Talk to Canderel about eating less sugar and you could win a £300 John Lewis voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

We've been asked by Canderel to find out about Mumsnetters' experiences and opinions on reducing sugar intake.

Canderel say "At Canderel, We’re all about sugar alternatives that still let you indulge yourself. With the average UK person consuming more than their recommended sugar allowance (10% of their daily calorie intake per day)*, we’d like to know how we can help your family manage your sugar intake. Be SweetSmart, swap to Canderel"

Below are a few points to get you started, but feel free to add any other comments you have:

1. Have you been thinking about giving up or eating less sugar?
2. If yes, why? Do you have any tips/tricks you have for helping to beat sugar cravings?

Everyone who adds a comment to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £300 John Lewis voucher.

Please note, Canderel may use your anonymous comments on social media, so please only comment if you're happy with this.

Thanks & good luck,
MNHQ

PS - Our standard terms & conditions apply.

• Source

In my bid to beat the flab this year I/We have really made an effort to cook things completely from scratch. We were never too bad really but for speed/convenience it was always easier to use a jar of sauce etc... than to make it yourself. Has made a big difference and can honestly say the food tastes so much better.

The one thing I can't give up though is sugar in my coffee, that's a step too far.

1. I've definitely been thinking about giving up sugar.

1. My cousin is a nutritionist and she's always telling me it is poison! She suggested trying to cut down by reducing the amount I put in my coffee and avoiding that sugary treat after every meal (a habit I'm ashamed to admit I've fallen into).

I use powdered sweetener on porridge

I've cut out fizzy drinks throughout the week. I've cut down the sugars I put in my coffee and limit myself to one a day. Apart from that I've never really used much sugar as everything else is homemade and I've never really eaten cakes or sweets.

I am currently reducing the amount of sugar I have in my coffee, I used to have one teaspoon and cut down to half a teaspoon and now none. I found the gradual process worked for me rather than using a sugar replacement. I have used them in the past but they taste rather unnatural and artifical.

I drastically cut down my sugar when I decided to lose weight.
I lost 5 1/2st (1/3 of my total weight!) by thinking about what I was putting in my mouth.
I used to eat a lot of rubbish just because it was in front of me, but gradually changed my habits, so now I actually prefer a few nuts to a biscuit. Nuts etc. keep me full and satisfied longer than sugary snacks ever did.
Don't get me wrong, I still have the odd bit of chocolate, but not much. I still haven't finished the advent calendar chocs the DCs gave me. Not because it's awful chocolate, I just don't feel the need to eat it so I haven't.

I've been cutting down on sugar so I have less expensive trips to the dentists!
I now have a sweetener in my hot drinks instead of sugar, and only a small amount of sugar sprinkled on my cereals, whereas I used to have pretty much a whole tablespoons worth.

I try not to have sugar in the house so I am not tempted,also have stopped drinking fruit drinks as they have so much sugar in. I just eat proper fruit now

1. Have you been thinking about giving up or eating less sugar?

Yes

1. If yes, why? Do you have any tips/tricks you have for helping to beat sugar cravings?

Buying sugar free foods, juice, gum, sweets etc. Using honey to sweeten foods, choosing dark chocolate, eat more fresh sweet foods such as mango, papaya, berries, sweet potatoes. I buy sugar free flavoured coffee syrups and find that a hot sweet coffee helps with any cravings.

I have tried using natural sweetners like honey instead of sugar and gradually reducing the amount I put in things so I don't notice.

I don't buy sugar or sweetener any more, have opted for sweet herbal teas like the Teapigs liquorice and peppermint which help a sweet craving. No sugary cereals either, prefer a savoury breakfast.

However I'm still prone to a sugary latte or chocolate bar when I am out and about! I am a complete sugar addict which is why I can't risk having it in the house.

I should really cut down on sugar more but so far the only sway I have made is from sugar to sweeteners in my tea!

I have found it really difficult to give up sugar. I reduced my intake in the new year. My main sugar fix is in my tea, so I decided to stop drinking tea altogether. I had horrible headaches for about a week. Now I don't miss tea at all - and have replaced it with fruit teas.

for the past 10 months iv given up using sugar in my hot drinks and now only use sweetex. i also crush sweetex and use this in cooking/baking and no one has noticed the difference! result!!

I cut out sugar a while ago. Stopped having sugar in tea amd coffee. Disgusting for a while, then I got used to it. Sugar free squash. Diet soft drinks.
The children don't have fizzy drinks, and we don't usually drink then so they aren't missed.

School also teaches the children about a healthy diet, which is helpful and backs up what we do.

I've been trying to do food swaps, so that I eat fewer refined sugars. Instead of a chocolate bar, I'll have yoghurt covered cranberries.

