How to Deal With Sugar Cravings

I posted a couple of weeks ago about my experiences giving up added sugar. It wasn’t pretty, as you’ll probably remember. Brain fog, headaches, dreaming of Mars Bars, mood swings and endless sipping on camomile tea was about the sum of it for three days. 

But how do you get through the three days?

Well here are my tips on how to deal with going through the detox once sugar cravings attack. 

Try not to have any sugary snacks in the house
This is easy if your whole family is sugar-free. Just don’t buy the sugary stuff. Then it’s harder for you to get to because it’s at the shops and not in your kitchen. It’s not so easy though if there are chocolate bars, cakes and cookies in the cupboards or on the worktops tempting you every time you go into the kitchen. In my experience, the only thing you can do here is put them away (no cakes on the worktop, please) so that they’re not on show and beckoning you over. And then stay out of the kitchen. As much as you can. 

Sounds simple but honestly, do your best not to buy this stuff if you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake. 

Have lots of healthy snacks available
Ok, so herbal teas are good (as long as you don’t add any sugar). A couple of dates are good too if a) it’s only a couple and b) it stops you eating your child’s leftover Christmas chocolate on the windowsill.  A banana will get you out of a sugar craving – or keep easily-grabbed food (like cooked meat patties, salad stuff or cooked fish) in the fridge. Go into the kitchen to get some lunch. Not to go and look around. 

Read the labels
This might be counter-intuitive, but if you’ve got as far as holding that chocolate covered fudge in your hand, quickly read the label. It might actually put you off. It did me. Sugar – the first ingredient. Glucose syrup? Hmm. Various oils. In my chocolate bar? Emulsifiers, E-numbers and the ever vague ‘flavourings’. Doesn’t look so delicious now, does it? Good. Now put it down. 

Remember that natural sugar is still sugar
Just because it’s natural, rather than refined, it’s still sugar. Giving up sugar does not mean pouring maple syrup all over your breakfast or dropping great big spoonfuls of honey in your tea. Although it’s considered better for the body than refined stuff, too much natural sugar can cause a sugar spike too. 

Step away from the kitchen
Go for a walk in the fresh air (don’t take money with you and don’t walk past the corner shop). Do some yoga. Pick up the phone and chat to a friend. Also beware the usual times you’d have a snack. For me, this was at 2.30pm before I went to pick up the children from school (I used to have a cup of tea and a stack of biscuits before I left) and also last thing at night before bed, when the biscuit ritual was repeated. 

No, not even ‘just one’
In the beginning, we’d go out and my husband would order some treats for himself and the children and say “Oh come on, just one won’t hurt.” So I ordered a wodge of Cookie Dough Cheesecake. And do you know what happened? I went home and ate chocolate, and then biscuits and then the next day it continued, until I had to stop and start the whole thing over again. Once you get through the first 3 days or so and you see a change in yourself, it’s like a switch has been flipped. Unless you want to start it all over again, don’t eat cheesecake like I did and flip the switch back to ‘ON’. 

There’s no NICE way of saying this: it will probably feel like hell and you will most likely feel rubbish for a couple of days. Bear in mind that this is normal and it’s your body returning back to normal again after a sugar bombardment. What I can tell you is that for me, it was 100% worth it. My skin is clearer, any niggles and pains (presumably caused by inflammation in the body) went away, and I felt so full of energy, and happy and calm. Better than I’ve ever felt. Cutting back (or eliminating) sugar might feel terrible at the time, but it’s just a few days. And I bet you’ll feel completely different – for the better – afterwards. 

Given up sugar? How do you feel? What are your tips for seeing it through to the end? 

Roasted Lamb Saddle Steaks with Butternut Squash and Red Onions

Lamb saddle steaks. They look lovely, don’t they?  

 

All I could think about when I pulled these beauties out of the depths of the freezer was parsley. And mint. And I knew that butternut squash paired really well with lamb – I usually chuck a few cubes of the stuff in every lamb curry I make. And then the thought of red onions and garlic floated past in my brain and then, as they say, the rest is history…  

 

These saddle steaks were sent to me by the free-range meat company Farmer’s Choice. Because they’re rolled up, you can also stuff them if you like, or just buy a whole saddle joint and roast it. The meat was firm, tender and sweet. No gristly bits, no fatty bits, no bone – just succulent, sweet lamb waiting for you whip off the butcher’s string and dive in with your knife and a fork. 

