Calorie-Free Ways To Get Your Sugar Fix

The Problem with Sugar

Many dieters think they need to avoid sugar like the plague when losing fat. Though this isn't the case.

While it’s true that sugar is nutritionally void, and contains little more than empty calories, sugar in itself won’t prevent, or even slow down your fat loss. In the context of a balanced diet, moderate sugar consumption won’t even have a detrimental effect on health and wellbeing.

Like any other carbohydrate, sugar contains 4 calories per gram. This isn't as much as fat, which comes in at 9 calories per gram, but the main issue with sugar is how easy it is to consume a large amount of it.

Take a sugary coffee, such as a caramel Frappuccino for instance – a large one has over 60 grams of sugar (240 calories) and wouldn't fill you up one bit. Add sugar to your drinks, sip on fizzy drinks or soda, consume cereal bars and chocolate bars, and even ready made sauces on a regular basis, and your sugar count easily racks up.

Additionally, by eating more sugar, you’re giving yourself less room for more nutrient-dense, high fibre foods. If you’re aiming to eat 200 grams of carbohydrates per day, and get 150 grams of them from sugar, that only leaves you with a miniscule 50 grams of carbs from more nutritious foods, such as vegetables, whole-grains and beans.

By now, hopefully you’re starting to see that while sugar isn't a dietary devil in itself, the way most people consume it, and the effect it has in terms of altering the rest of your diet makes it far from the best thing to be pounding down when dieting.

Additionally, eating sugar can often increase sweet cravings. When you eat something high in sugar, your blood sugar levels rise fairly rapidly, particularly if you eat sugar by itself. This leads to an energy spike, followed by an energy crash, leading to lethargy and an increase in hunger.

So you’re in a catch-22 – you've got sweet cravings, but fulfilling them by eating sugar will only exacerbate them and make you want even more sugar. What do you do?

See Also: Sugar Addiction: How to Stop Sugar Cravings

You needn't go completely calorie-free when making your sugar switches, as eating or drinking something with zero calories may well make you even hungrier, and though it may satisfy your cravings, won’t do much to really solve your hunger issues. Therefore, the suggestions are split into two parts – calorie-free ways to get something sweet, and lower-calorie, lower-sugar alternatives to your favorite sugar-packed snacks.

Zero-Calorie Ways To Treat Your Sugar Cravings

Splenda

Or any artificial sweetener for that matter.

Despite many peoples’ objections to artificial sweeteners, they are a godsend in terms of treating sugar cravings. Additionally, any claims that they have a negative impact on health tend to be grossly overstated or completely unfounded.

In the quantity humans consume them however, they pose no dangers, and can help you adhere to a diet for longer.

Sucralose, aspartame on Truvia are all ones you can try out.

Coffee

Coffee itself may not be “sweet” but it is an effective, calorie-free craving buster. By combining coffee with the aforementioned artificial sweetener, you can also make it into something sweet.

Sugar-Free Syrups

Usually order a coffee with hazelnut, vanilla or caramel syrup at Starbucks? Switch that order to sugar-free syrup. These are usually sweetened with an artificial sweetener, and taste almost the same as the real thing.

Diet Drinks

Diet coke, coke zero, Pepsi Max, Dr. Pepper Zero….. the list goes on. With so many sugar-free options when it comes to soda and fizzy drinks, there really s no need to drink a regular one ever again.  

Sparkling Water

Carbonated water or seltzer can provide a refreshing alternative to sugary soda. You can add a squeeze of lemon, lime, or a splash of unsweetened fruit juice for extra flavor without many calories.

Chewing Gum

Want something to take your mind off a sugar craving? Chew gum.

Most brands offer sugar-free gum, and just like diet drinks and sugar-free syrups, you can’t notice the taste between that and the normal stuff.

Sugar-Free Popsicles

Look for sugar-free or low-calorie popsicles as a cool and refreshing way to satisfy your sweet tooth. You can experiment with different fruit combinations, add a touch of vanilla extract or spices like cinnamon, or even incorporate herbs like mint for a unique flavor twist.

Almost Zero-Calorie Ways to Treat Your Sugar Cravings

As effective as the above all are, sometimes you need something just that bit more substantial, which is where slightly higher-calorie options come in.

Greek Froyo

For ice cream or froyo without all the sugar, you can’t beat frozen Greek yoghurt. Typically containing only 4 to 8 grams of sugar per 100 grams, depending on brand, Greek yoghurt makes an excellent froyo when mixed with some sugar-free syrup, perhaps a little protein powder, or even a few berries.

Fruit

Most fruits are high-ish in sugar (bananas, dried fruit and tropical fruits especially) but as mentioned above, berries are an excellent alternative, with just 3 to 6 grams of sugar per serving.

Homemade Smoothies

Make your own smoothies with unsweetened almond milk or water as a base and add a combination of frozen fruits and a small amount of unsweetened cocoa powder or vanilla extract for flavor.

Protein Fluff

Take some protein powder, some almond milk and a thickening agent such as xanthan gum and bled along with some ice cubes. You’ll need to give this quite a blitz, and potentially add a little water too, but the end result is worth it. You’ll get a big bowl of protein fluff for around 150 calories, with only a couple of grams of sugar.

See Also: The More Sugar You Eat, The More Sugar You Want: Here's Why

Smooth Operator

Protein powder makes an appearance again here, as protein smoothies are just about one of the best ways to get a sweet drink without all the sugar of a soda or milkshake. 

There you have it – some calorie-free, and some very-nearly calorie-free ways to ensure you get all the taste associated with sugary foods and drinks, but without the negatives involved.