The simple tricks to help you still enjoy eating out
- Nicole Mowbray stopped eating sugar-rich and processed food, and alcohol
- Also anything made from refined wheat (bread and pasta) and potatoes
- Says while first week was tough, she no longer misses that bar of chocolate
- Has learned how to deal with difficult situations - now you can, too
Nicole had become dependent on sugar
Two years ago, I was overweight, unhappy, stressed out and moody with spots and bad habits. And I was exhausted and often felt ill.
The cause? I'd become dependent on sugar: hopelessly, chemically and emotionally dependent on it.
So, I stopped eating sugar-rich foods. That included not only the obvious culprits, but all processed food, alcohol, anything made from refined wheat (bread and pasta) and potatoes.
Admittedly, the first week was tough. But once your larder is restocked with nuts, oatcakes and kale chips, you no longer miss that bar of chocolate you used to have every afternoon.
But what if your neighbour buys you a box of chocolates and then sits down with you to share them over a cup of tea?
Or what if you go to a friend's house and she's made pulled pork - a dish that's marinated in sticky sugars - served in white bread buns with a sweet barbecue sauce and chips?
Do you tell her you can't eat it, then munch through your emergency packet of oatcakes while everyone else is tucking in to dinner?
I've learned how to deal with these situations - and here's how you can, too.
OATCAKES FOR PUDDING
Most of my friends know I no longer eat sugar and cater accordingly. However, if I'm invited to dinner, I never remind them or ask what they're going to cook.
I don't want to be neurotic and controlling, so I normally eat what I'm given. It's not the end of the world if it's not low in sugar. And home-made food is usually fine.
If I'm asked beforehand if there's anything I don't eat, I say I don't have a sweet tooth, so I'm not keen on puddings.
Sometimes I take a selection of cheese with oatcakes, which the hostess can whip out at dessert time. This ensures I have something on my plate while all the other guests are oohing and aahing over their chocolate torte.
I also bring fizzy water to drink instead of alcohol.
VEG NOT FRUIT
Fruit is incredibly high in sugar, so don't overdose on it. Most of your five a day should come from vegetables.
Fill your fruit bowl with avocados, lemons and limes.
The occasional helping of antioxidant-rich dark berries (blueberries and blackberries) is OK, as these contain less sugar than other fruit.
You could eat cheese with oatcakes after dinner, and most of your five a day should come from veg
PACK A PICNIC
Soon after I gave up sugar, I stopped at a service station to buy a snack, but there was nothing I could have!
There wasn't even plain water - only Volvic Touch Of Fruit Lemon And Lime flavoured water, which has 27g of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
That's the equivalent of 7 tsp of sugar or three Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
The other day, I was catching a train from Victoria in London and searched in vain for something I could eat in the station shops among all the doughnuts, sweets, sandwiches, cupcakes and sushi (it's sugar that makes the rice sticky).
I had to go outside the station to a nearby branch of Pret a Manger and grab a bag of their tasty (and, at £1.50, pricey) kale chips.
The worst places for a sugar-free snack are newsagents, with their rows of chocolates, sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks.
Airports aren't much better. Obviously, alcohol is out, so I drink fizzy water on the plane or spicy tomato juice.
If it's a short-haul flight, I never eat the meal that's served. Usually it's a processed, salty, squidgy mess that isn't really worth its calories.
Instead, I stop off at a Marks & Spencer's Simply Food outlet and buy carrot and celery batons with hummus or bags of nuts and wasabi peas.
Yes, you can have a drink!
If you'd like to indulge, go for a glass of red wine and sip it slowly
Alcohol is full of sugar.
If you must have a drink, try vodka - which is low in sugar - with soda and a squeeze of lime for flavour.
But beware!
Six weeks after giving up sugar, I felt light-headed after just two sips!
At a dinner party, if you'd really like to indulge, go for a glass of red wine and sip it slowly.
Wine is lower in sugar than many types of beer, so it's a better choice.
HOW TO BEAT WHEAT
If you live or work in a big city there's a lot of choice for lunch. At the canteen salad bar, a sandwich chain, a little independent place or a health-food eatery, you're bound to find a selection of low-sugar meals.
But if you're trying to follow a low-sugar plan in rural Derbyshire or the Pennines, you should probably put together a packed lunch.
The easiest way to do this is to make a bit extra of what you ate the night before, then freeze it or put it in the fridge for lunch later in the week.
Otherwise, soups are great (but check the label for sugar), as are salads.
If you want sandwiches, avoid processed white or brown bread and opt for breads made from spelt, rye or amaranth.
And good old oatcakes can be topped with smoked salmon, hummus, avocado or beetroot.
You can also take a little pot of full-fat natural yogurt into work to round off your meal.
You can also take a little pot of full-fat natural yogurt into work to round off your meal.
The body often misinterprets dehydration as hunger
PECKISH? SIP WATER
IN MY drawer at work, I always have oatcakes, unsalted nuts and a jar of ground cinnamon to provide an instant flavour hit to coffee, porridge or yogurt.
Choose organic corn chips - think Doritos, but without all the artificial flavourings. Get plain if you can, lightly salted if you have to.
Only eat snacks when you're hungry, not when you're bored. It's best to drink a glass of water first - the body often misinterprets dehydration as hunger - and then see if you still feel hungry.
TIPS FOR GOING OUT
Bear in mind a few key rules when eating out:
■ Shy away from sauces. The more gloopy the sauce, the more likely it is to be packed with sugar. Hoisin or black bean are prime examples.
■ Avoid the bread basket. If you're super hungry, have a few nuts before you go out.
■ Puddings are a no-no. Have cheese or do without.
■ Avoid the bread basket. If you're super hungry, have a few nuts before you go out.
■ Puddings are a no-no. Have cheese or do without.
MY TAKE ON TAKEOUT
Most are high in sugar. For an Indian takeaway, I order dry chicken tikka with raita (cucumber or mint yogurt).
If your local doesn't deliver brown rice, stick some on the stove when you order and it should be ready by the time the meal arrives.
At a Chinese takeaway, choose a veggie dish with as little sauce as possible.
Pizzas from big chains are often high in fat, wheat (the body converts this to sugar faster than any other grain) and salt, so should be avoided.
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Restaurants that are safe choices
STEAK HOUSES, FRENCH RESTAURANTS AND GRILLS
There's nearly always something you can eat - a grilled fillet steak with spinach or a salad, for example.
FISH
MY favourite option. Order poached or grilled fish, but avoid creamy sauces.
ASIAN
Stir-fries with little or no sauce are fine, but Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and Malaysian food tends to be sweet. Choose a dry rice dish or sauteed veggies.
BURGER JOINTS
Cut the bun - and go easy on the ketchup and mayonnaise.
JAPANESE
One of the worst options is sushi (because of the sugary white rice), so go for sashimi - thin slices of fish - and ask for brown rice on the side.
ITALIAN
Pizza, pasta and white rice are high on the glycaemic index, which means they quickly turn to sugar inside the body.
However, many Italians do grilled meat or fish and salads. Otherwise, opt for pasta with a light vongole (clams) sauce and get back to your low-sugar regimen in the morning.
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