Say No to Sugar & say Yes to Sanity

Written by Silpi Patnaik

Credit – Photo by Silpi Patnaik

As we enter into empty houses after the grind of the day, those purple-colored cartons of Belgian chocolate chip cookies wink at us like our long-lost lovers awaiting to sink in the curve of our starving stomachs. No matter how hard we try to sip that hot mug of hazelnut-flavored, cinnamon-scented freshly brewed mug of “no sugar black coffee” all by itself, our fingers somehow dance their ways to those gooey granola bars or the syrupy waffles to pig on. All health meals, which were our best buddies in the start of the day, suddenly become the less important average- looking sidekicks that can easily be relegated or ignored. Towards the finish of the evening all that matters to us is uplifting our serotonins, and sending the virtual message to our haywire brains that “we are happy”. It is indeed a fact that our heads are obedient slaves of our tongues. So, if the tongue is the actual master that rules the roost then it is certainly crucial to master the master. It is only when we leash the autonomy of the autocratic that the anarchy can be controlled.  

Shouting a loud “no” at the meat- headed refined sugar is the need of the moment. Let’s understand that a sugar packed sponge muffin or a cute ball of Ferrero Rocher or a tall tumbler of frappuccino are mere pretty faces.They might apparently elevate our moods but are eventually responsible for all the crazy hormonal asymmetry occurring in the intangible areas of our bodies. Shall we read a lecture to the tongue? Actually teaching the tongue with love & respect would be much better. 

Credit – Photo by Silpi Patnaik

To begin with let’s eliminate everything from our pantries that has white sugar in it. We can further the endeavor by refusing to purchase sweet nick-nacks from the local bakeries or drug stores. We can continue this process by choosing to bake our own cookies/cupcakes/ bread using much enriching options like honey or whole jaggery. We can take this journey to an entirely another level by making our children conscious about the deleterious effects of Sugars and educating them about ways to substitute it in their regular food routine. The posterity will thank us for our wisdom and generosity.  Won’t it be empowering to place our head at its right place and act in accordance to it rather than get dictated by a mere sense organ! It will surely make us feel more mature and more human?

Say “no” to sugar & say “yes” to sanity. 

Here goes two no-sugar recipes that everyone will fall in love with!

Recipe #1- The Desi Sugar-free Granola 

Credit – Photo by Silpi Patnaik

A very healthy alternative for highly processed cereals that are loaded with refined grains, refined sugars, oils and go through a series of chemical-ridden procedures to look and appear the way they do, is this recipe. Highly processed cereals mislead the always-in-a-hurry customer that a box of honey-oats-5 grams sugar-low sodium-golden-tinted-crispy Cornflakes is the only food that can redeem his mornings. 

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup Flat Rice (Chivda) 
  • 1 Cup Brown Puffed Rice (Murmura) 
  • 1 Cup Large Flake Oats 
  • ½ Cup Sesame Seeds & Melon Seeds 
  • 1 Cup Assorted Nuts (Walnuts,  Almonds, Peanuts- all chopped) 
  • 1/4th Cup Jaggery 
  • Pinch of Salt 

Granola

Method 

Mix all the ingredients in a large deep-bottomed bowl. Heat one teaspoon homemade Ghee (clarified butter) in a skillet. Throw in the ingredients and roast them for 15-20 mins over a medium flame. Remove from flame once they are golden brown in color. Allow the crunchy, auburn, completely unprocessed Granola to cool down and breathe some fresh air. Now it is done and ready to be stored in an airtight container.  

 

Recipe #2– Ban-apple Cold Coffee  

Credit – Photo by Silpi Patnaik

This is a no-sugar, fruit-filled, smoothie-textured, creamy cold coffee that can beat any sugar-packed social media version of a cold coffee. So instead of whipping that sugar-laden luscious dalgona coffee to click uber cool pictures for sensational Instagram feeds, and then greedily gulping them down the throat to give your bodies the much-needed caffeine kick, substitute your 4 pm drinks with this “ban-apple cold coffee”. This cold coffee is so fulfilling and enriching that it can even be treated as a full-fledged mid-morning or evening snack, one that’s trustworthy enough to satiate those sudden and uncertain hunger pangs that keep popping at unexpected times. 

Ingredients 

  • ½ Cup Oatmeal+ Chia Seeds, soaked in ½ cup water for 15 mins 
  • ½ up Milk of your choice 
  • ½ Ripe Banana (chopped) 

    Credit – Photo by Silpi Patnaik

  • ½ Apple (chopped) 
  • 2 tbsp Coffee Powder 
  • Medjool Dates/2 tbsp Honey 
  • 2 Ice Cubes 

Method 

Put all the ingredients in a blender with the liquids going first, followed by the ice-cubes and then the rest. Give it a thorough blend till smooth and creamy. Pour this magic potion into your favorite jar and you are all set to conquer the world with the surge of coffee energy.  

If coffee is what you need to feel alive then turn coffee into the element that actually keeps you alive. Research says, great works of art were created over mugs of dark coffee. So stay alive by it and through itLet’s redefine modern diet!