Could you go SUGAR FREE?

With her weight creeping up, Debbi Marco decided to tackle her sweet tooth for a week to see if she could get her healthy eating back on track

- WORDS: DEBBI MARCO

As the waistband on my jeans continues to get tighter and the number on the scales creeps slowly in the wrong direction, it's clear I need to change my diet. While I exercise regularly and think I eat healthily, I have to admit that my sugary snacking habit is out of control. I love biscuits, chocolate and cakes and pick throughout the day. With the likes of celeb chef Tom Kerridge and fitness guru Joe Wicks cutting back on the sweet stuff in the name of health, I decide to go cold turkey on added sugar - including honey and maple syrup - and cut it out for a week to reset my eating habits (although I'll still eat natural sugars in fruit and juice). Here’s how I get on...

Monday

I've swapped my normal oat milk (I don't like the taste of cow's milk) for a sugar-free option and I can't taste the difference in my morning coffee, which is a good start. I eat a breakfast of scrambled eggs and homemade sourdough that only has flour, water and salt in it. I'm starting to think this might be easy until I get to my lecturer job and realise the cafe has no sugar-free oat milk. I order coffee with cow's milk, but it's undrinkable for me so I must go without my second much-needed coffee.

I've brought food with me, so I snack on an apple, some oatcakes and dried fruit. I head for coffee with a friend at lunch and avoid all the cakes and pastries, opting for a 100% fruit smoothie instead. It’s not as satisfying as a slice of chocolate cake, but I feel good for resisting.

Dinner is homemade lamb, rice and veg curry so there's no problem with any added sugar. But not having anything to snack on is hard, so I find a recipe for 'biscuits' that are sweetened with dates. They’re more like rock cakes, but do the job for a quick snack.