Go on, just look at it a bit longer…

One of the lovely things about this recipe as well is that the lamb juices trickle down into the squash as it cooks, adding tons of flavour. A lovely lunch or roast dinner for two. 

Now dig in.

 

Roasted Lamb Saddle Steaks with Butternut Squash and Red Onions

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped finely

haf teaspoon dried thyme

half teaspoon dried rosemary

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

pinch of salt

2 tbsp olive oil

2 lamb saddle steaks, tied

half a butternut squash (I used the top half), peeled and cubed

2 small red onions, peeled and cut into chunks

1 tsp duck fat or olive oil

pinch of salt

Method

First, in a small bowl, combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, mint, parsley, salt and olive oil. Massage the mixture all over the lamb steaks, and into the centre where it’s rolled up and leave to marinade for 30 minutes. This will also give the lamb a chance to come to room temperature. If making ahead, cover with cling film and store in the fridge until needed. 

Tumble the butternut squash cubes into a medium-sized roasting dish, along with the red onion, and add the 1 tsp duck fat or olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, give it a shake and slide into an oven heated up to gas mark 7/220ºC for 15 minutes. 

After the squash has had its 15 minutes, it should be just starting to soften and already be sizzling in the roasting dish. Lay the herby lamb steaks over the top and return to the oven until the lamb’s cooked to your liking – start checking from 20 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of your lamb steaks, whether your lamb is at room temperature and how you like your lamb. Mine was ready (I preferred it with no pinkness but still juicy) after 30 minutes. Don’t overcook the lamb though. 

When the lamb is cooked and the butternut cubes are tender with a few golden burnished edges, leave it all to rest for 5 minutes and then serve. You won’t need anything else, except maybe a nice green salad. Beautiful, simple food. 

I received a contribution for the ingredients to make the recipe, from Farmer’s Choice, who also supplied the lamb saddle steaks. Go and check them out on their website – their meat is free-range and really good. 

Inside Out AIP Paleo Turkey Sandwiches

OK, I admit. It’s not rocket science.

But after nearly two years on the autoimmune protocol (with reintroductions) you start to think of more creative things to do with your meat patties. And so one day I started using them like bread, in a sandwich.

I’d seen Ditch The Wheat’s Meat Bagels all over Pinterest, and I just thought – yeah, why not just use meat patties like bread in a sandwich? Makes packed lunches really easy to eat, and taking food with me when we go out for the day now is a doddle! As easy as packing a sandwich, in the old days. 

You can use whatever type of meat patty you want to – I’ve used turkey here – but there’s beef, chicken, lamb… just choose the patties to go with whatever else you’re filling it with. I preferred turkey because it’s leaner and lighter – and less greasy to hold. 

It’s probably a safer bet to stick to veggies as your filling. I’ve added a slither of ham here, with some lettuce – because the pale turkey was kind of calling out for some saltiness – but I’d probably stick to avocado, lettuce, cucumber and gherkins in the future. Bacon would be fantastic. 

I’ve used the patties whole here. I stood griddling a big batch of them so I had enough for snacks and husband’s packed lunches for the week. I cooled them down quickly and then refrigerated them. For this, I needed to keep the patties very thin. If making thicker patties just cook them for a bit longer and then, once they’re cool, slice them in half horizontally, as you would a bread roll. 

Autoimmune and paleo packed lunches: Transformed. 

Inside Out AIP Paleo Turkey Sandwiches

Makes 8-10 patties (or 4-5 sandwiches)

Ingredients

1 tsp coconut oil (plus more for frying if needed)

1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped

800g turkey thigh mince

1 tsp oregano

quarter teaspoon garlic salt

Fillings of your choice: lettuce, gherkins, bacon, (AIP-compliant ham), rocket/arugula, herbs, spinach, etc.

