Who is David Vanadia?
I am a sugar addict who lives and works in Portland, Oregon. I stopped being sweet in 2003 and I want you to join me!
1. Apples and Natural Peanut Butter
This is one of my favorite snacks. I like Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples especially. There are many varieties of apple and they’re all worth trying. Slice them up and dip them into natural, unsweetened peanut butter (the kind you have to mix). My favorite brand is Adams but Smuckers and others are good as well.
2. Fruit
A banana does wonders. A peach. Two peaches. A peach and a banana. Yes, fruit is sugar but unless you are avoiding sweets because your doctor forbade you to do so then fruit is a great alternative to candy and cakes. Try making a fruit salad!
3. Egg Salad
Get a dozen eggs and boil them at the beginning of the week. You can eat them as a filling snack or mix in some (unsweetened) mayonnaise and make an egg salad sandwich.
4. Bread!
I still eat bread. However, I only eat artisan breads and stuff baked without corn syrup. You’d be amazed that even the most natural branded breads contain corn syrup. Read the label.
5. Pasta
Yeah, it’s a complex carbohydrate. I don’t eat it every single day like I did eight years ago, but I still love me some pasta. When it’s hot out, try some macaroni salad.
6. Nuts
Peanuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds. Mix in some raisins and create your own trail mix.
7. Burritos
Buy some flat tortillas. Fry up some vegetables with some rice. Then melt some cheese in your tortilla and add the rice and vegetable mix. Filling and delicious!
8. Stir Fry
Cook up some rice. Add your favorite vegetables and perhaps some chicken or tofu. Beware of stir fry sauce as it’s often full of corn syrup.
Eating sugar-free is just a matter of being creative. Remember, when quitting sugar you still need to eat! Find other things that satisfy.
What sugar free snacks do you already make and eat on a regular basis?
I like Trader Joe’s Greek Style 0% Nonfat Plain yoghurt or Fage Greek style plain 0%.
I take frozen blueberries and cook them with a little vanilla extract until it is concentrated like a compote. I have also added a very small amount of butter or coconut fat to it, but it is not necessary.
I spoon it over the yoghurt for a healthy snack or meal.
If you like apples, you can cook them down in the same manner and add a little cinnamon to it-almost any fruit, but blueberries are great!
When I am craving sugar, I like to eat:
1.) Whipped cream, sweetened with agave nectar and strawberries (maybe not so good for your cholesterol).
2.) A fruit cobbler (I am not picky about the fruit). I make the topping with concentrated fruit sweet instead of sugar, and oh so tasty.
3.) Barbara’s raspberry bars (sold in the USA). They are fruit sweetened and made from multi-grain, which means no post white flour low.
4.) Swedish pancakes (they’re sort of like crepes without the sugar) and then I mash up and heat a banana and roll it up.
5.) 100% grape juice popsicles. I make them in my freezer. It makes me feel like I am not missing out on a treat during the hot days of summer.
Since I am relatively new to the “refined sugar-free” lifestyle (3 mo. and 12 days) I still need to look forward to “sweet treats”. I have not been able to recondition my brain to believe that a stir-fry is a treat, yet. Whenever I crave something sweet, I try to eat something not sweet (some protein, veggies) before I eat the “sweet treat”. This helps me eat less of the treat.
I am a sugar addict who lives and works in Portland, Oregon. I stopped being sweet in 2003 and I want you to join me!
Judith
Jul 27, 2008