Think quitting sugar means giving up your favourite bread, a glass of wine at dinner or your morning cup of joe? Think again!
We do get the confusion, though. With so many restrictive and unsustainable “diets” out there, it’s easy to believe that quitting sugar falls into the same self-flagellating category.
But what if we told you that quitting sugar doesn’t have to mean quitting the things you enjoy?
Yep, the following seven foods regularly have our friends and families’ jaws hitting the floor because they’re totally okay in our sugar-free lifestyle. Are you surprised by any of them?
1. Wine + beer.
Struggling to think of another “diet” that would let you have a glass of red or a frosty Corona at dinner? Dry red and white wines retain very little fructose in the fermentation process, while beer is made from maltose (which our bodies metabolise just fine).
Saying that, a lot of alcohol is pretty much nutritionally void, so we recommend sticking to no more than one standard drink with a meal each day.
2. Chocolate.
Even Sarah admits that she probably wouldn’t have quit sugar if it meant she had to give up chocolate. Thankfully, the high-quality, 85 per cent cacao stuff only contains a couple of teaspoons of sugar per block.
Cacao is also full of antioxidant goodness… so, a cheeky square or two after dinner is totally fine by us!
3. Fat.
One of the biggest mistakes that diets make is cutting out fats. Fats keep us full, nourish the brain and even increase the absorption of vitamins from fruits and veggies. And contrary to (increasingly less) popular belief, they don’t make you fat!
We try to incorporate a decent amount of butter, olive oil, nuts, eggs and full-fat dairy into our meals (just not all at once, of course!).
4. Carbs.
While we always aim to reduce refined white grains, we also keep a balanced amount of carbohydrates. Yes, while carbohydrates convert to simple blood sugar, it’s fructose that puts the strain on our livers and causes addiction.
So occasionally, we have pasta, potatoes, rice and even bread. While we wouldn’t plump for Wonder White, our veggie-packed bread recipes are rich in whole foods and fibre so they don’t send our blood sugar through the roof.
5. Coffee.
You’ll have to skip the sugar cubes, but there’s no other reason why you can’t enjoy your morning brew. The drink is linked to lower risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver cancer… just make sure not to overdo it. One cuppa a day is ideal.
6. Granola.
Many diets will have you eating half a grapefruit and egg white scramble for breakfast. That’s hardly going to wake you up! We obviously eschew crappy sugar-filled cereals, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tuck into a bowl of our own Coco-Nutty Granola. For Coco Pops lovers, it also comes in chocolate variety!
7. Fruit.
But that contains fructose, you say! Yep, it does. However, fresh fruit also contains amazing vitamins and antioxidants that we’d never want to miss out on. Just remember, you need the fibre AND the water to make sure the fructose doesn’t flood your liver. That means no juice or dried fruit, but two to three pieces of fresh fruit a day is totally fine.
We originally published this post in April 2016. We updated it in July 2016.
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