Method

First, melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan or griddle and fry the onions, over a gentle heat, until softened and beginning to turn translucent. Scrape into a waiting (large) bowl and leave to cool completely. 

Once the onion is cooled, mix in the turkey, oregano and garlic salt and mix to combine. Don’t over-mix or the meat will likely turn chewy once cooked. Melt a little more oil in the pan you fried the onions in and, as it’s heating up, grab a small handful of the turkey mixture and form into a thin patty. Flatten it out, and gently lower it into the frying pan. Cook them in batches of 4, so they’re not overcrowded. They’ll take about 4-5 minutes per side to cook – check they’re cooked completely throughout and then place onto a waiting plate. Leave to cool completely and then cover, and refrigerate until needed. 

To make the sandwiches, treat the meat patties like slices of bread and load your fillings inbetween. 

Enjoy!

I’ve entered this recipe into Phoenix Helix’s Recipe Roundtable – check it out for lots more AIP meal inspiration!

Pheasant Saltimbocca (Pheasant Wrapped in Bacon)

I’ll admit, the words “warning: may contain lead shot” on your food doesn’t make it any more appetising. In fact, as I peeled the shiny, little pheasant breasts from their plastic packet I wondered if one dose of accidentally swallowed lead shot could actually kill you. Kind of scary. But I liked the danger. (I prodded the pheasant breasts thoroughly though, just in case). 

But anyway. 

In season, pheasant is cheap – I bought six breasts for just £1.99. Incredibly cheap. And I knew that I didn’t want any claggy sauces or complicated cooking instructions. It was lunch, and I was hungry. 

Pheasant breasts are smaller than chicken breasts – about three-quarters of the size – but much thinner. Which makes them perfect for pan-frying. And wrapping in bacon. 

So I set out for an Italian-inspired Saltimbocca, but with pheasant. And my goodness, it was gorgeous. The gamey flavour from the pheasant worked so wonderfully with the sage and bacon – and the bacon kept the pheasant (which has a tendency to turn dry) nice and moist. And if you have any sage leaves left over, crispen them up in the pan afterwards. They’re gorgeous just tumbled over everything else. I ate this standing up at the worktop, but it would make a lovely meal with some parsnip fries or mash – or a green salad. 

Pheasant Saltimbocca
Serves 6 (makes 6 bacon-wrapped breasts)
Ingredients
6 pheasant breasts
1 tsp coconut oil (I use a mild, tasteless oil)
12 rashers of smoked, streaky bacon
12 sage leaves, washed and dried

Method
First, pick through the pheasant breasts and make sure there’s a) no pieces of lead shot that you can detect and b) no fine, tufty feathers still clinging on to the meat. Give it a quick rinse under a cold tap if you like. 

Lay the breasts out on a board and arrange two sage leaves over the top of each one. Carefully wrap in bacon – you’ll need 2 rashers per breast. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan and lay the wrapped pheasant breasts into it, and fry for about 8-10 minutes, turning regularly, until they’re golden on each side and cooked through. 

Transfer the cooked breasts to a plate and allow to rest for a minute or two before slicing up and serving hot. 

55 AIP Recipes from Around the World

Takeaways and meals out. 

It hardly ever happens on AIP, mostly because you just don’t know what the heck is in there if you haven’t cooked it yourself. Gluten, soy, MSG, nightshade spices… even an innocent grinding of black pepper could set you off on an autoimmune flare, if you’re sensitive to it. Suddenly you realise it’s a lot better (unless you know the restaurant VERY well) if you just cook it yourself. 

But where do you get inspiration for Chinese, Latin American, Thai and Lebanese-inspired AIP dishes? 

I’ve rounded up 55 recipes that are totally AIP-compliant and inspired by meals from around the world. Whether it’s Massaman curry you fancy, or a bright bowl of Borscht – check out these recipes – created by completely amazing and creative AIP bloggers – to inspire you. I’ve already pinned a lot of these myself to try soon. I hope it inspires you to try something new! So… what are you cooking tonight? 

