a cheat’s guide to

Quitting
sugar

9 quick and clever recipes

you won’t believe are sugar-­free!
1
 a note from sarah
Hello! I’m guessing you’re intrigued about this sugar-quitting business. I gave it a go in
January 2011, I felt infinitely better (see below), so I kept going and going. And then I
put a program together that has helped more than 1.8 million people worldwide get off
the white stuff.

SO, SHOULD YOU QUIT SUGAR?

Hmmm, maybe ask yourself:
• Do you get energy slumps in the afternoon?
• Do you need something sweet after lunch or dinner?
• Does your stomach get bloated after eating?
• Are you unable to eat just one piece of cake and walk away? (That was me!)
• Are you “podgy” around the middle but pretty slim everywhere else? (Me again!)
• Does your brain often feel foggy and unclear?
• D
 o you want to lose weight? (I lost 12kg and have maintained my weight for five
years…and counting).
If you ticked yes to most of the above – and have a sneaking suspicion that sugar is
making you feel baseline crappy – you might want to give it a crack.

WHAT WILL IT DO?

Me, I experienced clear skin and less wrinkles in two weeks. Next came stable energy,
weight loss and a significant reduction in my autoimmune disease symptoms. The most
significant change? I found food freedom – my appetite hormones recalibrated and
I can now eat like I did when I was a kid… what my body needs, not craves! Quitting
sugar has been shown to:
• H
 elp with PCOS, reversing conditions in a lot of
cases.
• R
 everse infertility in hundreds of our participants.
We have a lot of IQS babies!
• Combat low energy levels and fatigue long term.
• R
 educe cholesterol levels and other metabolic
markers.
• Decrease chronic pain.
From the outset I’ve only ever put quitting sugar
forward as a gentle invitation. If you think it might be
something you’d like to try, the Team and I are glad
to say we’re here to help.

2 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

so, how do you quit sugar?
WE ALLOW 8 WEEKS.
Addiction theory shows you need 60 days to break an
emotional and physical habit like sugar.

LEARN TO READ LABELS AND SHOP

HEALTHILY.
When you know that a tub of low-fat “plain” yoghurt
contains 6 tsp of sugar, all kinds of things start to change.

WE LEARN TO COOK.
When we quit sugar, we quit processed foods, which means we’re
left with REAL food, which we have to cook. The 8-Week Program is a fun value-added
“learn to cook” course in many ways, where you’re shown all the smart, new wellness
and kitchen tricks, like one-pot cooking and desk jar lunches, for instance.

ANOTHER THING?
The 8-Week Program is not a strict diet regime! We encourage flexibility and adapting
the Program to suit your lifestyle. Think bread and cheese are out of the question? Think
again. We use loads of healthy fats and complex carbohydrates on the Program to make
sure you are in the best position to quit sugar and find food freedom.

BE SUPPORTED.
You’ll also become part of a community that actually cares. Throughout, you have
access to more than 45 healthcare experts from around the world, on call 24/7, ready
to answer all kinds of questions (“Why am I so thirsty?”). That includes our in-house
team of dietitians and nutritionists, who will guide you through every step.

NOW, SOME STATS WE QUITE LIKE.

• 99% of 8-Week Program graduates felt the Meal Plans were balanced and healthy.
• 93% would recommend the 8-Week Program to others.

Looking for more info?

Chat to one of our experts live about quitting sugar at IQuitSugar.com/8­-Week-Program.

WHILE I’VE GOT YOU, A LITTLE GIFT…

10% off our store

Use this code at the checkout to receive 10% off all print books,
eBooks and merchandise at store.IQuitSugar.com.
RECIPES10 3
 three success stories
Hamish “I lost 12kg and dropped
Hamish was a sugar fiend who weighed two pants sizes.”
117kg, with a 112cm (44in) tummy, and wore
XXL-sized shirts.
“I play rugby and weight train about three
to five times a week, however, I never really
dropped much in size around the middle.
It [quitting sugar] wasn’t too hard. Initial
cravings passed and as I started to feel
better, I was complimented on how good I
was looking. At this stage I have lost 12kg,
dropped a shirt size and two pants sizes, and
most importantly my tummy is now at 40.5in
[103cm].”

Elise “I am about to do my fifth I Quit

Like any busy mum feeding a family of five, Sugar 8-Week Program and every
Elise went into the Program with concerns. But time I learn something new.”
these quickly faded right from week one.
“My kids seem surprised by how tasty the
meals were (I was expecting to make a lot
more modifications to the meals than I
actually did). I easily found the ingredients at
my local supermarket, and because I replaced
processed food with whole ingredients my
grocery bills were no more expensive!”

