Coming up on seven weeks sugar free. The first month was not easy, but I’m proud of myself for sticking with it.
Because of severe stress, I’ve dealt with brutal heartburn for a few years now. My doctor wanted me on medication for life. I decided before I signed up for that, I’d try cutting sugar out completely and see what happened.
Other than plain yogurt, which apparently my body still hates for some unfair reason, I have had zero heartburn since April 23. It only took a couple days for my body to calm down after quitting sugar on April 20.
Turns out I also have to go really light on tomato sauce. A little is okay. Too much and my stomach starts a riot.
When I was a kid, I was the granola maker in the house. Today I made my own sugar free granola and it’s baking right now. I can’t wait to eat it tomorrow with almond milk because dairy milk and I broke up too.
And don’t even talk to me about coffee. I could cry over that one.
Still, sleeping upright every night sucks more.
What really hit me was when my dentist asked if I had heartburn. I didn’t understand how he could tell. He said, “The acid is eating the back of your teeth.”
That stopped me cold.
My teeth are honestly my favourite thing about my body. That was enough for me to get serious.
So yeah. Sugar free life for me. I’m determined to live without constant heartburn and without depending on a lifetime prescription if I can help it.
Here is my Sugar-Free Granola granola recipe:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup melted coconut oil or butter
1 egg white (optional, makes it clumpier and crunchier, omit if you’re vegan)
Optional additions after baking:
cacao nibs
freeze-dried berries, goji & blue berries are ideal.
chopped dried fruit with no added sugar
chia seeds
flaxseed
Instructions
Heat oven to 325°F (163°C).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir in vanilla and melted coconut oil.
If using the egg white, whisk it until frothy and mix it in thoroughly. This gives you those crunchy clusters.
Spread evenly on the baking sheet and press it down slightly with a spatula.
Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Let it cool completely before breaking it apart. That cooling step is what creates crunch.
Why this works
Most granola recipes rely on honey or maple syrup for texture and flavor. This one leans into:
toasted nuts for richness
coconut for sweetness perception
cinnamon and vanilla for warmth
salt for contrast
It ends up tasting balanced rather than “missing sugar.”
If you want it naturally sweeter without sugar
Add one of these:
mashed ripe banana before baking
unsweetened applesauce
a few chopped dates (yum yum, I bought a big bag today, if the dates are hard boil them for 2 minutes)
monk fruit or erythritol blend
Best ways to eat it
over plain Greek yogurt (unless you’re me)
with unsweetened almond milk
on top of berries
mixed into chia pudding (yuck, I put chia in smoothies & still hate it)
Wow, the photo with me and my granola at Tommy Thompson Park looks better than the original, thanks Chatgpt