EUROPE:

Healing Family Eats’ Bolognese Sauce with Chicken Livers and Zoodles

  Italy:

Raspberry Coconut Panna Cotta – Healing Family Eats 
AIPizza – Paleo Cajun Lady 
Bolognese Sauce with Chicken Livers and Zoodles – Healing Family Eats 
Italian Paleo Meatballs – Gutsy By Nature 
Chicken Saltimbocca – Gutsy By Nature 
AIP Paleo Meatzza con Palmitos – Comfort Bites 
Autoimmune Courgette (Zucchini) Bolognese – Comfort Bites 

Russia:

Beet Soup (Borscht) – Rootilicious 

Comfort Bites’ Pork Belly Roasted with Garlic and Cider

British: 

AIP Bubble and Squeak – Comfort Bites 
Pork Belly Roasted with Garlic and Cider – Comfort Bites 
Breakfast Pork and Leek Burgers – Comfort Bites 
Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks with Paleo Mint Sauce – Comfort Bites
AIP Cottage Pie (Use lamb mince for Shepherd’s Pie) 
Colcannon (Irish) – Healing Family Eats

Beyond The Bite 4 Life’s Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

  Mediterranean/Greek:

Hidden Liver Mediterranean Turkey Burgers – Beyond The Bite 4 Life
Deconstructed Nightshade-Free Moussaka – The Paleo Partridge  
AIP Greek Salad – Enjoying This Journey 

Finland:
Cabbage Casserole – Rootilicious 
Finnish Lamb and Cabbage Stew with Cranberries – Kaiku Lifestyle

France:
Celeriac Remoulade – Healing Family Eats 
Delicata Squash Anna – Healing Family Eats 
Chunky Tapenade – Comfort Bites 

LATIN AMERICA

Tostones – Gutsy By Nature 

Argentina: 

Roasted Lamb Ribs with Garlic and Parsley – Comfort Bites 
Argentine Calamares a la Provenzal – Comfort Bites 
AIP Argentine Puchero – Comfort Bites 
Pollo Provenzal – Comfort Bites 
Bacon Wrapped Chimichurri Stuffed Chicken – Comfort Bites 

Gutsy By Nature’s Garlic Lime Marinated Cube Steak

 
  Cuba:

Garlic Lime Marinated Cube Steak – Gutsy By Nature 

ASIAN

Paleo Asian-Style Burgers – Enjoying This Journey 

AIP Paleo Green Onion Bacon Fried Rice – Paleo Cajun Lady 

Thai:

Asian Noodle Bowl – Beyond the Bite 4 Life 
Thai Inspired Turkey Meatball and Coconut Curry – Comfort Bites 
Beef and Parsnip Massaman Curry – Adventures in Partaking 

India:

Paleo Asian Beef Liver Pâté – Beyond the Bite 4 Life 
Curried Chicken ‘Rice’ Stew – Phoenix Helix 
Paleo Lamb Biryani – Comfort Bites 

Vietnamese:

Chicken Zoodle Faux Pho – The Paleo Partridge 

Korea:

White Kimchi (Baek Kimchi) – Provincial Paleo 

China:

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Mango Chicken Thighs – Paleo Cajun Lady 
Paleo Beef with Broccoli – Gutsy By Nature 
Sweet and Sour Glazed Meatballs – Beyond The Bite 4 Life 
Sichuan Ginger Cucumber – Petra8Paleo 
Soy Free Tau Yew Bak Braised Soy Sauce Pork – Provincial Paleo 
Watercress, Pork and Pear Bone Broth/Soup – Provincial Paleo 

Provincial Paleo’s Beef and Plantain Curry

  Malaysian/Indonesian:

Beef and Plantain Curry – Provincial Paleo 

Japanese:

Cream Stew – Provincial Paleo 

OTHER:

Turkish:

AIP Kofte Bison Kebabs – Enjoying This Journey 
Beef Shwarma – Grazed and Enthused 
AIP Hummus – Grazed and Enthused 

Lebanese:

Lebanese Pork Hand Pie – Grazed and Enthused 
Lebanese Chicken with Stuffing – Grazed and Enthused 

Adventures in Partaking’s Moroccan Chicken with Cauliflower Cous Cous

 
  Moroccan:

Moroccan Spiced Rice – Grazed and Enthused 
Moroccan Chicken with Cauliflower Cous Cous – Adventures in Partaking 

Canada:

Maple Lime Drumettes – The Paleo Partridge 


Which recipes will you try? 

