How to refine your approach to sugar
Former nurse Tessa Seward tells Xanthe Clay how she learned to satisfy her sweet tooth with natural alternatives – and keep debilitating migraines at bay. Now, she helps others do the same
When Tessa Seward woke up one morning with a blinding migraine, she knew something had to change. A nurse, she had always favoured a holistic approach to health, but the weak spot was her diet. “I was a big sugar addict,” she tells me – the kind of person who can’t eat just one biscuit without devouring the whole packet. “When I went out for a meal, I would go for the pudding menu – because that was what I was really interested in.”
Seward had no doubt that the pain in her head was connected to sugar intake, and according to the Migraine Society, bingeing on sugary food can cause “reactive hypoglycaemia” by triggering an overproduction of insulin, causing blood glucose to plummet – and bring on a pounding migraine. It was enough for Seward to radically change her diet, first cutting out sugar completely (even fruit was initially off the menu) and then slowly introducing small amounts back in, largely in the shape of honey and dates. “Weight fell off,” she recalls, “but mostly I just felt better.”
Two years ago, she left her job of 11 years with St Michael’s Hospice in Hastings, determined to be “more a part of helping to prevent people getting sick in the first place.” She started running sugar awareness workshops, highlighting how much sugar was in highly processed foods.
Seward is very damning of refined sugar, and while there is plenty of hyperbole around the dangers of sugar, there is no doubt that sugary foods are a major cause of obesity and diabetes, putting untold stress on the NHS. As to whether sugar is physically addictive, the scientific jury is still out. Although claims that it is eight times as addictive as cocaine don’t stand up to scrutiny, some studies suggest that sugar does release endorphins, which may be habit-forming. What experts do agree on, though, is that while sugar isn’t likely to be dangerous in itself, large
‘There are 20 teaspoons of sugar in some coffee shop drinks – you’d never do that at home’
amounts of sugar lurking in the foods we regularly throw in the trolley is feeding ill health.
During first lockdown, Seward began holding free online classes, focusing on health and boosting immunity. She has always promoted home cooking, “because then you know how much sugar is in the food, and can be mindful”. She says: “It’s an eye-opener for people, where sugar is hiding out in supermarkets. There are 20 teaspoons of sugar in some coffee shop drinks – you’d never do that at home.”
A friend suggested she start posting recipes, one a day, weight-loss supporting and free from refined sugar. The scheme has blossomed into a £4-a-week recipe subscription, Sweeter Life, as well as offering workshops, one-toones and free consultations. Recipes include plenty of sweet – or sweetish – treats. I was impressed to find that a chocolate mousse can be indulgent without sugar.
Seward’s scheme reflects a boom in online help with diet. Noom, the USbased leader in the field, which provides motivational tracts, recipes and support, has reported a doubling in sign-ups in the UK over the past 12 months. The NHS-endorsed app Second Nature has also seen a surge in take-up. Both recognise that calorie counting alone isn’t enough: we need more support. “I don’t believe in willpower,” Seward tells me. “I think there is a big difference between willpower and mindset.” Without that right mindset, she says, “you’ll always be thinking about the Hobnobs in the cupboard, and you are going to splurge because you are feeling deprived.” Her recipes, however, offer a delicious alternative.