Have your cake and eat it with sugar free treats

Then, they tell me how they could never quit sugar themselves. “I love my dessert!”, they exclaim.

We treat ourselves with sweets. A muffin for elevenses, a chocolate bar in the afternoon, a tub of ice cream in front of Netflix. Scientists have found that eating sugar releases opioids and dopamine in our bodies, making it as addictive as drugs. The more sugar we consume, the more we crave.

Well, I have found a way to have my cake and eat it. And I help others do the same with my recipe website Sugar Free Londoner.

Muswell Hill mum Katrin Nuernberger founded website the Sugar Free Londoner seven years ago after quitting sugar due to a health problem (Image: Courtesy Sugar Free Londoner)

My own journey to sugar free and low carb eating began not with being overweight or a looming Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Instead, I had issues with internal inflammation. And what feeds inflammation? Sugar!

After several months of trying out various medications without relief, I changed my diet radically. I quit sugar completely - white and brown, honey and maple syrup, as well as all processed foods and refined carbohydrates. Within a week, my flare-ups disappeared. On top of this, my regular afternoon slumps vanished. I felt energetic and positive, my skin looked better – and I even lost a bit of weight.

Born in Hamburg, I came to the UK for university in my early 20s. I fell in love with the British way of life, then with an Englishman and made London my home. We lived in Primrose Hill until our two children outgrew their bedroom, then moved to a house in Muswell Hill. Once a North Londoner, always a North Londoner!

The experience of turning my health around by simply changing what I ate was profound. That’s why I decided to share it – by starting my own recipe website.

Within a short space of time, Sugar Free Londoner grew from a hobby into a business. I was able to quit my day job as a journalist and concentrate on running the website full-time. Every day, I pinch myself that I get to cook and bake for a living!

Now, here’s the best part. You don’t have to quit treats when you quit sugar. There are hundreds of dessert recipes on Sugar Free Londoner, from Bakewell Tart to Victoria Sponge Cake to Chocolate Brownies. All are perfectly sweet yet low in sugars and carbs.

How? Well, I replace sugar with zero calorie natural sweeteners such as erythritol, monk fruit or allulose. And instead of regular flour I use low carb flours such as ground almonds or coconut flour. In terms of sweeteners I recommend and regularly use Bocha Sweet (via Amazon.co.uk), Lakanto and Allulose (via luckyvitamin.com))

By making these simple swaps, you are keeping your blood sugar levels stable and feel satisfied for longer.

Every day I hear from readers that they feel better, have lost weight or even reversed their type 2 diabetes by following a low carb diet – whilst enjoying sugar free desserts from my website.

Here I share one of my favourite recipes: Low carb scones, served with a dollop of clotted cream and homemade low carb strawberry jam.

Katrin's jam is made with fresh strawberries and thickened with chia seeds (Image: Courtesy Sugar Free Londoner)

Almond Flour Scones

Ingredients:

225g ground almonds

45g granulated sweetener (erythritol, xylitol or monk fruit)

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

60g butter

1 egg, large, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Pinch of salt (optional)

1 egg, beaten (for brushing the tops)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C electric / 160C fan assisted.

Melt the butter, then blend it with the lemon zest, vanilla extract and egg until creamy.

Stir together the ground almonds, sweetener, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend until a smooth dough forms.

Form a ball and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten it into a disc shape (1 inch thick).

Use a round cookie cutter (2.3-inch diameter) to cut out 5 scones, or simply form scone shapes with your hands.

Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake for 18-22 minutes until golden. Let the scones cool completely before cutting – they are fragile while warm and firm up as they cool.

Low Carb Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

400g strawberries, diced

·2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground chia seeds

1 tablespoon powdered sweetener (optional)

Method:

Put the diced strawberries in a pan with the water and lemon juice and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and cook for around 15 minutes to soften.

Mash the strawberries with a fork and cook for a further 30 minutes until reduced by half. Stir regularly with a spatula to prevent burning. Towards the end, stir continuously.

Taste and add powdered sweetener if desired. Add the ground chia seeds to thicken.

Let cool and serve.

https://sugarfreelondoner.com/ has more than 400 flour and sugar free recipes.