I’m off sugar – white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, the lot – and have been for quite a while. In doing so, I have become that awkward person at the dinner party, pitied by the other guests, who tuck in with relish and think why miss a delicious pud for the sake of a few calories, but I couldn’t feel better for it.

It hasn’t always been this way. A definite pudding instead of starter devotee until age 25, homemade brownies and pavlovas were two of my sweet party pieces and I was often seen replacing lunch with a bar of chocolate in the office. And though my desire for intensely sweet food lessened with age and increasing culinary sophistication (I stopped considering chocolate as a complete meal), I still enjoyed pudding and cake on occasion.

Pregnant in my late twenties, I found myself craving sugar like never before: drinking cans of Sprite for the first time in years, chain eating wine gums stashed in my desk drawer and second breakfasting on sweet pastries. This, I think, was very normal and most likely healthy to indulge (to a point) – the body requiring extra energy to grow another (in my case two) human being(s). As morning sickness subsided and I could stomach a wider range of food, my sweet cravings decreased.

A few months later when breastfeeding two tiny babies, I was advised by the nice plump midwife to consume an incredible 3000 calories a day – a seemingly impossible feat without eating lots of cake, which I duly did for a few weeks. Still exhausted, in spite my royal-marine-sized diet, I repeated this instruction to my doctor, who suggested that, rather than focusing on calories, I should be trying to consume more protein and healthy fats instead – eating all of that sugar would only make me feel more tired and ultimately chubby.

So I started feasting on eggs, fish, nuts, yoghurt and seeds instead. As I began to feel better and more energetic, I also began reading up on sugar. I stumbled upon blogs, articles and books, all suggesting sugar might not be terribly good for you: amongst others, Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes, Ultra-Metabolism by Mark Hyman, and Bad Food Britain by Joanna Blythman. What started out as an experiment developed into a solidly established way of life.

I won’t bore you with the science, but what I learned pretty much convinced me that eating an excess of sugar (which almost all of us do without really being aware of it) increases your chances of lots of nasty medical things you’d rather avoid: weight gain, anxiety, hypertension, lethargy, insomnia, early ageing, and all sorts of horrid diseases. All that, I’d rather do without. And I’d imagine you would too.

Since then, I’ve left the sugar in the sugar bowl. And I don’t miss it one jot. That may be because I’m not terribly extreme about it. There really is no need to be extreme about it. You don’t need to give up sugar entirely, just understand where it is not necessary and find other, more imaginative ways to indulge. Once you start, you’ll quickly notice the decline in your sweet tooth.

Below, I’ve provided a few easy steps to help you start and for ideas on other delicious unsugared treats. If you’ve been reading this thinking: oh what a bore, what deprivation, always missing the delights of sticky toffee pudding – I’ll only retort: wait until you’ve tried ending a meal with an intense piece of dark chocolate, or better, a slice of strong stilton and tell me that doesn’t feel like proper indulgence too.

Cutting sugar … 

1. Eat plenty of fresh fruit which, though high fructose, is so very good for you in many other ways it’s worth it. The natural sweetness of fruit will also leave you feeling less deprived of sweetness entirely.

2. Dried fruits should be viewed as a treat – (apricots, apple, prunes, figs, and even raisins if you’re feeling decadent … Perhaps three small pieces a day. Savour each one.

3. Leave off all sugary drinks and stop adding sugar to coffee or tea. You’ll discover how much cleaner they taste without. Drink fresh fruit juice only on very special occasions. Enjoy, instead, the crunch of a real apples. Sparkling mineral water with a slice of lime is much more refreshing.

4. Look out for added sugar in unexpected things – ready-made sauces, salad dressings, even bread. If you see it on the label, leave the packet on the supermarket shelf.

5. Become a chocolate connoisseur. Always eat it very dark (70% cocoa content at least, 85% is even better). Eat one square a day, if that – you’ll feel like Charlie peeling back the gold paper. I’ve recently discovered Lovechock (100% raw chocolate), which is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten and I couldn’t recommend more.

And if it’s a day you need a more substantial and luxurious pudding replacement, here’s an idea that I promise beats any sugary trifle.

A truly decadent dessert 

Ingredients: 

• Greek yoghurt (mascarpone cheese, if you really want to make it lavish)
• 1 tsp almond butter
• A handful of chopped nuts or seeds (walnuts, almonds, brazils, sunflower seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds, a mixture of all of the above, whatever you fancy)
• 3 dried apricots (brown, unsulphured, preferably organic)

Method

Fill a small individual portion-sized bowl with the yoghurt (or mascarpone). I’d advise using a very pretty bowl, which adds to the sense of occasion.

Drizzle the tsp of almond butter over the top. Then toast a handful of seeds in a small dry frying pan on the hob at a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Or chop a handful of nuts. Sprinkle your topping of choice on the yoghurt.

Cut your dried apricots into quarters using your kitchen scissors, and use as your final decoration.

If you’re feeling still more decadent, add a teaspoonful of unsweetened apple and apricot puree (available from most good health food shops and supermarkets), before you add the toppings. Or you could replace the apricots with fresh fruit – some pomegranate or a handful fresh berries, when in season.

Then sit back, and relish each spoonful, knowing that this indulgence is only doing you good.