The afternoon ended with a pounding headache. Earlier in the day, I’d been at an end-of-class-year potluck and was pleased with the salad, chicken, and veggies I’d loaded onto my plate. All good choices and delicious.
Everyone insisted that I try the key lime cheesecake. It was SO good, they said. After eating a small slice, I agreed. It was good, but it was also very sweet. Way too sweet. And the result: an afternoon headache.
The older I get, the less my body tolerates sugary treats, it seems. Have you noticed this with yourself as well?
While I don’t crave sweet goodies as I did in my youth, I do enjoy a little somethin’ somethin’ now and then. But I don’t enjoy the resulting headache! What’s the solution?
Hello and welcome! If you like tacos, kimchi, seasonal produce, and bright flavors, you’re in the right place.
For those who are new, I’m Betty, a food writer, recipe developer, home cook, and Southern California gal. Every Friday in this newsletter, I share California Cuisine recipes to inspire you, no matter where you live in the world. California is the most ethnically diverse state in the U.S. and is home to many peeps from Asia, South America, and the Mediterranean. The food here reflects that and is a beautiful mash-up!
Other places to find me: my food blog, podcast, YouTube, and Instagram.
What’s the difference between a Follower and a Subscriber to this newsletter?
* Followers, you will occasionally see my posts in Notes on the Substack app. Notes is a social media feed, much like Instagram or Facebook. So, you’ll see me there, depending on what the algorithm gives you.
* Subscribers (both paid and free!), you’ll receive this newsletter EVERY Friday, delivered straight to your email inbox. You are automatically a Follower. And, you’ll never miss an issue of the newsletter.
Become a Paid Subscriber and receive a brand new menu plan each month, a monthly dinner party playbook, plus have access to all recipes. Paid subscriptions are $5 per month or $50 per year (yes, that’s 2 months free!).
Need to close your eyes for a hot minute? I read the post to you in the audio above.
Hold the Sugar, Please
Today, I’m talking to Beth Bollinger, a holistic nutritionist and integrative health practitioner who shares CGM-tested, blood-sugar-friendly recipes and practical wellness guidance in her newsletter, Nest Wellness. She is sharing her favorite treats made without refined sugar that will satisfy any sweet tooth!
On a personal note, I have a wonderful example of balanced eating in my own mother, who eats well 85 percent of the time and leaves 15 percent for indulgences, both sweet and savory. Throughout my life, I’ve followed my mom’s lead. However, the older I get, the less satisfying those indulgences are for me. They cause bloating, upset stomach, and yes, the dreaded headache.
Over the year or two that I’ve known and worked with Beth Bollinger, I have learned so much from her about listening to what my body is telling me regarding the food I consume and taking note of what makes me feel sluggish, bloated, constipated, or foggy-headed.
It was when I participated in her Quarterly Reset Method in both January and April of this year that the light bulb went off.
Large amounts of dairy = not my friend.
Alcohol = also not my friend (and yes, I’m sad about it).
Refined sugar = really not my friend.
Based on this feedback, I’ve adjusted some things in my diet and so far have had great results: more energy, down a few pounds, and sleeping well.
This even led me to re-work recipes and share new ones that are lower in dairy and sugar. Plus, I’ve put together several alcohol-free drinkies, available in my Sunny Weather Mocktails book!
Recently, I decided to get Beth’s further input on the best way to enjoy healthier treats this summer. The result is this week’s interview!
How do you sensibly handle sugar cravings when following to a low-glycemic way of eating?
BB: You may be surprised by this, but when I am eating enough protein at every meal, sugar cravings really are not a part of my life. If anything, I crave salt and crunch!
A genuine sugar craving is almost always a blood sugar signal. Your blood sugar has dropped, your body wants a quick hit of energy, and sugar seems like the answer. But if you never let your blood sugar drop in the first place — 25 to 30 grams of protein at every meal, fiber, healthy fat, no skipping meals — the craving rarely shows up with any real urgency.
When I do want something sweet, I reach for dark chocolate — I love Taza or Beyond Good, 80% or higher — sometimes just with a cup of tea, and sometimes with a handful of almonds or walnuts or a spoonful of almond or real peanut butter. The fat and protein, along with the chocolate, mean my blood sugar stays stable. I also keep blood sugar-friendly treats in the freezer, mostly for my kids— a Thin Mint, a cookie dough protein bite, a no-bake peanut butter cup — so there is always something worth reaching for that I do not feel conflicted about afterward.
One more thing we do not talk about enough: sometimes what feels like a sugar craving is actually dehydration or fatigue. A glass of water with electrolytes and five minutes outside — and an honest check-in with your body — can tell you a lot before you reach for anything sweet.
Someone once told me life is too short to eat cheap chocolate — and that a treat should be “worth it.” How do you determine whether a treat is worth it or not?
BB: I love this philosophy, and I live by it completely. My version of “worth it” has two criteria.