Crockpot Paleo Chilli Con Carne

Gosh, I miss chilli. 

I remember when I was at university I used to love really spicy food. Mexican, Indian, Thai – Chinese food speckled with red chillies. At home, I’d buy a bottle of hot sauce and slosh it over pretty much everything. When I went out, I’d always order the spiciest thing they had. I remember eating a Thai curry in Romsey with my sister and her boyfriend that was so hot it sent us into a sinus-clearing, giddy, psychedelic mess. 

But anyway. I can’t eat chillies now (boo). 

But I love chilli. Keen to make a family chilli (without beans or actual chillies) I stumbled upon this recipe for Paleo Sweet Potato Chilli from Tastes of Lizzy T’s.  The only problem was that it contained half a cup (yes, HALF A CUP) of chilli powder. I also chose to skip the sugar, hoping that the carrots and sweet potatoes would cook and trickle their sweet juices into the sauce. So although this recipe is based on the one above, I’ve changed it quite a bit – instead of detailing everything I changed I thought it would be easier if I wrote it out again. Tastes of Lizzy T’s – thank you for the inspiration. 

This recipe is gluten, nut and dairy-free. It makes quite a lot, but I always think if you’re going to have this cooking all day you might as well make it worthwhile. Freeze in portions or save it for breakfast. 

Crockpot Paleo Chilli Con Carne – inspired by Tastes of Lizzy T’s recipe, above

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 tsp cooking fat (I used duck fat)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 red onions, peeled and chopped

800g beef mince

150ml beef stock/broth

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried oregano

1 and a half teaspoons smoked paprika

4 medium-sized carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into large chunks

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

Method

First, fry the onion and garlic in the cooking fat, in a large saucepan, until softened. Add the beef, and stir to brown. Once the beef is sealed, pour in the stock, chopped tomatoes and add the bay leaf, smoked paprika and oregano. Tumble in the carrots and sweet potato chunks and bring to a simmer. 

Tip the lot in the slow cooker and leave to cook for 4-6 hours on high. Lovely with a few slices of avocado, with lime juice to squeeze over. 

AIP and Vegan ‘Cheesy’ Broccoli Soup

You know what my favourite soup was before I went Paleo? Broccoli and Stilton. But now I’ve found out (to my WOE) that I seem to have an intolerance to dairy (cue weeping). So I can’t have any. But then, one rainy day after a muddy dog walk I came back home and remembered I’d left a bowl of broccoli stalks in the fridge that I’d been collecting through the week to make soup. I hate to throw anything away.

I had broccoli stalks (plus a bit of whole broccoli leftover from the night before). I had nutritional yeast. Could it work? 

Yes. Yes it could. 

The soup doesn’t have the sharp tang that you’d get from a crumbly, blue-veined Stilton – but the addition of nutritional yeast at the end does give it a slight, nutty cheesiness. The soup is creamy, thick and perfect for sipping on, through misted up glasses on a rainy, muddy day. 

AIP and Vegan ‘Cheesy’ Broccoli Soup
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp coconut oil
A large cereal bowlful of broccoli stalks, washed (or about 250g whole broccoli)
handful of other leftover greens, if you have them (not essential)
500ml vegetable stock
nutritional yeast, to taste (I used 1 scant tablespoon)
salt to taste

Method

First, melt the coconut oil in a medium-sized saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Roughly chop up the broccoli stalks and add to the pan, allowing them to cook in the oil for about a minute. Pour in the stock, along with a handful of any other greens you have leftover in the fridge (now’s the time to use them up), and simmer until the broccoli is tender. 

When the stalks are tender, blend the soup until smooth. Taste, and then season with salt if it needs it (it probably will). At this point you can swirl in a small spoonful of coconut cream for a more creamy texture, or leave it as it is. Take it off the heat and sprinkle in nutritional yeast flakes to taste – I found about a tablespoon was just right. Stir, and then serve straight away, while hot. 