“I loved how simple yet delicious

Laura the recipes on the Program were. I
Laura truly is a testament to how easy our did the whole 8 weeks cooking in a
8-Week Program recipes are – cooking them
campervan kitchen and was able to
all without a fully functional kitchen!
cook everything with ease.”
“The Meal Plan was so easy to follow, and
the weekly Shopping List and Sunday Cook
Up made sure I had everything I needed for
the week ahead. Alternative ingredients were
suggested (this is where the Forum is great!).
There are the experts online who provide
support and guidance in various different
areas, from personal trainers to psychologists
and nutritionists. I really felt like I belonged to
a great online community.”

4 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

 now for recipes...

. . . Caramel Peach Pancakes . . .

This recipe is from
serves 2 | 10m prep | 10m cook our 8-week program

Caramel. Peach. Pancakes?! Yes, this is how we introduce sweetness back in Week 6 of the
Program. You can still eat fruit when you quit sugar!

INGREDIENTS method
• 125g full-fat natural or Greek yoghurt 1. Place yoghurt, three-quarters of the
• 50g butter, melted butter, lemon juice and egg into a
medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk
• 1 lemon, juiced together with a fork until combined.
• 1 egg Add in the remaining ingredients
• 150g brown rice flour (except the peach). Stir together until
• ½ teaspoon baking powder you form a thick but smooth batter.
If your batter is too thick, add a
• ½ teaspoon baking soda dash of water until you get the right
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground consistency.
• ¼ teaspoon ginger, ground 2. Heat half of the remaining butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla powder in a large frying pan on medium
heat. Scoop up some of the mixture
• pinch of sea salt
and spread it onto the frying pan.
• 1
 large yellow peach, pitted and cut Place 2–3 peach slices on top of the
into thin slices pancake and push down. Let the
To serve pancake cook for 2 minutes, or until
you see bubbles form. Flip and cook
• ½ teaspoon rice malt syrup
the other side for another minute until
• 30 g full-fat natural or Greek yoghurt pancake has cooked through and
peach is browned. Repeat with the
remaining butter, batter and peaches.
This should yield six pancakes.
3. Serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt
and a drizzle of rice malt syrup.

5
. . . Superfood Abundance Bowl . . .
This recipe is from
serves 2 | 10m prep | 30m cook our 8-week program

The best thing about this salad? You can prepare it the night before and take it to work
in a lunch box so that you have a delicious sugar-free lunch that will make everyone
around you envious.

INGREDIENTS method
• 1
 small (250g) sweet potato, skin 1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/
scrubbed well and cut in to 2cm pieces Gas Mark 6. Line an oven tray with
• 1
 small (250g) eggplant (aubergine), baking paper.
cut into 2cm pieces 2. Place sweet potato and eggplant
• 30ml coconut oil, melted separately on prepared tray and drizzle
with coconut oil. Bake for 30 minutes
• ½
 small (125g) head broccoli,
or until tender and golden.
cut into florets
3. Add broccoli to a small pot and cover
• 4
 leaves kale, stems removed,
with water. Bring to the boil and allow
finely sliced
to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly
• 10ml olive oil soft but still crunchy. Add in the kale
• ¼
 cup of coriander leaves, roughly leaves in the last minute. Drain and
chopped drizzle with olive oil.
• ¼ cup of mint leaves, roughly chopped 4. Stir coriander and mint through
• 1 cup cooked quinoa cooked quinoa. Set aside.
• ¼ cup almonds, coarsely chopped 5. Divide all ingredients between two
bowls or lunch boxes. Sprinkle with
• ¼ cup mung bean sprouts, optional
almonds, bean sprouts and tahini.
• 2 tablespoons tahini, to serve

6 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

Superfood Abundance Bowl 7
. . . Pork with Kimchi Cabbage . . .
+Baked Apples
This recipe is from
serves 2 | 10m prep | 20m cook our 8-week program

We’ve paired the classic combination of pork and apple with a kimchi-inspired braised
cabbage to spice up a mid-week meal.

