How Our Family Went Refined Sugar Free - Part 3: What We Eat

Refined sugar is in everything.  I'm going to be honest: it's hard work removing all refined sugars from your diet.  Almost everything we eat in our house on a everyday basis is cooked and prepared from scratch.  There aren't a lot of items on the supermarket shelves that don't have some form of refined sugar in them, and it isn't just sweet things.  Sauces, marinated meat, stir fry mixes, and dips (to name a few) all contain some form of refined sugar.

Our family doesn't eat added sugar, but we still consume sugar that is found naturally in foods, such as fructose (from fruit) and lactose (from milk).  And, we use sweeteners that are closely related to how they occur in nature, such as honey, dates and maple syrup.  We also enjoy, in moderation, things sweetened with fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate, such as jams or fruit snacks.

Because refined sugar is in everything, including non sweet foods, we have a basic rule.  We don't eat a supermarket item if sugar (for the names of sugar, read this) is listed in the first three ingredients or the item contains more than 6 grams of sugar per 100 grams.


We do, however, eat things that contain refined sugars if they are eaten in small quantities, such as sauces and marinades.  Ultimately, it is my goal to make these from scratch as well, but sometimes life just gets in the way!

Eating naturally sweetened food isn't about giving up everything you love or feeling like you miss out on pleasurable eating experiences.  It's about finding food that is healthier and more fulfilling.  It's about changing your taste buds so that you enjoy things that are naturally sweet, not things that are filled with refined sugars and chemicals and produced by food companies to cause addiction.

To give you an idea of what a day of refined sugar free eating looks like, I've complied a list of the foods that we most commonly eat.

Here's what a day of food looks like for our family:

Breakfast:

• Homemade Granola with natural or Greek yogurt, honey and berries
• Porridge sweetened with honey or naturally sweetened cranberries
• Smoothies made from fresh or frozen fruit, yogurt, milk, oats or LSA, and spinach
• Overnight oats (These are my two favourite recipes: Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats and Apple Pie Overnight Oats)
• Weetbix (these do contain a small amount of raw sugar) with fruit and honey
• Toast with homemade peanut butter

Lunchboxes:

• Homemade Beef Sausage Rolls
• Homemade Vegetarian Pasties
• Homemade Empanadas
• Homemade Cheese and Bean Quesadillas
• Sandwiches (Occasionally)
• Veggie Sticks (Carrots, Capsicum (Green or Red Peppers), Celery)
• Corn on the cob (precooked, then chilled)
• Fruit
• Air-popped Popcorn
• Puffed Corn
• Puffed Rice
• Homemade Muesli Bars
• Homemade Muffins
• Cheese Sticks
• Chobani Honey Yogurt
• Carob Buds (a special treat)

Lunch at Home:

• Leftovers
• Salads

Dinner:

A stereotypical dinner in our house is Mexican, curries or stirfries with lots of veggies.

Dessert:

We don't eat dessert every night, in fact, it's usually a Friday night event for us.  All of our desserts are entirely homemade.

Check out some of our favourite recipes:

• Chocolate Coconut Mousse Pie
• Apple Rhubarb Pie
• Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
• Vanilla Cinnamon Poached Pears

Snacks:

• Fruits and Vegetables
• Puffed Corn
• Air popped Popcorn
• Cheese
• Nuts and Seeds

I hope a glimpse into our family's eating habits has helped you on your journey towards refined sugar free living.  If you have any questions regarding our eating habits, please ask, either via the comments or Facebook.

Keep a look out for the next part of this blog series discussing what changes you can make towards refined sugar free living!