This year for Lent, I gave up sugar. Sugar is a broad term, so let me clarify. I did not give up fruit or unsweetened dried fruit. I did give up sugar, whether refined or unrefined (like Sucanat and turbinado sugar) and other high-sugar sweeteners like maple syrup and honey. Even though natural sweeteners like xylitol and stevia are technically not sugar at all, I decided to challenge myself and give those up as well.
Now that I’m almost half way through the season of Lent, I thought I’d share with you some of the things that help me curb my sweet tooth. Sugar is addicting (and detrimental to our health) and those cravings do not go away over night. This has not been easy, but there are ways that I’ve been able to satisfy my urge to eat sweets without any sugar at all.
1. Use cinnamon. Cinnamon is one of those spices that lends a sweet flavor and sprinkling it on different foods is just enough to give the illusion of a sweet treat. Cinnamon mixed with unsweetened apple sauce can taste like dessert.
2. Turn to nut butters. Nut butters, even the natural kind without added sugars, have a sweet quality to them. Sometimes if I have a craving for a sweet, a quick teaspoon of peanut butter does the trick. Yes, I eat peanut butter by the spoonful. Doesn’t everybody? It also works to spread a bit on an apple, bread, or cracker. Delicious.
3. Sweeten with Bananas. Bananas just might be the perfect fruit for their ability to sweeten up just about anything without adding sugar. I use bananas to sweeten my oatmeal, smoothies, and cookies.
4. Just add Dates. Dates, when chopped or pureed with water into a syrup, are a great natural sweetener. They are high in sugar, so moderation is key, but they do the trick when you want something sweet without adding refined sugar. I use them in my different snack balls and bars and cookies, too.
5. Eat more sweet vegetables. If you include more sweet vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, and bell peppers in your diet, you will naturally crave less sugar. Some of these will do the trick if you eat them raw or juiced, but this especially works well when they are cooked and their natural sweetness comes out even more.
6. Eat a sweeter dinner. When I eat a dinner that includes a”sweet” main dish, like my butternut squash apple soup, I am less likely to need a dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth after dinner.
7. Have a fruit smoothie. No added sweeteners are needed to enjoy a sweet smoothie.
8. Try some frozen fruit “ice cream”. It’s amazing what freezing a banana and other fruit and blending it in your food processor will do. We just had “strawberry ice cream” yesterday–we simply put a frozen banana+ a handful of frozen strawberries in the food processor and processed until they were a creamy consistency. So good!
9. Brush your teeth. I know that this one sounds weird. But I find if I brush my teeth right after a meal, I’m less likely to want something sweet following the meal. The toothpaste gives me a tiny bit of a sweet taste in my mouth and I don’t like eating right after brushing my teeth.
10. Eat cooked fruits. I find that a raw apple may not curb my sweet tooth, but if I roast it or saute it in a little butter and cinnamon on top, more sweetness comes out and it curbs my sugar craving. Cooked fruits are a delicious way to derail your sweet tooth!
Question: What’s your favorite way to satisfy your sweet tooth without sugar?
Thanks for the add. I admitt I have a sweet tooth often.
Trying to find recipes ways to cut sugar and the artificial sugar sweetners out while curbing my sweet cravings .
Dairy free sugar free siesta carob is great can melt it over banana or dates and mix with tahini
I so enjoyed this post.
After some waffling back and forth (eating less sugar, then slowly building up to full-blown sugar binges) with my sugar intake, I’ve made the commitment to limit my added sugar consumption to one or two treats a week. (Going back to cutting it out after a treat is HARD due to the way my body reacts to sugar, but I also don’t want to cut sugar completely out..mostly for my mental and social “health.”) I’ve stuck to it so far, but I can always use more hints as to how to quell what remains of my sweet tooth in a healthy way:-).
I think one or two treats a week is reasonable. It’s funny that you mention your “social health”–that is when I have the hardest time saying no to foods I wouldn’t normally eat–in social situations.
I totally agree with all of these and use them all! I definitely need to keep this post handy, because I’ll be cutting sugar out completely in the near future. Been eating way too much of it 🙁 I have to add, a hot cup of tea helps me even without anything sweet in it, especially in the evenings when cravings for something sweet are the worst. Especially fruity herbal teas, and anything with licorice root in it will have a naturally sweet flavor too.
i use dates all the time and they work like a charm. PLus who could pass up a delicious date?!
Great tips Maryea.
How’s your little one BTW?
Luke is great–thanks for asking! 3 month update post coming soon. 🙂
I brush my teeth several times a day to stop “boredom eating”. It’s a great strategy!
I personally always have raw cacao nibs in the house. Tastes nothing like chocolate but it is what chocolates made from before the added sugar and other processed junk. It gives me my fix when I have a mean craving for sweets. I also has the highest level of magnesium of any other food out there. Which is great for women after they have a baby as our magnesium levels are lowered and take some time to get back to normal. 😉
I’ve almost picked up cocoa nibs several times at the store; each time I end up putting them back because they are so pricey. I need to just give them a try!
Just had unsweetened apple cause with cinnamon last Saturday. I love that as dessert!
I also find brushing my teeth shortly after eating dinner totally stops my craving of something sweet.
A+ post! next Lent I may have to follow in your foot steps!
What great ideas! You are doing a fabulous job. I will have to try your suggestions.
Thanks, Kathy!
This is a great post! I’ve noticed too, that the less sugar I eat the less I want (need!) anything sweet at all. In fact, I am more likely to crave salty things, which has never happened in my life!
So, so true. Eating less sugar overall definitely makes me crave it less.
Oh wow! This post is perfect! I’ve been cutting out sugar to try to loose that last bit of baby weight and have been suffering from some serious cravings!! In fact, I just got on the computer to try to distract myself and here I see your fantastic post 🙂 Thanks so much….off to make a “sweet” treat…haha!
You’re welcome! Hope one of these ideas does the trick for you. 🙂