Sugar free diet: Delicious chocolate chips and berries muffins

I’m going sugar-free! (almost…)

A few weeks ago, I jokingly posted this status on my Facebook page:

Today marks 6 weeks without any sugar. I’ve stopped eating meat and dairy, too. No caffeine, no diet soda. Walking first, and now running six miles every day before breakfast… I plan to make this my new lifestyle. Completely vegan, gluten-free, caffeine-free, and sugar-free. And also working out for 2 hours every day! (I don’t know whose status this is, but I was really proud of them so I decided to copy and paste!)

 

I thought it was hilarious because food is my guilty pleasure and never in a million years I would have considered going on a diet. Why would I? I don’t have allergies, I’m happy with my weight, and I’m healthy overall. Well, that was until I stubbled upon an article called Are You Addicted to Sugar? The mains symptoms were being tired all the time and cravings for sweet foods. The author was describing me uncomfortably well: foggy, always hungry, and grumpy when out of sweets.

I’ve always had a sweet tooth. My favorite snacks are crèpes with Nutella, chocolate croissants, and cupcakes. I blame it on my origins, growing up in France where I had access to the best desserts and pastries. Needless to say, going low-sugar was a big decision for me! You’re probably wondering how long I lasted with this sudden resolution? Well, it’s been 10 days and so far I’m hanging in there.

What to eat on a low-sugar diet?

I’ve been operating under the belief that certain sugars in moderation are okay so I’ve allowed myself natural sugars like whole fruits and some honey. I’m okay with artificial sweeteners once in while. So far, I’ve been able to keep my daily sugar intake around 10g which is amazing for someone like me. According to this informative article, the average American’s sugar consumption is 94 grams per day!

Since I’ve always loved dessert, the first thing I tried to make was something to fulfill my need for a treat without consuming much sugar. I’ve come up with an awesome muffin recipe which you can tweak a little if you want. I make mine with raspberries, blueberries, and sugar-free chocolate chips.

Side note: Something that’s been bothering since I started this new diet is the amount of times I’ve googled “sugar-free cookies recipe” to then open the article and find out that they use applesauce, maple syrup, honey, or other forms of sugar like that. While yes, it’s not refined sugar, it is still sugar. It’s false-advertising! That’s why my recipe is a no-refined/low-sugar recipe. Okay, rant over.

So here it is. My low-sugar berry chocolate muffin recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of 100% whole-wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips
• 1 cup of berries (I use raspberries and blueberries)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of unsweetened (no sugar added) apple sauce
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk or almond milk
• 2/3 cup of honey
• 1/3 cup of olive oil or unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• a pinch of ground ginger
• a pinch of salt

 

Instructions:

1- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

2- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, chocolate chips, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt

3- In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together to combine them: eggs, apple sauce, coconut milk, honey, and olive oil

4- Gradually stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients

5- Pour your mixture into a muffin pan, make sure to grease your mold with a an oil spray so they don’t stick

6- Bake for 14 minutes

7- Et voilà! Your low-sugar chocolate berry muffins are ready! Did I mention they are picky eater approved? 😉

Bon appétit!