Cut down on sugar with these quick and easy snacks

I honestly think I spend most of my day craving chocolate…

A new National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that the UK population is eating too much sugar. Can you blame us? It’s so easy to grab a bar of chocolate or some biscuits from the supermarket when we do our weekly shop but we’re constantly told that we need to cut down on our sugar intake. It isn’t that simple though. When you need sugar, something in your brain triggers and makes you eat a whole box of Jaffa Cakes or a whole bar of Cadbury’s. We just can’t help ourselves!

But, what if we didn’t have to cut sugar out of our diet completely? There are plenty of replacement foods to satisfy your sugar cravings and although at first, they may not taste as delicious as your favourite bag of sweets, ultimately, they’re way better for you.

Next time you need a sugar hit, why not try one of these alternative snacks:

Prunes

This word makes me shiver but prunes or dates are the perfect snack if you’re craving sugar. Six prunes only contain 100 calories! They are naturally sweet and are much better for you than a bag of Haribo.

Berries

I would happily eat strawberries instead of sweets. Yes, it’s tempting to dip them in melted chocolate but I wouldn’t complain if someone gave me a bowl of strawberries.

“A recent small study in the journal Appetite found that young women who ate 65 calories of mixed berries consumed about 20 percent fewer calories an hour later than women who ate the same number of calories in sweets.”

Banana and almond butter

This is such a quick and tasty snack! If you imagine the almond butter is Nutella while you eat it… It’s even better!

 

Dark chocolate

If you really are a choco-holic and you just NEED your choccy hit, have a few squares of dark chocolate. It’s very rich but not as bad for you as milk chocolate or white chocolate. If craving chocolate is a serious issue for you, this should satisfy the craving.

Frozen grapes

If you’re a fan of sorbet, this is basically the same! Such a tasty snack with a natural source of antioxidants and other polyphenols that can contribute to heart health.

 

Nuts

Nuts are cheap and easy to snack on. You can get such a wide variety too, if you want raisins or dried apricot with them, that’s fine! I find nuts really fill you up if you snack on them. And no… Salted peanuts in the pub do not count.

Sweet potato

I LOVE sweet potato wedges and mash. It’s so tasty but I respect that it is a ‘love-hate’ kinda thing. Sweet potato lives up to its name and is indeed, very sweet! The natural sugars from sweet potato are slowly released into the bloodstream and don’t cause your blood sugar to spike. They are also a great source of potassium, high in iron and contain vitamins B-6, C and D.

What’s your favourite sugary alternative?