Sarah Wilson - I quit sugar with Sarah Wilson : the ultimate chocolate cookbook : healthy desserts, kids’ treats and guilt-free indulgences

I quit sugar several years ago now. Since January 2011 Ive eaten a largely fructose-free diet, and apart from an initial, crappy withdrawal period Ive found it a no-brainer.

And these are the best bits:

* Ive restored my body to operate from a natural appetite. Like when I was a kid.

* I eat three times a day, instead of riding a blood sugar rollercoaster that used to see me lunging for food every hour or so.

* I dont have cravings.

* I dont feel guilty around food. Ever.

* I eat the foods we have been raised to feel guilty about cheese, nuts, oils and this has only seen me lose weight.

* I eat freely and my weight has been stable for two years now.

But could I have completely turned my back on the white stuff if Id known Id never be able to eat chocolate again? Well, my friends, possibly not.

Chocolate makes me viscerally happy. It goes beyond being a comfort food. It goes beyond a guilty indulgence. It goes beyond addiction. When I eat chocolate, by which I mean real chocolate, my body genuinely feels spirited, satiated. It soars.

So lets jump to the question I get asked most by hovering sugar quitters:

Well, yes. But it depends. Id like to be upfront. Eating chocolate when you quit sugar means knowing these things:

• Cocoa contains less than 1% sugar, and is a richly nutritious food.
• Store-bought chocolate is rarely real chocolate. Even the sugar-free stuff. Its mostly full of bad oils and additives, and retains little nutritional value. Which means
• Its best to make your own chocolate.

Remember: When Im talking about quitting sugar, Im referring to fructose. The other sugars maltose, lactose and glucose - are safe to eat in moderation. Fructose is not. Ordinary table sugar is 50% glucose, 50% fructose. Some sugars contain a higher fructose ratio, like agave. Yep! This so-called healthy sweetener often found in a number of so-called healthy chocolates can contain up to 90% fructose.

Just a few reasons why fructose is bad for us:

It passes directly to our livers and is stored as instant fat. Fructose must be processed by the liver, which increases the workload and potentially contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Its addictive. Some studies say its more so than cocaine and heroine. Were designed to gorge on sugar because its such a nifty and instant source of fat; great back in caveman days, not so much today.

It makes us eat more. Unlike all other food molecules, fructose has no corresponding were full now, stop eating switch (or enzyme) in our brain. Which means we can keep eating and eating the stuff without getting satiated. It also increases another hormone, ghrelin, which fuels hunger.

It makes us sick. Countless studies link fructose consumption to a host of metabolic disorders, including: immune disorders; cancers of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, lung, gallbladder and stomach; diabetes the list goes on and on. To read up on the studies, with citations, check out my I Quit Sugar Facebook page .

Instead, I use granulated stevia, rice malt syrup and other forms of glucose to sweeten the recipes in this book. For more information on these, and a few little warnings, .

If you're currently doing my I Quit Sugar program , bear in mind I advise cutting out all sweeteners (including the "safe" ones, fruit and even sweettasting things) until week 7. This is so your body gets a chance to recalibrate. I recommend you save the recipes in this book for after you've successfully quit. Cool?

Also, everyone, bear in mind anything with a sweet vibe should be treated as a treat and be eaten with dignity and moderately. Yeah?

• I make a green smoothie flavoured with raw cacao. Or my .
• I top some yoghurt with .
• A quick grab-and-go breakfast: Two of my .
• For more breakfast chocolate, check out the .

My love of chocolate has seen me experiment madly with different densely nutritious and satiating recipe ideas for two years now. Its not a bad experiment to sign up for! This cookbook, as with my previous books , evolved as an experiment as I explored sugar-free living for myself. I say this often: Im not a scientist. I dont pretend to be. Im someone who gave this way of living a crack, found it did great things for my wellness, and now I love sharing what Ive learned.

And so, I present to you, my favourite 74 chocolate creations.
Enjoy and be spirited!

In addition to my recipes, this book features a bunch developed by 13 I Quit Sugar readers. Theyre clever kids. And generous too. Many, many thanks to:

Kate Johnston , Meg Thompson , Stephanie Papillo , Alexx Stuart , Jenna Nash, Sarah Jenkins at Lady Homemade , Nicole Bremner , Chelsea Filcock, Sal Milford , Catherine Noonan at I Heart Scratch , Sarah Wilton, Jessica Nazarali and Jennifer Jenner .

And thank you to the 100+ of you who submitted recipes for this project. Its wonderful to see so much I Quit Sugar action happening around the globe.

Some of my foodie and blogland friends also kicked in their creations. Thank you, thank you, thank you to:

	Jemma Gawned , who runs raw food bar and wholesale kitchen Naked Treaties from Byron Bay, Australia. Her chocolates are infused with bush flower essences, blessings and loving intent.
	Megan Gilmore , a holistic health coach; her blog Detoxinista provides sublime, quick, all-natural recipes. You can follow Megan on Facebook , Twitter or Pinterest .