6 hacks to reduce sugar

As self-confessed chocaholics, we would never give up sweet things. After all, they bring us so much joy! BUT, what we did find, was consuming far too much processed sugar was not as enjoyable. We suffered bloating, poor digestion, skin issues, hormone issues and sleep issues. We HAD to find a way to have our cake and eat it too so to speak.

According to Harvard, the average female should consume 6 teaspoons (24g) of sugar per day! That is not a lot when you think about what you eat over the course of the day. Here are the ways we have managed to kick the sugar habit and honestly feel better than ever! 

1. SWEET veggies

Sweet potato, taro, carrots, corn, beetroot.....We roast a batch on a Sunday so they are readily available for us to add to our lunches and dinners. These are so deliciously sweet, especially when roasted. They add sweetness to your meal without the processed sugar. PLUS, they have so many vitamins and nutrients. Adding around 1/2-1 cup to our meals stabilised our blood sugar, provided healthy carbs AND are incredibly filling. If we are really hungry between meals, we also eat some roasted sweet potato with hommous and its DELICIOUS!

2. Sauce HACK

We are sauces lovers, we wont eat a meal without a delicious sauce or salad dressing so we were never going to give up our sauces! BUT they are FULL of sugar, and when they dont have sugar they can be very bland. So we had to find a solution and we did.... Monk fruit powder! The SMALLEST amount is required and you honestly won't notice the difference in taste - it is actually unbelievable that you can have SUGAR FREE sauces and salad dressings! Of course, this is also our sweetener in LUKA as it does not spike blood sugar levels, is an anti-inflammatory and doesn't have the bitter after taste of stevia.

Another awesome brand we adore for their healthy and delicious sauces is Undivided Co. which you can find here: https://www.undividedfoodco.com/

They use all the best ingredients with no artificial sugars!

3. Desserts made with vegetables and beans

Black bean brownies anyone? Zucchini Blondies? Carrot muffins? We won't lie, these felt a little much for us at the beginning. How can these be delicious? But once we had children and wanted ti increase their veggie intake, we were introduced to The Wholesome Child cookbook and suddenly we were in our kitchens making desserts from vegetables. It was WILD how delicious they were and healthy! Who knew black beans and zucchini's could offer so much moisture and absorb all the delicious sweetness! PLUS, they are so filling - they provide fibre, vitamins and nutrients that are far superior than your store bought treats.

4. LUKA of course

We literally created LUKA hot chocolate so we could reduce sugar in our diets. As we said, we LOVE sweet things and will never give up on them but they made us feel tired, sick, disrupted our sleep and hormones. The thing is, so many 'sugar free' hot chocolates are full of chemicals and artificial ingredients which cause allergies, impact gut health and hormones, have been attributed to causing cancer and cause hyperactivity in children. On the other side, the 'healthy' hot chocolates are actually still VERY high in sugar, even if it is the natural kind! Fortunately we created one that is extremely low in sugar (<1g per serve of NATURAL sugar) AND is 100% naturally made from plants.... nothing artificial at all!

5. Protein for the win!

Protein has become a little obsession of ours as of late as we have seen monumental changes in our energy, weight and satisfaction when incorporating it into every meal. BUT, did you also know that it helps balance blood sugar levels? Increased blood sugar spikes contributes to fluctuations in energy levels, low mood, fatigue and brain fog AND..... sugar cravings! We have been advised to incorporate 100g at each meal for best results and this has helped us reduce those pesky sugar cravings.

6. Sleeping beauty

Ever feel hung over when you have had a poor night's sleep? Us too. The craving for high-calorie, sugary, or salty snacks when tired is primarily due to physiological reasons. When we're tired, our body's blood sugar levels are impacted. Sugar provides a quick energy fix by boosting these levels, which is why chocolate and lollies become our go-to options. Sleep hygiene is critical in reducing your cravings. We always stop screens an hour before bed, make ourselves a SLEEP LUKA, dim the lights and read our favourite book to ensure we have the best night's sleep possible. It won't always go to plan of course (kids!) but since making it a priority, we have noticed far more energy and far less cravings!

We hope you find these hacks helpful and would love to hear if you have any other hacks that we can share with our LUKA Community.

Lots of Love

Lucy and Kate

xxxx