INGREDIENTS method
Pork + Baked Apples 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/
Gas Mark 4.
• 1 teaspoon butter
2. Combine all ingredients for the Kimchi
• 5ml extra virgin olive oil
Cabbage in a medium-sized pot on a
• 300g pork tenderloin low-medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes,
• 1 small (120g) red apple stirring. Cover, reduce temperature to
low and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
To serve
3. While the Kimchi Cabbage is braising,
• sea salt, to season
make the Pork + Baked Apples. Add
• freshly cracked black pepper, to season the butter and olive oil to an oven-
• 2
 teaspoons wholegrain mustard, proof frying pan on a low-medium
to serve heat. Add in pork loin and cook for 4
minutes, turning continuously to sear
Kimchi Cabbage the outside. In the last minute, add the
• 5ml apple cider vinegar apples and coat in butter and olive oil.
• 2
 50g (¼ small) white cabbage, Place oven-proof frying pan in the pre-
shredded heated oven to finish cooking through
• 1 small (100g) carrot, julienned for 8 minutes.

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 4. Once pork has cooked through,

remove pork and apples from the oven
• 2 garlic cloves, minced and cover for a further 5 minutes.
• 5ml extra virgin olive oil Slice pork into 1cm-thick pieces.
• 2
 large kale leaves, stems removed and Separate the Pork + Baked Apples
finely chopped and Kimchi Cabbage between a plate
for dinner tonight and a container
• sea salt, to season
for lunch tomorrow.* Season both
generously with salt and pepper and
serve with wholegrain mustard.

*We always make our 8-Week Program dinner recipes so that there are leftovers for lunch
tomorrow. This prevents wastage, decreases costs and makes sure you always have a sugar-free
meal on stand by.

8 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

Pork with Kimchi Cabbage
+ Baked Apples 9
. . . The IQS Deconstructed . . .
Avocado Toast
This recipe appears in
serves 2 | 5m prep | 10m cook Healthy breakfast cookbook

Words cannot describe how completely, totally, absolutely obsessed we are with avocado
toast, and it seems like the rest of the world is too! We’ve decided to make things even better
by having a HUGE “dip” of avo, which you can scoop with some Parmesan toast. Oh yeah!

INGREDIENTS method
• 1 large avocado. 1. To make avocado dip, add avocado,
• 80g cottage cheese cottage cheese, lemon, olive oil, mint,
dill, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl.
• ½ lime, juice and zest
Mash with a fork to combine. Scoop
• 20ml extra virgin olive oil into a small serving bowl and sprinkle
• 1
 tablespoon mint leaves, finely with extra dill, mint and mixed seeds.
chopped, plus extra to serve Set aside.
• 2
 tablespoons dill leaves, finely 2. Place bread under the grill and toast
chopped, plus extra to serve on one side. Flip and sprinkle the
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds Parmesan evenly over the uncooked
sides of the bread. Place back under
• ½ teaspoon chia seeds
the grill and cook until cheese is
• ½ teaspoon flax seeds golden. Remove.
Parmesan toasts 3. Serve the avocado dip with Parmesan
• 4 slices thick-cut sourdough bread toast alongside. Dip your toast into the
avocado dip to scoop and eat.
• 50g Parmesan cheese

10 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

The IQS Deconstructed Avocado Toast 11
 . . . not quite . . .
cherry ripe bites
This recipe appears in
serves 12 | 15m prep | 1h freeze the ultimate chocolate cookbook

These little morsels have everything you need in one; low-fructose fruit, good fat and
chocolate. Tick, tick, tick!

INGREDIENTS method
Filling 1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Add all the filling ingredients to the
• 100g unsweetened shredded coconut
food processor. Pulse until mixture
• 20ml rice malt syrup comes together but still has texture.
• 20ml coconut oil, melted Roll tablespoons of the mixture into
• 30ml coconut milk round balls, place on a baking tray and
freeze for at least an hour.
• 1
 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract,
optional 2. Meanwhile melt store-bought
chocolate over a double boiler being
• ½ cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
careful not to seize the chocolate.
Chocolate Coating Remove the coconut balls from the
• 100g 85-90% dark chocolate freezer and roll them in the melted
chocolate so they are completely
coated.
3. Place balls on a tray and sit in the
fridge to set before serving.

Note: These balls will require refrigeration.

12 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

Not Quite Cherry Ripe Bites 13
 . . . lamb nachos . . .
This recipe appears in
serves 4 | 10m prep | 20m cook healthy family meals cookbook

These Lamb Nachos are the perfect dish to feed a group. Whether you’re having a weekend
movie session with some friends or people around to watch your favourite football team
play, they’re a real crowd pleaser.

