Sugar may give you quick energy bursts but it really is a deadly substance.  Sugar is linked with all manner of health conditions and disease.  Sugar is very artificial, it has been stripped of all nutrient content and actually leaches nutrition from the body in order to be metabolised.  So sugar sacrifices full body health.

Here are my top tips for combatting sugar cravings.

    -Sustain your energy from complex sugars.
    Switch to complex carbohydrates instead of consuming white carbs.  White carb products are generally very refined and often laden with sugar such as cakes and packaged cereals.  Eating complex carbohydrates from foods including whole grains and vegetables will sustain your energy far longer than sugary foods ever will.  This is because the complex sugars are metabolised fully by the digestive system and give rise to a steady increase in blood sugar levels.

    - Try some savoury sweetness
    Baked root vegetables, sweet veggie casserole, creamy parsnip soup.  Sample getting some sweetness from your main course.

    - Eat in balance
    Eat foods with a combination of flavours.  This really helps combat cravings.  For example, go for a snack of dried fruit with nuts.  Here the combination of sweet with salty will enable to you to feel satisfied.  Have you noticed that if you solely go for something salty, after a while you will suddenly crave a sweet item?

    - Savour the taste
    Chew well and enjoy the flavour of your food.  Chewing is not only fundamental for good digestive health, but will also enable you to notice earlier when you feel full and therefore help control portion sizes.  They say the first and last mouthful is the best!

    -Use natural sweetners made from whole grains.
    Rice syrup and barley malt are my favourites.  Use these in your cooking, baking or even add to drinks.  Such syrups are made from whole grains and so bestow stable and steady blood sugar levels.  Try my lovely recipe for oat and raison cookies, sweetned using rice syrup.