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Yep, they exist – Take it from me, a girl with a big sweet tooth ;) By Melissa Fine, Nutritionist and GoodnessMe Box Health Editor.
Trying to cut down on sugar but stuck for ideas in the snack department? Here are five of my favourite go-to snacks that keep me satisfied between main meals and my sweet tooth under control, without too much sugar.
1) Strawberries with Coconut Butter ‘Dip’
Strawberries are super sweet and juicy right now – Plus, they’re fructose-free and an average cup’s worth contains under 6g of sugar, making them one of the lowest sugar fruits. And remember that fruit is so much more than sugar; Strawberries are a wholefood, wrapped in fibre and packed with vitamin C and potassium.
Serve a handful or two with a couple teaspoons coconut butter for dipping. Coconut butter is extra creamy, blended coconut flesh that tastes sweet but is low in sugar; High in filling fibre too (Find it at health food stores).
2) Green Apple and Cheese
Green apple for some sweetness, fibre and crunch…Cheese for a little fat and protein to tide you over; Plus the flavour and texture combo of apple and cheese just works. Not a cheese fan/Don’t do dairy? Sub the cheese with a tablespoon of almond butter instead; I love the dry-roasted, lightly salted varieties.
3) Miso Soup
I have this one a lot! I used to buy the instant miso sachets from the health food store, but now I’ve moved onto pure miso paste (I use ‘shiro’, a lighter coloured, slightly sweeter variety). A tablespoon of this mixed with boiling water gives you a savoury broth that reminds me a bit of vegie or chicken stock.
Sip it slowly and straight up if you aren’t really hungry but are craving something sweet – Savoury, salty and umami, I find I no longer want something sweet after a cup of miso. Or, if you need something more substantial between lunch and dinner, add some firm tofu and chopped zucchini (which will lightly cook through from the boiling water) - Delish!
4) 90% dark chocolate
Try this if chocolate’s what you’re craving, BUT don’t shove a row of this in your mouth like you might do with milk chocolate ;). Dark chocolate with a 90% cacao/cocoa content has an almost negligent amount of added sugar and is usually milk-free, so it’s not as sweet or creamy as varieties of milk or dark chocolate with a lower percentage of cacao. Still, it does the trick in satisfying my sweet tooth come 3.30. It’s also hard to go overboard with 90% dark chocolate; The rich, bittersweet taste of the cacao really lingers in your mouth, so you’re more likely to eat it slowly and appreciate the intense flavours.
5) A Fruit-Free Snack Bar
Like Food for Health’s Cinnamon Bar; With just 421kJ/bar (that’s low far a snack bar – most are closer to 800kJ) and 2g of sugar (also super low), this is a much healthier alternative to your average muesli/fruit and nut bar, often loaded with a meal’s worth of kilojoules as well as fructose-loaded sweeteners like honey, agave and dried fruit (Fructose is the worst of all the sugars because it lights up our brain’s reward centre, making us want to eat more of the stuff).
A better-for-you snack bar will be lightly sweetened with low-fructose rice malt syrup or stevia, and based on whole grains like oats or gluten free buckwheat, as well as nuts and seeds for some fibre, healthy fats and protein…A combo like this will help keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady.
Food for Health: Cinnamon Bars Fructose free / No added sugar / Australian owned & made / Gluten free / Dairy Free / Nothing artificial, just the good stuff! The perfect guilt free snack to keep in your bag for that 3pm hit, or just when you have the munchies anytime of the day.