No-Sugar recipes? Off sugar for 2 years now, want some more recipes...

Hello!

Two years ago I quit (added) sugar fully... So no more Coca Cola, no more Snickers, no more ketchup and so on...
In the beginning it was hard in two ways: My body was in detox... I got physical reactions like 'gettin' none' when addicted...
After 2 weeks that was gone, but the other thing was still there:
What can I eat and drink? There is Sugar in everything...
Drinks: water, sparkling water.. Add lemon... made fruit drinks with the blender.. found stevia! --> could make choco with milk.
Butter milk with blended fruit is like a milkshake! Nice...

Foods: I had to make it all myself.. Bought my own bread machine, so I could make the bread without sugar. Pasta is nice, but the sauce is with suger.. had to lear to make that myself. and so on and so on...

After two years I got a good list of foods and drink I can make without sugar and without to much hassle. Many times it tastes batter that the sh** I would buy in the store.

In 2 years I lost 20 kilo, 1/5th of my weight! And my docter is impressed with how my health has improved.


Now, I want more recipes... I can not be the only one here not willing to take the sweet poison. Do you have some?

In my next post I will share my Apple Pie recipe! Sugar free

Apple Pie:

The Dough:
160 gram flour
100 gram butter
apple
a banana

The filling:
More apples
raisins
teaspoon cinnamon
a bit of lemon juice

The Dough:
put 2/3 of the banana in pieces in a pan with the apple cut in pieces. Heat this for a while (15-20 min) and the blend this and let it cool off a bit.
Mix the butter, the flour and about 3 teaspoons of the banana/applesauce. make a ball of this. You can add a bit more of the 'sauce' or flour to make it better dough.

Cut the apples in small pieces and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.

Now put the dough in a spring cake tin or something alike and put the filling in there
Put in between 30-60 minutes in a pre heated oven (180 Celcius). When it turns black, you are too late..
Try to let it cool off before you eat it, you might burn yourself...

Wonder if you like it!

Congrats on giving up added sugar. It's hard. I use stevia in my coffee, tea, and lemon water. To the lemon water I also add frozen cherries, then I have a sweet treat when I reach the bottom.

Sweet potato and black bean burrito (or quesadilla):
Layer:
flatbread
mashed roasted sweet potato (roast in oven for best flavour)
black beans
cheddar or mozzarella cheese
salsa

If doing quesadilla style cover with top flatbread
If doing burrito style, just pile the above in the center, wrap up, put in baking dish, seam down, cover with more salsa and more cheese.

Check after 10 min if quesadilla , 20 if burritos.

reply to post by Goedhardt

You do know that white flour and processed flours such as are found in breads and pastas turn into sugar in your digestive system, right?

If you are not concerned with that, but simply with avoiding only grain sugar, the processed kind, and corn syrups, yep, most foods are prepared with those ingredients.

One other word of caution many do not know. Anything marked as "Low Fat" has had the fat reduced, and added sugar back in to repair the flavor loss. This is why reduced fat milk is higher in CARBS, because it has added sugars.

Sugars are hidden in many ways. To truly be detoxed of ALL sugars, you have to avoid ALL white foods, ie: carbs. As I pointed out above, all white foods, carbs, turn into simple sugars, starting with saliva in your mouth.

Whichever way you look at it, fresh, no processed foods, is the best way to go. Teas, and some diet juices are available, without the poisonous diet sweeteners. Some people are not aware of the fact that saccharin has been removed from the cancer list, as the amount required to be consumed per day to cause cancer is far more than any human could possibly ingest in a lifetime.

Diabetic diets offer a great guide for sugar control, but the ADA has too much sugar and white foods for my tastes and goals.

I prefer Modified Atkins, which focuses on high proteins and low carb, lots of vegetables. My carbs are complex, and non-white foods.

forum.lowcarber.org...

I have been a member of the above forums for about 8 years now. They have one of the best food and cooking sections that I have found.

There is something there for every lifestyle and diet choice, so take a look around. I am sure you will find something to suit you!

Good luck with your goals!

I quit added sugar a couple of days ago myself, I have been cutting down gradually for a while now, but the cravings still come. Do you get them still after 2 years? I am going to cut out fruit sugar for a couple of weeks when my body settles down a bit with this current diet.

reply to post by Libertygal


You are right, but I only avoid the added sugars. I don't mind the natural ones. One even needs those sugars..
It was not my goal to lose weight. I have other medical reasons why I started it. By docter was skeptical at first, but was happy with the results.
I mainly choose the 'raw' ingredients and make it all myself. I know there are no additives that I don't want then

Personally, I don't think I could have made it through a strict 'regime' as you lay out. I love food to much for that...

Kudos on the will power, few people have that.
I assume when you say sugar your talking about refined sugars. I noticed you use fruit like Apple as a sweetener. Do you use honey? I'm not a fan of honey myself but it can be used sometimes.


I see you just answered that,,, oops

Ooooh great thread. I'll keep checking in to see what is posted.

reply to post by Cinrad


Before I drank about 2 liters of cola a day... I ate candy like a -I don't know what-... I quit just from one day to the other -cold turkey-.

I love fruit, I use it a lot in my cooking. I use Stevia a lot also. I crave the sweet taste... not sugar...

In the first days, you might start to shake, feel aroused, little;e headache. Just like a hang over from alcohol. Alcohol and sugar are quite alike..
It will pass..

