Seven of My Sugar Free After Dinner Options!
How many times have you been on top of your healthy eating plan, where all of your meals throughout the day have been balanced and nourishing, meeting your daily calorie/dieting requirements to reach your target body weight in X weeks. And then comes the evening, your last meal for the day. As the evening is winding down, you find your will power is waning, and out comes the temptation you really didn’t need- sticky date pudding!! Your family has warmed the pudding in the oven, and now the whole house is filled with the sweet scent of caramel. It’s intoxicating and your brain is firing off all sorts of signals justifying why you need to par take in the demolishing of this pudding!!
Here are seven ways to be prepared so you can take control of post dinner snack time and continue to feel empowered to take another step toward you health & weight loss goals.
1. MAGNESIUM
My number one secret that I share with all of my coaching clients lies within the all mighty magnesium! I take BioCueticals Ultra Muscleze straight after dinner in a big glass of water, at the time everyone else is delving in to their post dinner sugar hit. It knocks any desert craving straight on the head! Seems too simple I know, but try it, it works.
2. TEA
Treat yourself to splurging on a beautiful herbal tea. I am LOVING Madame Flavour’s Peppermint & Lavender blend. I also often go to my Local Asian Grocer and pick up a house blend tea called Relaxing Tea.. It is delicious, infused with peppermint, goji berries & all sorts of other delicious undertones. My other post dinner favourite is DIY fresh mint & lemon-grass tea. Add 3 stalks of fresh mint in a saucepan on the stove, bang the end of one lemon-grass stalk (this brings out the flavour), add 3 cups of water, bring to boil, then steep for a few minutes before drinking. Also great serves cold as a refreshing ice tea.
3. PROTEIN
If it gets on in the evening and you are feeling peckish, like you could eat a whole meal again. I recommend – a handful of almonds (also great to have in the evening, as we absorb zinc best in the evening), a small can of tuna in spring water, one tbsp of natural nut butter in a celery stalk, a boiled egg with chilly flakes and sea salt, a scoop of protein powder in water shaken not stirred!!
4. H2O
I keep a big glass bottle (600ml to be exact) of water in my fridge. Strangely enough, I find sitting down with my partner and his son with a bottle of icy cold water whilst they are tucking in to ice cream, a satisfying substitute. There is something really refreshing and delicious about having it cold that leaves me feeling content.
5. SALTY & SAVORY
Olives and sauerkraut are my go to post dinner option when I am not feeling like anything sweet but have a hankering for something salty. 5 green olives, or 2 Tbsp of sauerkraut seem to fill the gap nicely. Note: On going cravings for salt may be due to a lack of minerals in your diet or dehydration.
6. BERRIES
Frozen berries! Blueberries are my favourite at the moment. I also love to eat strawberries and raspberries fresh when they are in season. I have half a cup with a sprinkling of cinnamon after dinner. Cinnamon has a beautiful sweet taste & is really great for regulating your blood sugar levels.
7. DINNER PARTY “ANTI PARTY POOPER” DESSERT
If you are going coco loco for some serious, proper desert action, and/or you are having a dinner party and don’t want to look like a total party pooper. Make your own guilt free deserts! This way you get to have control over what you are eating and how much sugar goes in to your desert. I make Banana Bread and Apple Crumble. However if you are time poor, grab some mascarpone cream (no added sugar) and throw some fresh strawberries on top. It’s simple but incredibly delish!
I would love to hear your of any secret snacks you have up your sleeve for those moments of weakness…
