Authors: Sarah Wilson

I Quit Sugar for Life (4 page)

BOOK: I Quit Sugar for Life

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EVEN NON-FRUCTOSE SUGARS, SUCH AS GLUCOSE, ARE NOT GOOD TO EAT IN LARGE QUANTITIES AND WILL CAUSE INSULIN WOBBLINESS TOO, ALBEIT IN A FAR MORE MANAGEABLE WAY.
WHAT’S MORE, STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HAVE FOUND THAT CONSUMING
ANY
KIND OF SWEETENER – EVEN THE ‘FAKE’ ONES THAT DON’T CONTAIN ANY KIND OF
SUGAR – CAN CAUSE A BLOOD SUGAR SPIKE AND CONTINUE A SUGAR ADDICTION. JUST THE SWEET TASTE CAN TRIGGER INSULIN AND METABOLIC RESPONSES.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH LOW-GI?

We hear a lot about low-GI foods. It’s a ranking of carbohydrates that determines the extent to which blood sugar levels are raised after eating those foods. A
‘low-GI’ reading (readings under 55) is meant to be a good thing.

But want to know one of the ‘best’ ways a manufacturer can reduce their product’s GI?
Add fructose.

Fructose is one of the lowest GI substances around. Which is why Nutella has a lower GI than a carrot.

True story. For this reason I, and many health advisors, including Australia’s NHMRC as of 2013, give little credence to low-GI as a nutritional guide.

LET’S TRY THIS

MINIMISE ALL SWEETNESS

Granted, I like to play with fructose-free desserts and treats. However, going sugar-free for life means you’ll need to:

EAT ‘SWEET’ TREATS AS TREATS ONLY.
Even when a recipe contains a safe sweetener, it should be eaten with care. Not without other nutrients and
fibre, not in large quantities and preferably not every day, unless they’re sweetened with coconut oil, flesh, cream or milk only.

SLASH YOUR SWEETENER.
I tend to use a very small amount of stevia or rice malt syrup in my recipes, but there’s room for you to cut back even
further.

You see, once you’ve quit sugar, your sweet point shifts. Try to shift it even lower.

SUGAR STACKS:

As part of IQS, we are super-careful with the hidden sugars.

Because the obvious sugar (a cube in your coffee) ain’t nothing compared to these seductive doozies:

▶ BARBECUE SAUCE = 4 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR IN A SERVE OF SAUCE ON YOUR MEAL FACT: Packaged sauces are often 50% sugar.
▶ MUESLI BAR = 3–5 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR PER BAR FACT: Even the ones that are labelled ‘sugar free’. The dried fruit deems them a fructose bomb!
▶ A LOW-FAT YOGHURT (SINGLE SERVE) = 6½ TEASPOONS OF SUGAR FACT: When manufacturers take the fat out, they put sugar in to make up for lost flavour and texture, often disguised with other names, such as inulin and oligofructose.
▶ A SMALL PACKET OF SULTANAS = 8 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR FACT: Bars with dried fruit contain up to 70% sugar.
▶ APPLE JUICE = 10 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR PER GLASS FACT: A glass of apple juice contains the same amount of sugar as a glass of Coke.
▶ TOMATO PASTA SAUCE = 10–12 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR PER SERVE FACT: ‘Savoury’ dinner sauces often contain more sugar than chocolate topping, particularly the tomato-based ones.

REMEMBER

IF YOU’RE IN THE PROCESS OF QUITTING SUGAR ON MY 8-WEEK PROGRAMME . . .

I ADVISE NO SWEETNESS AT ALL – INCLUDING STEVIA AND RICE MALT SYRUP AND LOW-FRUCTOSE FRUIT (COCONUT PRODUCTS ARE OK) – UNTIL WEEK SIX OF THE EIGHT-WEEK
PROGRAMME. THIS IS TO RECALIBRATE YOUR BODY AND ARREST THE SWEET ADDICTION.

SAME IF YOU’RE ‘RECALIBRATING’ AFTER A BIT OF A LAPSE. GO COMPLETELY SAVOURY FOR A FEW DAYS, TO REST YOUR PALATE AND TO GET OFF THE SWEET CRAVINGS
CYCLE. SELECT RECIPES AND FOODS ACCORDINGLY. AT THE END OF THIS PROCESS, I LIKE TO SLOWLY REINTRODUCE A BIT OF LOW-FRUCTOSE FRUIT AND TO MAKE MY TREATS WITH AS LITTLE SWEETENER AS
POSSIBLE.

Look out for this little icon in the recipe section. It denotes sweet-free recipes suitable for quitting and recalibrating.

NUTRITION INFORMATION SERVINGS PER PACKAGE 3.2 SERVING SIZE 170 g
	Ave Quantity per Serving	Ave Quantity per 100 g
Energy	697 kJ (167 Cal)	410 kJ (98 Cal)
Protein – total – gluten