The start of a New Year is often synonymous with healthy eating, particularly reducing sugar intake after the indulgence of the festive period, but it doesn’t mean you need to compromise on taste!
Many of us treat the New Year as a new start. Be it a change in job, change in lifestyle or simply to cut down on the things we tend to indulge in. One such topic which is constantly in the media at the moment is the large number of people looking to reduce their sugar intake, myself included.
I had the pleasure of attending Splenda’s first ever Sweet School back in December and it was an eye opening experience, reminding me of just how much hidden sugars we consume on a daily basis.
You can read more about my experience here!
I’ve now teamed up with Splenda and Tots 100 to bring you a healthy and tasty recipe for the new year, to showcase that just because you’re reducing your sugar intake, it doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on taste or how it looks!
The beauty of Splenda is that you can still enjoy all your favourite treats, without compromise. Sounds good doesn’t it!
Why is this?
Well, Splenda is made with sucralose which means that it’s heat stable to up to 232c (unlike other low calorie sweeteners) and this means that you can still bake cakes and sweet treats and be confident that they will still look and taste great.
Helen Bond, Registered Dietician advised recently that ‘On average people gain between one and five lbs (0.5-2.5kg) over the Christmas period. And, you only need to take in 500 additional calories (kcals) a day over five weeks to see the scales register an extra 5lbs’.
Top Tips and key things to be aware of
By being aware of what will quickly add up the calories, you can put measures in place to ensure you don’t pile on the pounds.
- Healthy Breakfast – always start the day with a healthy breakfast, it will help to not only provide you with energy for the day, but it will also kick start your metabolism and keep you full for longer (check out our recipe for Breakfast Granola Pots at the bottom of this article)
- Eat seasonal fruit and veg – by eating your 5-a-day recommendation, it will ensure you maintain a more balanced diet
- Exercise – the New Year is a great time to put a new routine in place. It can be a great stress reliever which will help to make you feel calmer and happier.
- Meal plan – skipping meals will cause you to pick at often unhealthy foods. By meal planning, you can stay focused, and have meals ready to go with little effort.
- Make time for you – the New Year can often be a time of re-evaluation, and planning for the year ahead. Make sure you plan some ‘you time’ to reduce the chance of burning the candle at both ends.
- Swap sugar for Splenda – by swapping those 2 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee/tea, you could save yourself 128kcals each time. So, imagine, if you drink 4 cups a day, that can equate to almost 1kg bag of sugar in just 1 month, or 3200kcals. Shocking isn’t it!
Breakfast Granola Pot
I’ve come up with a delicious and quick to make breakfast pot to help you kickstart your healthier New Year.
In just minutes you can have a beautiful and tasty breakfast that bucks the trend when it comes to boring cereals, you just need to be mindful of the ingredients.
You will need:
- 1 pot unsweetened dairyfree natural yoghurt
- 1 tbsp Splenda granulated
- 1 vanilla pod - split and seeds scraped out
- Handful gluten-free unsweetened/low sugar granola
- Handful frozen berries
Method:
Add the pot of yoghurt, Splenda and vanilla seeds to a bowl and stir until well combined.
Spoon the mixture into serving pots
Add a sprinkle of granola over the top
Add a few frozen berries on top of the granola and serve
Enjoy!
(NB: Make in a jar with a lid the night before, and you have breakfast on the go!)
Comments
RSS feed for comments to this post