INGREDIENTS method
• 200g natural gluten-free corn chips 1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas
• 150g Cheddar cheese Mark 4. Line a large baking tray with
baking paper.
• 450g lamb mince
2. Heat olive oil, cumin, cinnamon and
• olive oil, for frying
garlic in a medium-sized frying pan and
• 1 avocado, mashed cook until fragrant. Add in the lamb
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved mince and fry off until browned, about
• 1 teaspoon cumin, ground 5 minutes.
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground 3. Spread corn chips on a baking tray and
sprinkle with half the cheese. Add lamb
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
and top with remaining cheese.
• cayenne pepper, to serve
4. Place corn chips in the oven and cook
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve for 10 minutes, or until cheese has
melted.
5. Top the chips and lamb with avocado
and tomato. Sprinkle with cayenne
pepper and serve with lime wedges and
a green salad if you like.

14 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

lamb nachos 15
 . . . Mexican Chilli . . .
Chicken Tacos
serves 6-8 | 10m prep | c ook 7h on low This recipe appears in
or 3 ½ h on high slow cooker cookbook

This recipe came about organically at our photo shoot. We had all this delicious food and
the natural decision was to do a bit of a “make­your­own taco” spread for lunch. If you don’t
have leftover chicken, you can use 500g chicken mince or half a roast chicken from the
supermarket instead (it tastes just as good).

INGREDIENTS method
• 500g shredded roast chicken 1. Place the shredded chicken (or
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed mince) in the slow cooker. Add
garlic, onion, lime juice, olive oil,
• 1 onion, finely sliced
spices and salt and pepper. Stir
• juice of 2 limes all the ingredients to ensure the
• 20ml olive oil chicken is coated.
• 1 teaspoon cumin 2. Cover and cook for 1 ½ hours on
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder low or 45 minutes on high. Warm
the tortillas in the microwave or
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
grill.
• s ea salt and freshly ground black
3. Spoon the chilli chicken mixture
pepper, to taste
into each tortilla and garnish with
• 60ml chicken stock your choice of toppings.
• 1 red chilli, sliced with seeds, optional
• 1
 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
roughly
• 6 small gluten­free tortillas
Toppings
• ¼ red cabbage, shredded
• 1 avocado, mashed or cubed
• 1 ⁄2 bunch coriander
• lime wedges
• sour cream
• tzatziki

16 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

mexican chilli chicken tacos 17
. . . coconut “marshmallows” . . .

This recipe appears in

serves 15 | 10m prep |  0m cook
1 gut lovin’ gummies
(plus 1 hour to set)

INGREDIENTS method
• 3
 ½ tablespoons Gut Lovin’ Gelatin 1. Dissolve the gelatin in 1/3 cup of cold
powder water and let it sit for 5 minutes until it
• 270ml can coconut milk has become gel­like.
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 2. Heat the coconut milk, cream, vanilla
and sea salt in a saucepan until almost
• 1 pinch sea salt
boiling.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the
gelatin until it has dissolved.
4. Pour into a 10x15cm glass or plastic
container. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then
cut into squares.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container
for up to a week.

18 A cheat’s guide to quitting sugar

 . . . Sugar-Free Nut-Ella . . .

This recipe appears in

serves 8 | 15m prep kids cookbook

This version will fool even the most sceptical child. It’s great on a slice of toast or a few rice
cakes for afternoon tea.

INGREDIENTS method
• 1 cup hazelnuts 1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/
• 125ml coconut milk Gas Mark 4.
• 1 tablespoon rice malt syrup 2. Bake the hazelnuts for 8–10 minutes,
until browned. Rub most of the skins
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
off as they can be a bit bitter (you don’t
• ¼ cup raw cacao powder have to be too precise). Grind the nuts
• 1 tablespoon vanilla powder in a food processor until smooth.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and
process until well mixed. Add extra
coconut milk if you want more of a
‘sauce’ consistency. Store in the fridge
for several weeks.

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Learn how to quit sugar and
take control of your health –
for good!
• 8 weeks of economical, speedy meal plans.
• Super simple shopping lists.
• More than 90 member-only recipes.
• C
 ommunity forums and weekly emails
to keep you on track. And answer
whatever questions you might have.
• 4
 5 doctors, nutritionists,
dieticians, psychologists on hand
to help.
• W
 eekly motivational videos from
Sarah.
• A
 ll of this delivered on a brand
NEW, easy-to-use online
platform. With fun widgets!

Looking for more?

For more information on the
8­-Week Program or to sign
up for the next round, visit

IQuitSugar.com/8-Week-Program.

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