Next story might be a bit difficult to read, I'm not a docter and I write in a foreign language

My MD told me: when carbs comes into your body, your body makes insulin to break it down and make it into sugar. the time the insulin is gone, so is the food. - result: no (big) fluctuating blood sugar level.
When pure sugar comes into your body, the insulin breaks it down in no time and all the energy will be 'usable' directly. The insulin will still be released by your body, and is still there, so it will go for your blood sugar - effect is that your blood sugar drops, so you crave more sugar...
If you eat an apple: some of the energy is 'easy to get', the rest is fibres and carbs, so insulin still has work on the food and will not go for your blood sugar: no cravings and quick energy.

He also said, that if you do drink i.e. a cola, eat rice or pasta with it, it will 'compensate' to the insulin in your body.

normally, non-processed foods are balanced so you do not get the blood sugar swings and you do not get the cravings.

(sweeteners like aspartame: your body thinks it is sugar, but the insulin can't do anything with it, so the big amount of energy is used, and the insulin goes for you bloodsugar. After drinking a diet coke, you get hungry!)

reply to post by Hoosierdaddy71


I do use some honey... It is a great healer! look it up for yourself what it does in combination with cinnamon!

like: Link

And I do mean added processed sugars..

AAAAAaaaand, if I don't respond quick: I'm off to bed... it's almost 3 am here..

reply to post by Goedhardt


I've been "off" sugar again since September 18, 2012. Have gone stretches of many years without sugar, but I get hooked easily and then get addicted again. This time feels like a keeper though.

A true story about Mohandas Gandhi. A mother brought her young son to see Gandhi, and asked him to tell her son to stop eating sugar. Gandhi told the mother to bring the son back in a week. She did so, and Gandhi told the boy to stop eating sugar. "How come you didn't tell him that a week ago?" the mother asked. "Because a week ago I was still eating sugar" Gandhi answered.

reply to post by Goedhardt

Great move! I am proud of you! You made the right choices for the right reasons then. I had to go strict, because I opted to quit taking diabetes medicines. So far, it's working for me, so that's what counts!

Anyway, the forums I linked still has awesome recipes, don't let the name fool you. Many recipes using natural foods, fruits, honey, etc., so please do take a look. I know it says low carb, but that can truly be said about most any diet that removes cane sugar and corn syrup.

The recipes cover everything from drinks to snacks, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even desserts, holidays, and special occasions.

And no, I have no special interest in the site, other than they have been a life and diet saver for me! My diet was very bland until I found them and started to experiment. Now, I can, and have, invented a lot of my own recipes which are family favorites, regardless of the diet anyone else is on.

As in everything, moderation is key.

Cutting back on sugar is commendable, cos most everything we eat that's processed contains sugar - even if we can't taste it.

But do remember...you do need some sugar.

Cutting all sugar out - very bad idea.

You would lose muscle mass as your body breaks down protein to turn into energy.

reply to post by Goedhardt

You should check out panela (boiled off cane juice.) It's basically unrefined sugar thats healthy for you and tastes delicious. I eat about a kg of the stuff every two weeks.

Wow! Lots of good info in this thread....thanks! Will keep checking to see what everyone comes up with. ...I have a few " raw food" recipes I'll dig out and add in the morning!

Roasted veggies are great too! ... I always start with carrots first. ( peeled and chopped)... Heat oven to 375 and put carrots in a square baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sea salt. Cook uncovered for 15 min. Then add Brussels sprouts,and potato that have been peeled and chopped. Drizzle alittle more olive oil and sea salt onto them, stir and cook 15 min. Then add cauliflower, butternut squash, and garlic cloves ( peeled) ...stir and check to see if you need to add more oil and salt or not... You want all veggies coated but not soaked... More of a glaze....and cook everything uncovered until all veggies are done( pierce with fork).... About another 30 min.

I've not had sugar for 4 years. Autoimmune issues. Sugar = autoimmune flair.

Just a note - bread and pasta turn to sugar in the body. So even though that's not the processed sugar you are thinking of, it's still a kind of sugar. Something to be aware of.

My meals ... lots of meat. Chicken. Steak. Pork. Veggies like peas and broccoli. Some shredded carrots. Black olives. Water. Only water. I put nothing on any of this. No extras .. no sauces .. no mustard or ketchup or soy sauce ...

The only real sugar I get is in the yogurt. But I have to have that.

I am a sugar addict still and am still having cravings four years later. UGH.

reply to post by FlyersFan


For me it is a auto immune thing also.
I'm happy to hear other people face the same struggle as me

Here another nice recipe:

Pasta sauce:
Chop an ognion and bake it in butter until it smells a bit more 'sweet' or they start to get slightly brownish.
Add chopped 2-4 tomatos to this (depending on size of tomato.. you can put it in with or without the 'skin', i always leave it on.. A bit lazy)
Add ground pepper and basil and let it heat until it becomes a sauce..
You can add some meat or some veggies to this to add some extra flavor.. I sometimes also add some cream.. I love cream

Pour this over your pasta and then put loads and loads of cheeeeeessee on top... (Yes, I'm Dutch)

reply to post by Goedhardt


I do almost the same sauce. I don't use onion though, I finely chop about 4 cloves of garlic, and soften them in olive oil. Then chopped fresh tomato, handful of basil. Add to pasta, mix in grated cheese.

So tasty.

reply to post by FlyersFan

The great thing about the sugars in yogurt, it is believed the live cultures eat most of the sugar before it gets to you! Technically, they have to list the sugar, because it is in the recipe, but it is highly believed among diet experts the sugar is mostly gone, due to keeping the live cultures alive. It is their food.

It made me feel better about eatiing yogurt!