot drinks and alcoholic drinks. As far as soft drinks go, you need to stop drinking juice, cordials and fizzy drinks. They’re all packed with sugar, even breakfast fruit juices. Try drinking tap water instead, and if you need to add flavour, add a few ribbons of cucumber and some basil or mint leaves. If you drink lots of sugary drinks and replace them with water you’ll start to see almost immediate results as your skin will look clearer and brighter. For hot drinks, if you’re drinking tea or coffee and adding sugar then really try to stop. If you can’t go cold turkey then reduce the amount of sugar you’re adding to your drink little by little until you’re not adding any at all. Booze wise, your best bet is drinking clear spirits – vodka or gin – with soda water and cucumber and/or lots of fresh herbs. Red wine is also low in fructose, though avoid bubbly as that’s got the highest amount of sugars.
Food.
Sugar is hidden is so many food products, even ones in which you can’t taste it all, like soy sauce. So to cut out sugar, cut out processed foods. Starting from scratch with your ingredients means you can avoid hidden sugars. I bought some lovely asparagus from the local market recently which I used to make two sugar free dinners.
Green salad with avocado sauce
This is hardly a recipe but more of an inspiration, as you can mix it up with any veggies/herbs that you fancy.
Serves 2
4 asparagus
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
Tsp chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
Crumbled feta
Handful cherry tomatoes
Springs of dill and basil
6 large green olives
1 red chilli
Steam the asparagus for a couple of minutes, then chop the tops off and slice the other ends into 1cm chunks. Put the avocado in the blender with lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, chilli flakes and salt and pepper and blend til smooth. Chop the rest of the ingredients, toss together with the asparagus tops and chunks and serve with the avocado sauce.
Drinks.
Drinks fall into three categories for me – soft drinks, hot drinks and alcoholic drinks. As far as soft drinks go, you need to stop drinking juice, cordials and fizzy drinks. They’re all packed with sugar, even breakfast fruit juices. Try drinking tap water instead, and if you need to add flavour, add a few ribbons of cucumber and some basil or mint leaves. If you drink lots of sugary drinks and replace them with water you’ll start to see almost immediate results as your skin will look clearer and brighter. For hot drinks, if you’re drinking tea or coffee and adding sugar then really try to stop. If you can’t go cold turkey then reduce the amount of sugar you’re adding to your drink little by little until you’re not adding any at all. Booze wise, your best bet is drinking clear spirits – vodka or gin – with soda water and cucumber and/or lots of fresh herbs. Red wine is also low in fructose, though avoid bubbly as that’s got the highest amount of sugars.
Food.
Sugar is hidden is so many food products, even ones in which you can’t taste it all, like soy sauce. So to cut out sugar, cut out processed foods. Starting from scratch with your ingredients means you can avoid hidden sugars. I bought some lovely asparagus from the local market recently which I used to make two sugar free dinners.
Green salad with avocado sauce
This is hardly a recipe but more of an inspiration, as you can mix it up with any veggies/herbs that you fancy.
Serves 2
4 asparagus
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
Tsp chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
Crumbled feta
Handful cherry tomatoes
Springs of dill and basil
6 large green olives
1 red chilli
Steam the asparagus for a couple of minutes, then chop the tops off and slice the other ends into 1cm chunks. Put the avocado in the blender with lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, chilli flakes and salt and pepper and blend til smooth. Chop the rest of the ingredients, toss together with the asparagus tops and chunks and serve with the avocado sauce.
