Determined to cut out sugar!

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joannefrancoual
joannefrancoual Posts: 4 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello!! My name is Joanne and I am new to this MFP community!
I am determined to cut out/greatly reduce sugar this year and hopefully lose some pounds in 2021. I would love some advice/thoughts/recommendations

I would like to make healthy scones...does it matter if I use all purpose flour?
Is it more healthy to use almond or coconut flour instead? I am planning to replace sugar with a tablespoon or two with maple syrup and use fresh berries instead of dried fruits, which I hear has a lot of sugar. How would replacing all purpose flour and cane sugar compare nutritionally?
I am planning on using almond milk instead of dairy

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am trying to find alternatives for my 'tea and toast' breakfast and am hoping healthy scones would be a pleasant replacement

Thank you!! I look forward to your thoughts!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    In regards to the flour, wheat flours have more carbohydrates than almond flour or coconut flour...but almond flour and coconut flour have more fat and are therefore higher in calories than wheat flour for the same amount. From a nutritional standpoint in the context of one's overall diet, I find the differences to be fairly immaterial...kind of like white rice and brown rice...if you actually compare the nutritional information side by side, the differences are pretty negligible. One may benefit more from almond or coconut flower if they have a gluten intolerance or are celiac, etc. Keep in mind that your scones are likely to be flatter and more dense due to the lack of gluten.

    In regards to sugar...sugar is sugar...replacing cane sugar with maple syrup doesn't really matter. Your body isn't going to treat it any differently. For the fruit, dried fruits have more sugar because it is concentrated during the dehydration process...fresh fruits would have less sugar but may possibly make for an odd texture in a scone...IDK.

    As for the milk, I personally can't stand almond milk because there's just nothing much to it...not much flavor, and is basically the consistency of water. Dairy actually has a better overall nutritional profile. Almond milk will be lower in calories though. The sugar in dairy is naturally occurring lactose...there is no added sugar.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    In order to determine what, if any substitutions, you'd want to make to bake "healthy scones," you'll want to first establish what "healthy" means to you in this context. Do you want fewer calories, more nutrient-density, lower fat, more fiber? You can make substitutions to do most of those things, but it's also easy to fall into a situation where you're replacing common ingredients with currently trendy substitutions like coconut flour and not doing much to impact the factors that are most important to you.

    Almond and coconut flour are going to be more expensive. They'll be higher fat and lower carbohydrate, but your end result will likely have as many calories as the one baked with all-purpose flour. Maybe that falls within your guidelines -- for me, it wouldn't be worth it unless I was looking for the specific taste and texture that you can get with either of these flours (which I do enjoy sometimes, especially almond flour).

    Maple syrup and berries have sugar, which your body will process just like the sugar in cane sugar or dried fruit. If you would ENJOY either of those things in your scone, go for it. But I wouldn't make the substitution just to make it. I do find fresh berries in scones to be delightful.

    Same with the almond milk. It's lower calories, but the amount of milk you're using in the scones, I don't think it will change the final nutritional profile that much.

    If my goal was to reduce sugar in my breakfast, I would probably go in a different direction than scones. I will bake them a couple of times a year as a treat, but they don't work well as an everyday breakfast for me. That doesn't mean it won't work for you, but if your goal is to reduce calories overall, just swapping all-purpose flour for a calorie-dense substitute isn't going to get you further down that path.
  • Losingin2021
    Losingin2021 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi Folks! I am new to MFP, recently got my blood test and I have elevated sugar levels (not quite diabetic) but I am on the cusp, so I really need to get my act together and bring it down. I dont eat a lot of ton ofsweets, I think I eat too many processed carbs such as bread, rice and pasta that have contributed to this high score. I dont think I will fully cut out bread but looking at this thread for helpful ways to reduce sugar intake.
  • joannefrancoual
    joannefrancoual Posts: 4 Member
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    thank you so much for these replies! They are very helpful, and I have learned a lot....namely, I am over thinking this and yes, perhaps scones everyday for breakfast is a bad idea. I will consider more protein packed foods and ides. This has been an enormous help!!

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