First, does it genuinely taste extraordinary? Not just sweet, but the kind of thing I would actually remember. Cheap sugar is everywhere, and it all tastes the same. A slice of an excellent dark chocolate torte, a homemade grain-free muffin made with real ingredients, a blood sugar-friendly dessert I tested and loved — those are worth it.
Second — do I feel good afterward? This is where my CGM (continuous glucose monitor) changed everything for me. I can see in real time which treats are genuinely blood sugar-friendly and which ones just claim to be. When a treat produces a gentle, rolling response and I feel satisfied for hours — that is worth it. When I crash an hour later and want more — that is the treat telling me something.
Life is genuinely too short to eat junk that spikes your blood sugar and leaves you wanting more. The goal is a treat that is so satisfying — in flavor and in how it makes you feel — that one is enough.
What are some determining factors when choosing treats that are low-glycemic and not going to spike blood glucose?
BB: The first thing I look at is the flour base. Almond flour, lupin flour, and coconut flour — these behave completely differently in your body than refined flours like white or whole wheat flour. The fat and fiber content significantly slows glucose absorption.
The second is the sweetener. Monk fruit allulose blend is my first choice — allulose has been shown in research to actually blunt post-meal glucose response rather than raise it, which is remarkable for a sweetener. I also look at whether a recipe uses coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey — these are better than white sugar, but they still raise blood sugar, so quantity matters enormously.
The third is context. A cookie eaten on its own after a protein-rich meal is a very different metabolic event than the same cookie eaten alone on an empty stomach. Context matters as much as the ingredients.
And finally — I test everything on my CGM. A recipe can look blood sugar-friendly on paper and still produce a surprising response. My CGM has been the most honest feedback I have ever received about what is actually happening in my body.
Are there specific sweeteners that you use in baking or cooking?
BB: After years of testing, my favorites are these:
* Monk fruit allulose blend is my first choice for almost everything. It bakes beautifully, has no aftertaste, measures like sugar, and the allulose component has research behind it showing it actually blunts post-meal glucose rather than raising it.
* Pure allulose is my second choice — particularly good in jams, sauces, and anything where you want a syrupy texture. It browns beautifully and produces a very good caramel.
* Coconut sugar occasionally — it has a lovely caramel flavor and a lower glycemic index than white sugar, but it still raises blood sugar, so I use it very sparingly and only when the flavor genuinely warrants it, and also in a situation when there is a good combo of fat, fiber, and protein.
* Maple syrup or honey in small amounts, always combined with fat, fiber, and protein. When I use either, I use the real thing, and I use just enough.
What I avoid: refined sugar, sugar alcohols, maltitol, maltodextrin, sucralose, agave, and high fructose corn syrup.
You’ve been significantly low-sugar for many years. What’s been the biggest change after cutting refined sugar out of your diet?
BB: I cut refined sugar out of my diet at age 35 — almost 25 years ago. The changes that surprised me most were not the ones I expected.
I originally made this change for my health — I have a mitral valve prolapse and was experiencing daily chest pain. It was not until I wore a CGM years later that I was able to connect that chest pain directly to blood sugar spikes. That connection changed everything.
I expected to feel better and have more energy — and I did. But what I did not expect was the complete disappearance of the 3 pm craving. All through my twenties, I had a Snickers bar every single afternoon at 3 pm. These days with my clients, that same craving looks like a Frappuccino or a fancy sweetened coffee drink — different packaging, same blood sugar problem. That desperate need for something sweet in the afternoon simply stopped. It took a few weeks of stable blood sugar to get there, but when it left, I realized how much mental energy I had been spending managing it every single day.
I also stopped thinking about food between meals. When your blood sugar is stable, you eat, you feel genuinely satisfied, and then you simply do not think about food again until you are actually hungry. That freedom was the most unexpected and most profound change.
My relationship with treats changed entirely, too. When you are not riding a blood sugar rollercoaster, you do not need a treat to rescue you from a crash. You can choose a treat from a place of genuine desire rather than desperation, and one is enough. That is when treats become a real pleasure rather than something to feel conflicted about.
And my skin, my sleep, my mood, my energy — and my chest pain — all improved. Refined sugar drives inflammation in ways that show up everywhere in the body. Removing it is one of the single most impactful things I have ever done for my health.
It also clarified something that has become the foundation of everything I teach: I want every bite I eat to nourish, protect, and energize my body. Real food does all three. Refined sugar does none of them.
A huge thank you to Beth for sharing her expertise and experience! If you’d like further info, read more about Beth and her Blood Sugar Method course. Beth and I also collaborated on a monthly menu plan and a casual dinner party menu.
And give a listen to the podcast interview I did with Beth!
Tell Me
What changes to your diet have you had to make over the years? Is one of them reducing or eliminating refined sugar? I’d love to hear your take in the comments.
Coming next week: Coachella-inspired frozen treats (and yes, they are refined sugar-free)! See you next Friday.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bettyeatz.substack.com/subscribe
