What do you eat if you don't eat sugar?

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

I don't need to lose any weight, but I do need to cut out sugar because I realise it is giving me really bad headaches (direct correlation between eating sugar and developing a headache which I can no longer ignore).

Trouble is I have a real sweet tooth so I find it really hard. I like fruit, I like cheese, I like nuts. I know I can have these things when I'm craving sugar, or to round off a meal.

Are there any other things which will help me? Any tips or tricks welcome

Buttered oatcakes or crackers. Also plain yoghurt with seeds.

I just don’t.

I don’t eat fake sugars either, and I’m coeliac and I cannot stand pre made gluten free food, it all tastes like crap. Also have to stick to an anti inflammatory diet.

Honestly, I just wish there was a pill I could take once a day instead of eating, it’s just a boring chore.

Almond butter
Very dark food quality chocolate
A small banana fresh or frozen
Greek yoghurt with berries
Strawberries
One or two dates occasionally if I’m really needing a sugar fix

My favourite thing at the moment is an omelette made in 1.5 mins in the microwave 🤣

I’m the laziest sod that ever did exist when it comes to feeding myself. So this is brilliant for my first meal of the day. I put some butter over the top as i LOVE butter and a sprinkling of cheese. Job done.

Cinnamon can be a good substitute on things like porridge. I also use xylitol which is a natural sweetener with good benefits (it doesn’t spike your blood sugar and is good for teeth! Worth googling it ). It’s more expensive but I don’t need to use much for the same effect as sugar . Nb be very careful as it isn’t safe for dogs to eat

Teaspoon of honey staves off the cravings for me.

Sorry you meant as a sugar substitute didn’t you 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

I use Xylitol and a caramel flavouring in drinks like latte which I make with coconut milk or almond milk. I don’t really crave sweet things but lots of people get the very very dark chocolate that’s out there and have a couple of squares.

Oh yes, cinnamon and nutmeg is also excellent on things 👌

I've cut out sugar before (and I really need to do it again ...) and honestly after less than a week, the cravings just went completely. Even carrots suddenly tasted disgustingly sweet! And I famous with friends and family for my sweet tooth. Only started with sugar again with a bereavement, it wasn't a physical craving.

@alligatorpeardrop

Teaspoon of honey staves off the cravings for me.

Honey is still treated as sugar by the body I’m afraid.

Great idea for a thread!

OK these do contain sugar but I find having one fresh medjool (sp?) date after dinner helps with the evening craving. Must be fresh, not dried dates.

During the day I have cut up apple (skin on) in a bit of lemon juice in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Also, frozen grapes.

A few almonds or walnuts.

Bag of chopped and deseeded cucumber, carrot sticks, celery sticks

Melon balls

Tinned pears in sugar free juice, just one piece

Oat cake

Rice cake

And if the craving is really bad , I try and work on my patchwork quilt - sticky fingers and fabric don't mix - and wait until it passed.

Well it’s still sugar albeit natural, but I buy some good dates, take out the stone and fill with peanut butter then keep in the freezer.

One or on a bad day two of those fends off the sugar cravings for me. I’ve gone from ploughing through packets of biscuits (developed a craving in pregnancy then kept the habit up after baby was born!)

Sometimes a cup of either mint or ginger tea does the job.

Oh yes ginger tea is a good idea, as is mint tea with fresh mint

Increasing the amount of fat in my diet improved satiety which has meant I crave sugar much much less. I still eat fruit too, but generally only 2 pieces a day.

Honey is still treated as sugar by the body I’m afraid.

That is because it is a supersaturated sugar solution.

Sugar and water.

Following I'm a massive sweet tooth I'm even eating a bag of chocolate for breakfast I also suffer chronic headaches and migraines.

Not quite the same thing but when I was unable to eat fat, I got really into other strong flavours like soy sauce, chillies, pickles etc..

These are all great thanks!

I didn't actually mean a sugar substitute, rather alternatives (not necessarily sweet) that will help to get through the cravings. I don't like fake sugars - to me they taste odd and also some still give me headaches.

The thing is, the more you avoid sugar, the more sensitive your taste buds become to things that are naturally sweet. So fruit and veg start tasting sweeter and seem to satisfy a sweet tooth. And as an added bonus, you stop craving sugar itself.

Honey is still treated as sugar by the body I’m afraid.

That's not necessarily true - very honey type dependent. Synthetic honey, yes.

Raw honey doesn't spike your insulin. It is partially processed by the bee and the enzymes that they mix in, and is the best form of digestible sugar you can get for your human body.

Try eating pickled onions if you crave sugar it stops the craving somehow

I gradually cut out sugar and most processed carbs years ago, and now find I don't crave sweet things very often. When I do, I eat something vanilla flavoured and something salty. I like Longley Farm plain yoghurt with vanilla flavouring in but when you write it down like that it looks uninspiring!
A weird side effect is that I no longer like chocolate.

I have sugar free high fat yogurt with a little of that concentrated sugar free squash that comes in the tiny pack squirted in.

I like the passionfruit and mango best - it smells like cats' piss, but it tastes like a normal tropical yogurt but is sugar free.

Oh sorry just saw you don't like fake sugar!

It's ok - I'm sure others following might find it useful!

It's so hard when I have children to feed who do like and want sugar... argh. You'd think knowing that a blinding headache would ensue would be enough to stop me 🙄 but it isn't.