Here’s the blender I use to make smooth, creamy soups like this one – it’s also handy because it comes with a larger attachment for blending in a saucepan and attachments for chopping, too. Have a look on Amazon (affiliate link:) 

I’ve entered this into Phoenix Helix’s 57th Recipe Roundtable – go have a look for more AIP inspiration!

What It Really Feels Like When You Give Up Sugar

Sugar.

Depending on which statistics you read, it’s in around 80% of the processed foods we buy. And I’m not just talking about fruit juices, sweets and biscuits. There’s a very good chance that there’s sugar in your breaded fish and chicken, on your oven fries and in the sauces you slather over your burgers. It’s in pasta sauces, mayonnaise and pie fillings, too. Don’t believe me? Then check the label. Look for ‘sugar’, ‘dextrose’ or ‘syrup’, for a start. It’ll most likely be in there somewhere. 

You hear a lot these days about celebrities going sugar free, their glowing smiles beaming out from the front of their next cookery book or magazine cover. They look amazing – glossy and fresh. But what’s it really like when you give up sugar? 

Sugar, photographed through a macro lens.
Photo by Lauri Andler (Phantom), Wikimedia Commons

I gave up added sugar as part of going ‘paleo’ last year. And it was difficult. The first day, I didn’t notice much except I had the most intense Mars Bar craving EVER in the evening before bed – so I drank a cup of camomile tea and went to sleep. 

The next day I woke up with a dull headache and a temper like a moody Neanderthal. It wasn’t so much ‘snappy turtle’ as ‘teeth-baring sabre-toothed tiger.’ I convinced myself that it was the sugar. Drinking herbal tea helped, as did snacking on a banana, whenever I felt the cravings hit. I thought THAT day was bad. 

And then I woke up on day three.

I could hardly get out of bed. I couldn’t focus on what needed to be done. It was a struggle to get the packed lunches sorted out for the day, let alone remember what time I had to be and where, and what else needed doing. I dropped the children off at school, went home and dragged my arse back to bed for a snooze. All I could think about was chocolate. I was tired and groggy for most of the day. Mostly because no one would give me chocolate. But then it all started to wear off. And no one could have prepared me for how it would feel when it did. 

As my mind cleared at about teatime on the third day, I noticed that I was now calm and rational about things I would have been anxious about before. I felt somehow lighter – not physically, but mentally – and I felt happier. I didn’t fancy chocolate at all – not even a Mars Bar. In fact, if you took a Mars Bar out from its wrapper and waved it under my nose I wouldn’t have wanted it. It was like a switch that had turned off inside my brain. It was almost like it had forgotten what craving sugar felt like. In just under three days.

When I thought about it, I’d been gorging on sugar non-stop my whole life. Sweets and chocolate as a kid. Cheap, oily Easter chocolate that didn’t actually taste nice, but it was sweet so I ate it anyway. Cereal bars and crisps in my packed lunches. Endless Drifter bars and sugary coffee at college. The 2 litre bottle of cola I’d have in my room at university in case I got thirsty while I was studying. As an adult, I’d buy myself chocolate bars, ice cream or cake as a ‘treat’ – pretty much every day. So I imagine that when I gave it all up, for the first time in 36 years, my body – for a while – didn’t know what the hell to do. 

Giving up sugar was very difficult, especially as my family were still eating it. I’d pass on pudding if we went out for a meal, and decline the offer of a biscuit with a cup of tea at a school meeting or friend’s house. The first couple of days weren’t too bad – but over time, as more plates of biscuits and chocolate cake were offered to me, it started to become more difficult – and, I’ll admit, I did cave in a few times. But then the grogginess and fogginess returned and the whole process started again. Eventually, you think: what’s the point? I’ll have this sticky toffee pudding now and I bet it would be lovely but then I’m going to be like a walking hell for the next three days and I’ve actually got too much to do this week.’ So you leave it. It’s just like a hangover, but it lasts three days. Yep. You don’t want to go back there.

