Why Going Sugar Free Isn't Everything

After reading Suzanne Moore's article documenting her 14-days or sugar-free dieting over on the Guardian I'm frankly a bit worried. 

“A workable, affordable diet that is not downright antisocial is now the thing I crave most of all.”

Thank you Suzanne, this short sentence says it all! What kind of example are we setting our children when we rid the house of all fruit, most root vegetables and grains? There are benefits to going sugar-free for a short spell, the main one being that we fairly quickly become aware of just how much sugar we are consuming without knowing it and this hopefully enables us to make more informed choices in the future but let’s not kid ourselves that this diet (way of life being the true definition of the word) is sustainable in the long term. And, how healthy is it really? The body craves/needs balance - a balance of the three major micronutrients; carbohydrates, protein and fat and that can only be achieved when we have a varied and colourful diet full of largely-unprocessed foods. A little of what you fancy - as our great grannies were wont to say - is in my view, the sustainable route to improved all-round health and happiness and if that means the occasional sweet indulgence which may not tick all the healthy boxes but sure as hell ticks the happiness box, what possible damage can that do? And please, whatever you do, don’t ever regard fresh fruit as the enemy - it is packed with fibre, vitamins, minerals and health-protective plant chemicals and it’s natural sugars go a very long way toward satisfying our hard-wired need for a bit of sweetness in our lives!

Have you tried going sugar-free? Let me know your thoughts using the hashtag #DietNotDepravation

It's Clearly Time to Find a Few Hot Drink Alternatives!

Oh dear, what are we to do when the weather is cold and miserable and we need a warm and comforting cuppa with a sweet edge? While the high street coffee chains are deliberating how they are going to defend themselves against the barrage of media coverage regarding the crazy amounts of added sugars in many of their tea, coffee and chocolate hot drink concoctions (click here for a detailed analysis which makes pretty scary reading), best advice right now is to give most of them a very wide berth and get hooked on some tasty alternatives that won't crank up your daily sugar consumption!

Try some of these - many of which provide natural sugars from fruits, milks and raw ingredients and where sugar is occasionally added, be confident that it's no more than a couple of teaspoons:

• Hot Spiced Fruit Tea. Stock up on fruit tea bags (there's a huge variety out there) and infuse them for at least 10 minutes (the longer the better) with your spices of choice (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, chilli flakes etc). For a little added sweetness, sling in a teaspoon of raw honey or pure maple syrup and stir well.
• Hot Lemon and Ginger. Warming and great for the digestion. Add a pinch of sea salt, a good grating of fresh ginger, a generous squeeze of lemon juice and a teaspoon of raw honey to a mug of boiling water, let it all infuse for 5 minutes and sip slowly.
• Hot Apple Cider. Make this one at home and flask it if you are heading to work or are out for the day. Place chopped apple, orange segments, half a cinnamon stick and a teaspoon of raw sugar or molasses in a pan, cover with water and simmer very, very gently for 30 minutes. Strain and flask.
• Hot Chocolate. Heat a mug of nut milk (almond or oat milk are great as they are naturally-sweet) and gently stir in a couple of heaped teaspoons of dark chocolate granules (Green & Blacks are a good choice). For a little indulgent addition, grate some very dark chilli chocolate over the top.
• Fat Coffee. Filling, energising, fat-busting and some might say 'addictive' as an alternative to your morning cuppa! Click here for my recipe.
• And... What About Soup? Simply the best comforting hot drink there is when you are cold and need a nutritional hug! One that is super-quick to prepare, easy to transport and brings a lovely natural sweetness with it, is my Very Quick Tomato (click here for recipe).

Sugar Free Farm - Episode 2

I think the over-riding thing we learned this week is that Mark is none-too-taken with a vegetarian diet! I sympathise here as I am a fan of including meat, poultry and game (preferably from ‘the wild’, from sympathetically-reared animals and from sustainable sources) in diets for those who are not following a vegetarian/vegan way of life for whatever good reason. Vitamin B12 is an essential micronutrient and animal-derived foods are our only source which is why strict vegetarians and vegans are encouraged to supplement. Deficiency can result in fatigue, muscle weakness, memory loss, heart palpitations, bleeding gums, mouth sores, nausea, poor appetite and diarrhoea.

However, the celebrities are getting plenty of filling and nutritious plant protein alongside the occasional buffalo meatball so they should be just fine and most of them are beginning to feel pretty good BUT I would really like to see more fish and shellfish which are a great source of protein, hike our B12 levels up nicely AND can't be beat for their richness in brain and energy-boosting 'good' fats.

With luck you are still feeling focused and determined to stay on the reduced sugar road so here are a few suggestions for lunch and dinner dishes that won’t involve quite as much time in the kitchen as appears to be the case in the sugar free farm kitchen! Click on any of the images below to take you to my recipe page where you can download, save and print off those that you might like to try this week .... and stay tuned for my thoughts on episode 3 next week...

What did you think to Sugar Free Farm episode 2? Let me know using the hashtag #SugarFreeFarm

An Alternative Burns Supper

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face...

As Robert himself exclaims -

"auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware that jaups in luggies: but, if ye wish her grateful prayer, gie her a Haggis"

(Old Scotland wants no watery stuff, that splashes in small wooden dishes; but if you wish her grateful prayer, give her [Scotland] a Haggis)

No watery stuff indeed Mr. Burns. So in honour of the big man's birthday I'm bringing you a run down of the best alternative ways to enjoy your Burn's Night tonight from around the internet:

We start with a simple dish from Jamie Oliver - Tattie Scones with Smoked Salmon.

Jamie adds scrambled eggs to his for more of a breakfast take but I think it would work great as a starter. Or if you made wee tattie scones, they would make marvellous canapés!

Next we have Hardeep Singh Kholi's Haggis Baba Ganoush on The Scotsman.

You can make a massive batch of this for your guests to snack on or you could do some individual portions as a side dish as it is quite a light one considering it's haggis content.

There's actually some great Burns Night dishes on The Scotsman's site. If you're feeling adventurous I'd try the Haggis Cannelloni from Tom Kitchn!

Another starter from Evening Standard to consider, and you know I love to get a soup into anyone's diet - Neeps & Tatties Soup.

They've switched out normal potatoes for sweet potatoes which is inspired. This will add a lovely richness to the dish and also give you that great orange colour.

A Wee Pinch of Sugar brings us Haggis, Leeks and Scallops to give a surf and turf feel to your evening. 

Add a Whiskey Mac-esq. sauce for a nice twist on a classic.

Then of course there's my own Warm Haggis Salad.

Great for any occasion and also delicious if you mix in some black pudding too!

Or you could always make one you self like Food Urchin over on Great British Chefs....

Have a great evening all and please do share your Burns Night creations using the hashtag #DietNotDepravation