Aah the joys of January; hangovers, money worries, weighty issues, and cold dark days.
It is no wonder that so many people throw themselves at the mercy of the dieting industry in a desperate attempt to deal with at least one of the headaches that January can bring – how to lose some of that excess weight that has been sneakily piling on throughout the past year and then fairly piled on over Christmas with all those ‘well earned’ goodies we all love to enjoy so much at this time of year.
It is almost like a sprint to the finishing line. Our bodies saying “Hey there it is, the red tape, end-of-the-year-finishing-line, let’s really go for it guys and cram in as many calories as possible and fairly crash through into the New Year!”.
Let’s cut out sugar!
No, instead of beating myself up and tying myself down to any one regime I am simply cutting out one item from my food list. The dreaded White Sugar – The ‘WS’ word if you will.
While I’m not guilty of adding the white stuff to my tea and coffee but I do partake through biccies etc and my favourite nibble, the baguette, through pasta too and anything made with processed white flour which in turn just turns to sugar in the bloodstream creating the dreaded sugar highs and crashing lows, added inches to the waistline and heartbreak to the soul.
I know purists will say that cutting sugar means one should eventually remove fruit from the menu and a host of other things, but I am not going down that route, I just want to cut out the Great White ‘S’ as much as possible, but without losing the plot and going overboard about the whole thing.
Restricting sugar isn’t easy
The thing about any sort of restriction though is the simple fact that we, as humans, rebel against what we feel is an injustice and a deprivation.
Our little inner demon (Gollum in my case) gets all antsy and uptight and throws a hissy fit screaming that it’s not fair that I can’t have anything sweet, I Deserve a treat! Knowing this to be an issue I asked some of my blogging friends to help me by sharing some of their great recipes for sweets and treats that don’t contain the Big Bad WS.
Those bloggers fairly leaped to the challenge and I thought that I would share their recipes here in case there are others out there like me who want to banish the Great White Sugar Shark from their kitchens this January.
So here are over 30 great recipes and ideas for making some amazing sugar-free sweets and treats that will satisfy even the grouchiest of inner Gollums and leave you feeling calmer and satisfied and just a tad slimmer this January.
Over 30 Great Sugar Free Recipes
Drinks
Heavenly Hot Cocoa
Chilled Fruit Teas
Lavender Lemonade
Cranberry and Ginger Smoothie
Spiced Cranberry Apple Cider
How to make your own Coconut Milk
Paleo friendly Hot Buttered Rum or Coffee
Hot Peppermint Mocha
Treats and Bakes
Chocolate Almond Date Bars
Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups
Maple Saskatoon Berry loaf
Lemon Lime Coconut Candy
Oat Bran Muffins
Homemade Protein Bars
No Bake Coconut Delights
Luscious Lemon Bars
Desserts
Mandarin Mint Sorbet
Rainbow Fruit Skewers
Watermelon Cups
Cranberry Mint Mousse
Sugar Free Rhubarb Crumble
Coconut Pear Crisp
Paleo Plantain Flour Pancakes
Key Lime Pie Shooters
Coffee Pots De Crème
I think just avoiding added sugars is a good start and then moving on from there. There’s a lot of sugar and sweeteners (which our bodies see as sugar) in diet foods so something I have avoided for a long time now is anything that says ‘diet’ or ‘low fat’ , most low fat foods have sugar or sweeteners added just to make them palatable.
It’s time to re-educate our taste buds I think 🙂
Happy New Year to you and Idgy, I don’t think I’ve actually managed to get here and say it yet. All the very best for the year ahead to both of you.
Hi Sue,
You are so right about the low fat stuff having loads of sugar to get the full fat taste. Like you I have been avoiding the ‘diet’ stuff. This month just want to cut out the white stuff wherever possible.
Thanks for new year wishes, all the best to you and yours!
K x
Hi! This post is a godsend! I am very large, but I’m also disabled and unable to do any type of physical activity which would allow me to get healthier (which is why I’m so large…I wasn’t this way before I became disabled). And my biggest problem in watching what I eat is that I crave sugar and starches, especially in the form of bread or pasta. (And I have a family that is not exactly enamored with the idea of changing how we eat.) I know we need to drop this and limit that, but until this I saw blog, nobody ever said “Here is how you do it”. I have hundreds of low-fat, low-carb recipes, but the biggest problem in my family’s acceptance (and mine, truthfully) is giving up the sugar. With these recipes, we don’t have to, so I want to say thank you, from my heart, for providing them all in one place.
Hi Stephanie
Thanks so much for your comment I am thrilled that this post has been so helpful to you. I hope you will have some fun creating the recipes in there and that your family will like what you make and get their heads around the sugar free idea. You can have that cake and eat it, just has to be the right one!
All best
K x
Great list! Thank you for featuring some of my recipes! 🙂
Hi Jessica,
My pleasure, thanks for contributing.
K x
This is such a great topic. I have also been on more diets than I can count. A few years ago, I decided I would do things (at least try to) in moderation. I was able to lose some weight and I did not feel so deprived. I am like you Karon, if I know I cannot have a certain food, I get really crazy. I want to also limit my consumption of sugar without making myself nuts. Thank you for sharing these recipes and bringing up a very good topic. Good luck to all of us!
Patti
xxoo
Hi Patti
Glad you like the post. Moderation is the way to go isn’t it. I like the idea of switching things so I can still get the sweetness I want but not the mind numbing self hatred that goes with the all out sugar binge!
All best for 2014
K x
Refined sugar is poison! As is any processed foods. It causes many many diseases in our body. The more I skip the bads the better I feel and the healthier I get. We don’t sip from chlorox so imagine that you do the same with refined foods.it was/is a mega motivator for me to stop using it.there are many healthy alternatives.look at my pinterest boards for suggestions (dinet snieder)
Since I eat 90% clean I’m of all my meds!
You are so right. Packages and processed are the things to avoid. That’s why I do Larder Love recipes for all my own storecupboard goodies, at least I know exactly what is in them and can use the sweet stuff in moderation.
Thanks again
K x
We just found out my husband of 34yrs is a diabetic, With diet & pills there’s no daily shots – Yah… Well I’m a farm girl so I have cooked 34yrs of old farm food – like (SOS – Red-Beans,Cornbread & Sweet Ice Tea – Chicken Fried Steak – Fried Okra…etc.) We both are stocky, I like the idea of maybe me losing a few taters. O.K. Here Goes, So I have try everything from Art.Sweeteners – natural sweeteners to cutting down the sugar out of our diets ~ I’m doing pretty good, But Hubby is like that old mule in the pasture, Bulks at everything new, I hope this recipes Help…I’m sure kin on any ideas – girls… Wish Me Penny Luck… <3 Robin
Hi Robin
There are so many great recipes, I’m sure you’ll find some that will tickle his tastebuds.
Good luck!
K x
Yay! Thanks for including my recipes! Great round-up. Can’t wait to check out all of them 🙂
Thanks for the link! —Oystergirl
Links plural, I should say 🙂