The sweetest feeling: low-sugar living

Instead, I’d get my nutrients from upping my vegetables and, wherever possible, I’d try to avoid refined carbohydrates — pasta, bread, white rice, refined cereals and potatoes, all foods that have a high GI. Eating these foods causes your body to release a surge of insulin that converts the sugars you’re consuming into stored fat. It’s not good for the body, the brain or the waistline. After the kick-start, Duigan advised continuing a less strict version of the plan forever.

I fretted about my social life. My friends were all fun, carefree young women who weren’t hung up on food. I really didn’t want to become the neurotic friend they’d see for a salad but avoid on a night out. Also, the drinking thing. That crisp champagne or refreshing G&T of an evening is an instant de-stresser. I liked nothing more than an evening out with friends and cocktails (mine was a mojito).

But I knew that if I wanted to feel — and look — better, I had to change. Two days into my detox, hobbled by agonising headaches and a complete lack of energy, I took to my bed for a day. My waistline wanted to get rid of the white stuff, my brain did not. It sent me fantasies of big glasses of elderflower cordial. Visions of Prestat’s Rose & Violet Chocolate Crèmes. I craved crunchy honey-roasted cashew nuts and a mojito with a layer of muscovado an inch thick at the bottom of the glass. Popcorn! Pistachio ice cream! A KitKat Chunky! Only knowing I never wanted to feel this bad again kept me on the wagon.

Friends were aghast. I was ‘no fun any more’. Those first few weeks, I rarely stayed awake past 10pm before descending into a fitful, clammy sleep. When I did meet friends, my clean regime appeared to make others feel decidedly self-conscious about their own menu choices. They’d say things like, ‘For God’s sake, you only live once!’ when I forfeited a glass of white wine or ordered a salad (no dressing, thanks) instead of spaghetti carbonara.

But four (testing) weeks in, I’d lost a stone (dropping from a size 16 to a 14). The broken sleep began abating. People commented on how the whites of my eyes were brighter and that my skin looked ‘healthy’ or ‘glowing’.

I felt energised, and enlisted trainer and nutritionist Holly Pannett to target the excess weight in the area around my back and waist. ‘There’s a direct relationship to sugar and an increase in insulin and levels of the stress hormone cortisol,’ she told me. ‘Cortisol increases the dreaded fat around your belly so by limiting your sugar intake, you’ll target this area, fast.’ She was right.

And within two months, it wasn’t only my body but my mental state that was improving. The emotional roller coaster of sugar highs and lows I’d got so used to had disappeared. I felt fuller quicker and for longer. But I can’t deny I felt deprived. After all, sugar is also emotionally addictive. ‘There are deep emotional associations with sweet foods,’ says Duigan. ‘Birthdays are marked by cakes drenched in sugar, sweets are given to soothe scraped knees. By the time we’re teens we associate sugary foods with happy times and making ourselves feel better.’

The benefits of a low-sugar diet can extend far beyond the surface. Cell inflammation not only ages the skin, it depletes the body’s vitamins and minerals, compromising your immune system. Oncologists and doctors believe excessive sugar consumption has contributed to the growth in cancer. Increasing amounts of research point towards a link between high-sugar intake and mental illness — depression, anxiety and aggression.

Thankfully, the damage can be reversed. ‘The body is an incredible piece of equipment,’ says Duigan, ‘and it will start repairing itself really quickly. Even after a week of being sugar-free, you will feel, and look, healthier.’

Two years after making my sugar-free pact, I haven’t looked back. My tastebuds have been retrained and I rarely crave sugar any more. It’s been a long time coming, but now I’ve written a book on my sugar-free journey and those difficult friends have finally had to accept this is more than just a fad, it’s me.

There are pitfalls, though. Going low-sugar means that you also have to cut out the unrefined sugars that many people praise. Indeed, cookbooks such as Daisy Lowe’s, featuring recipes made with maple syrup, agave, honey and similar substitutes for ‘refined’ sugar, are really missing the point because, as nutritional therapist Ian Marber points out in my book, ‘ultimately, from a nutritional standpoint, they are all a combination of fructose and glucose and, as such, are just another form of sugar’.

Even now, two years on, socialising can still be difficult. While I am fine with only drinking rarely and avoiding desserts in a restaurant, attending a dinner party at someone’s house can be a minefield. I never tell people I don’t eat sugar, I simply eat what I’m given. I do, however, find I cook at home more often and spend a lot more money on food. Buying good-quality ingredients has become my ‘treat’ to myself.

But I deem it worth the sacrifice. Of course, there are times when I buckle and have the odd glass of red wine. Life is about balance. I’m now a small size 12 and full of energy. I weigh two stone less than I used to and my body shape is transformed. My hair and nails have never looked better, I sleep soundly and my skin is (mostly) clear. Best of all, I finally feel like I’m in control of what I’m eating rather than the other way round. And that’s the sweetest treat of all.

Sweet Nothing by Nicole Mowbray is out on 5 June and can be pre-ordered now (Orion, £7.99)

Nutritionist Ian Marber’s sugar-free suggestions

DITCH it

Agave syrup

‘It’s got a similar chemical structure to sugar and can trigger spikes in insulin and blood glucose levels. Think of it as being in the same group as fruit juice and corn syrup.’

SWITCH TO

Stevia

‘I’d use it as a sugar replacement in coffee and baking, or to sprinkle over cereal. It’s more likely to keep your glucose (and energy levels) stable and less likely to be stored as fat.’

DITCH it

Granola

‘It’s just a children’s cereal dressed up in grown-ups’ clothes. I’ve never come across a truly clean granola because it is clusters of grain bound together with liquid sugar.’

SWITCH TO

A nut-rich muesli

‘The higher levels of protein and good fats will offset the sugar content and it’s slow-burning. Even Weetabix with almond flakes and grated apple will do the job.’

DITCH it

Dried fruit
‘Because of the dehydration process, there is naturally a higher sugar percentage (it’s basic maths).’

SWITCH TO

Green crunchy fruit

‘The sourer the better. Choose Granny Smith apples over Pink Lady – it will take longer for the body to turn it into glucose, meaning no spikes and crashes in insulin levels.’

DITCH it

Honey-coated nuts ‘Honey has a lovely romantic aura to it but it’s still a disaccharide. And remember, to make the honey stick, they often use sugar as an adhesive, so it’s a double whammy.’

SWITCH TO

Plain nuts

‘By which I mean unsalted and unsweetened. My top three are walnuts, Brazil nuts and whole almonds with the skin on (which help to reduce cholesterol).’

DITCH it

Sushi

‘The combination of sugar and white wine vinegar is what makes sushi rice sticky, but it’s a hidden sugar.’

SWITCH TO

Sashimi
‘Raw fish with plain rice and seaweed salad or edamame beans will up your protein intake and count as one of your five a day.’

DITCH it

Pineapple juice

‘When you juice something in the old-fashioned way (centrifugal juicer) you’re extracting high levels of sugar without the fibre.’

SWITCH TO

Green vegetable juice ‘It has a low fructose content. I didn’t see a single snap of Coachella without someone holding a green juice.’

DITCH it

Flavoured yoghurts

‘It’s just not possible to get a flavoured yoghurt without sugar. Nine times out of ten they’ll have more sugar than fruit. They ought to call it a sugar yoghurt.’

SWITCH TO

Plain yoghurt

‘I quite like Greek yoghurt because the fat within it is more filling. Put a spoonful of 100 per cent cocoa powder in your yoghurt to trick yourself into thinking it’s chocolate. It works for me.’