Its not easy, so many things have it, but I really try to read what's on the labels these days, we no longer buy any form of fizzy drinks.

Yes I've been trying to cut down on sugar, mainly for my youngest daughter I don't want her getting into the habit of having sugar in drinks and on cereals, so I started off with my coffee, its something I've always struggled with the fact that I cant drink coffee without sugarso finding it hard I did it over a course of few weeks, from 2 teaspoons I started with putting in 1 and half in my drinks then next week a bit less, I'm currently down to half a spoon per cup, might not sound like much but I added it up per week as I do drink too much coffee and its shocking, we have to lead by example when we have little ones and I'm hoping it pays off for us.

1. Have you been thinking about giving up or eating less sugar? Yes!

1. If yes, why? Do you have any tips/tricks you have for helping to beat sugar cravings?

Because it's very addictive and unhealthy, but I do love sweet things!

Gradually cut down on how much you eat until you don't feel addicted.

I'd love to cut down on sugar as I've got into appalling habits, buying bags and bags of sweets and consuming them. It's addictive and bad for everything, including my pocket. I went through a phase of terrible yeast infections and cutting sugar was the only way to beat it.

I really wish I had tips. My problem is not that I put sugar on things (I have hot drinks with no sugar and never put it on cereal) but that I dislike chocolate, don't have many vices, and so sweets have always been my treat of choice. I don't really know how to get round that one. I say I will stop eating them and then can't help giving in and buying more.

Have I been considering reducing my sugar intake? Yes - I suspect it is the best way for me personally to lose weight, and I also need to reduce my blood sugar.

Hints and tips - as another poster said, I am trying to avoid artificial sweeteners - I am afraid I dislike the taste, and I have read articles that suggest that they stimulate the body's desire/craving for sugar, without satisfying it, so they can make things worse.

I have taken to making myself banana smoothies - I put in a teaspoonful or two of runny honey (in a pint of smoothie made with two bananas and semi skimmed milk), and sipped slowly over the course of the afternoon or evening, I find this helps satisfy my desire for something sweet, and a bit of honey seems better than a bag of sweets or a handful of biscuits. I don't do this every day, though - maybe a couple of times a week.

I am also being more careful about hidden sugar in processed food - I think this is a real issue, because you can find sugar in all sorts of things you might not have expected to find it in. Basically I am trying to cook more from scratch - so even if there is sugar in my cooking, I know what it is and how much is there, because I put it in, and I am trying to resist the temptation to buy sweets, cakes and biscuits (not always with a great amount of success - but baby steps).

Yes we have been actively trying to eat less sugar for about a year now. It is amazing how many products have hidden sugar, or just so much more of it than you expect. Cereals are a big culprit for the shock factor.

We choose cereals with no added sugar such as weetabix, porridge - and at weekends, egg in one of its many forms makes a good breakfast.

We curb the sugar cravings with naturally sweet tasting snacks, like cashew nuts, and there are also some good sugar substitutes. In all honesty though, the less you have of the refined white stuff, the less you miss it.

1. Have you been thinking about giving up or eating less sugar?
Yup. The only sugar I have now (other than that intrinsically in foods) is Alcohol.
I do not add sugar to anything except pizza dough.

2. If yes, why? Do you have any tips/tricks you have for helping to beat sugar cravings?
Sugar is the one food group we can biologically survive without.
Learning to cope without the sweet fix - which includes sweeteners is the best route to avoiding diabetes, alzheimers, dementia, obesity, COPD and many other chronic diseases.

Sweeteners are not good for the insulin system as they trick it into production.

We should learn to live without sweet food at least a few days every week.

1. Have you been thinking about giving up or eating less sugar?

Yes. And we have been eating less sugar since New year.

1. If yes, why? Do you have any tips/tricks you have for helping to beat sugar cravings?

My top tip is not to eat sweet things -- it just makes you want more sweet things. So I focus on eating vegetables and other savory food.

For sweetness I have plain greek yogurt that I will add a sugar substitute. Also a tiny bit of dark chocolate. Both of theee things are slightly bitter so do not leave me craving more sugar.

Canderel might be all about sugar alternatives, but I'm all about using unrefined, fairtrade sugars. I do have a Canderel dispenser in the mug cupboard for visitors (mainly elderly) who want it. I don't have any white suger. Perhaps an occasional bag of jam sugar when I want to make a quick batch of jam, but that's all I use. Everything else is unrefined, from icing sugar to molasses.

I really wish there were more things available to buy which don't contain white sugar.

I tend to cut down the amount of sugar in recipes. I do have maple syrup and honey but tend not to buy sauces etc which claim to be fruity but are not.