We’re living in an age where there are rising levels of obesity. There’s increasing instances of type two diabetes. There are also loads of chronic health niggles that people just put down to ‘oh it’s just me’. You’d be surprised. There’s lots of stress, anxiety and instability. All of that seems to be on the rise. And we’re eating more sugar than we probably ever have before. In That Sugar Film, being released in Australia later this year, Damon Gameau ate a low fat, high sugar diet for 60 days and was told he was on the road to fatty liver disease. 60 days, for goodness’ sake. I mean sugar’s even in our shop-bought fishfingers and breaded chicken. Add oven chips and baked beans and you might as well be eating pudding. 

All I can say is that I haven’t had a headache for about a year, I’ve lost a ton of weight and I’m more sparkly and alert than I think I’ve ever been. I also see the world through calmer, less frantic eyes. I’m not always fresh and glossy like the celebs on the magazines, but I’m much better emotionally and physically than I used to be. 

Think you’re just one of those ‘stressy people’? It might possibly just be the sugar. 

Have you ever given up sugar? Would you like to? Anything else you want to know about it? Let me know in the comments… 

85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts ebook – Available Now + Recipe for AIP Breakfast Stack

So today’s the day!

I mentioned that a new ebook was going to be released on January 1st and here it is!

 

The AIP Blogging Community got together and came up with recipes for probably the trickiest meal of the day when you first start AIP: breakfast.

There are 85 recipes for breakfast – enough to see you through nearly 3 months if you ate a different breakfast from the book each day. (I’ve personally contributed 3 of them – one of which was specially created for the book. I’ll give you a clue: it’s a breakfast stack which involves BACON.)

Droolworthy, right? 

But it (obviously) doesn’t stop there – there are bowls, skillets (breakfasts you can throw together in a frying pan – my most usual method to be honest), AIP pancakes and drinks. Honestly, it deals with just about every breakfast situation – and all the recipes are 100% AIP compliant. 

Each recipe is: 

• free of nuts, grains, nightshades, dairy, gluten, seeds and egg
• allergy-friendly
• Paleo Approach approved
• accompanied by colourful photographs and easy to read instructions

There are also tips towards the back of the book on converting recipes to suit low FODMAP, GAPS/SCD, low histamine and coconut-free diets. 

What’s also great is that the recipes are created by people who have all lived and breathed the AIP diet and lifestyle. You KNOW that you’re getting AIP compliant recipes in line with Sarah Ballantyne’s The Paleo Approach – see the ‘Paleo Approach Approved’ banner there in the first image? That’s what I mean. The book has been put together by Eileen of the blog Phoenix Helix, and an amazing job she’s done, too.

There are quick breakfasts for when you’re just heading out the door and lovely slow ones for when you’re languishing in your pyjamas at the weekends. I really think it’s a great resource for the AIP community and it will inspire you to create really healthy, nutritious breakfasts that’ll set you up for the whole day. 

And as a sneak preview, here’s the recipe for my Breakfast Stack above, included in the book! 

AIP Breakfast Stack

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 slices AIP-friendly bacon
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium zucchini, grated coarsely
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
couple of pinches of salt
coconut oil (if needed)
4 large flat mushrooms, stalks removed
2 medium avocados, stone and skin removed 
juice of one small lemon

rocket or watercress leaves

Directions:

Fry bacon in a large, dry skillet over medium 

heat until crispy. Set bacon aside. Leave fat in pan. 

2. In a bowl, blend the turkey, zucchini, sage and a pinch of salt. 

Form into 6 patties. Refrigerate 2 for a snack later; cook 4 now. 

3. If there’s not enough bacon fat in the skillet, add a little coconut oil. 

Cook patties 5-6 minutes per side. Check they are fully cooked 

throughout and then remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add mushrooms to skillet along with a splash of water. Cook a few 

minutes each side, until they turn golden. Turn off the heat. 

5. Quickly mash the avocado flesh together with a pinch of salt and 

the lemon juice. 

6. To assemble: place the upturned mushroom on a plate and 

arrange a small tangle of the watercress or rocket leaves on top. 

Place the turkey and zucchini patty on top of that and finish with a 

spoonful of guacamole and a slice of bacon. Eat while hot.

Want to buy your own copy of the book, or find out more? Want to enter a giveaway to get the chance to win one of 10 copies of the book? Of course you do. Click here to view more details (affiliate link)