It was when I had a bag of chocolate chips for breakfast last week that I realised all had gone terribly downhill. Turns out my healthy breakfast resolution was not going so well. I'd had a super-hectic morning chasing Chloe around her bedroom floor as we tried to get ready for work and daycare. Our little monkey can crawl at the speed of light a nightmare when she takes off mid-nappy change, although I have now mastered the art of changing her mid-escapade. Needless to say I was late, late, late and in my bare pre-grocery shop cupboards the chocolate chips were literally the only thing I could find. Honestly! …Ok, I do also LOVE them.

However, even after a litre of water and some alfalfa sprouts at lunchtime, I still felt rubbish. That's the thing about sugar it feels fabulous at the time, but can cause you to come crashing down later. All in all, I knew it was time to give my diet an overhaul so I teamed up with a friend for a six-week challenge.

My lovely friend needed to go 'balls to the wall' (her expression!) with a healthy eating regime and I needed to stop all chocolate and sugar. We came to a deal whereby we have to follow our rules for six weeks, and each time we slip up, we have to pay the other person $100. As neither of us has that kind of money to throw around, we have no choice but to stick to our goals. We are also being closely watched by our self-appointed 'domestic CFO' husbands who don't want us to lose $100 (or multiples thereof) either.

Of course, we could simply lie to each other, but that's not going to happen. The guilt would kill me! You could also say that we've set up a situation where we want the other to fail. So although that's not the case, we inserted a final rule, which says that if we both achieve our goals, without slipping up even once, we can go shopping together for cute tops at the end. Funnily enough, we haven't told the CFOs that part… although they have no doubt found out here. But as my CFO usually only reads the first paragraph of this column, I may well be in the clear.

So five days into the challenge, how am I finding it? The first few days were hard I'd forgotten what a slippery slope sugar is for me and although I have a fantastically healthy diet in many respects, sugar featured way too highly. Still, several days in, my sweet tooth is waning and it's much easier to be satisfied by fresh fruit. Also, I'm actually taking my own advice (isn't it funny how we rarely do that?) and the tips below have been especially useful. So if you're waging war against your sugar cravings too try out the recommendations below!

1. Have a good breakfast. By eating a healthy breakfast you can prevent yourself giving in to cravings later on in the morning when you are really hungry. Combine complex carbohydrate (e.g. wholegrains or fruit) with protein (e.g. eggs, nuts) to provide you with plenty of slow-releasing energy. Try scrambled eggs and wholewheat toast or a Kashi wholegrain cereal with a few almonds.

2. Anticipate a hunger-dip. If you know you get hungry at around 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., then anticipate these dips by having a healthy snack 15 minutes beforehand. If planning to that degree sounds like too much work, just make sure you snack as soon as you feel hungry, rather than waiting till you are starving (and therefore less capable of making a healthy choice).

3. Keep healthy snacks handy. I now keep them in the car (at this time of year), at my desk and at home too. Nature's Path Crispy Rice bars, Kashi TLC bars, raw nuts and fresh fruit all make good snacks. Wholegrains cereals are also useful and if you have more time, try guacamole/hummus and veggie sticks/wholegrain crackers.

4. Try a smoothie as a snack, rather than just as a drink. If you add protein (whey powder, nuts, almond butter, soymilk) to your smoothie, that helps to slow the release of the sugar from the fruit and ultimately make it a long-lasting satisfying snack. Always order a small smoothie though even fruit can get way too high in sugar. Down to Earth and Buzz shops both have protein options for their smoothies.

5. Try Xylichew chewing gum. Use chewing gum to help you resist a candy craving, but choose carefully! This one is sweetened with Xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that has little impact on blood sugar. Xylitol is also actively good for your teeth so your dentist will be happy. Try and avoid gum made with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. Xylichew is available at Down to Earth and Rock On. The flavours are great, but I'll be honest, they don't last all that long.

6. Use other natural low-calorie sweeteners. Stevia and agave nectar are both available at Down to Earth. Stevia has a slightly odd after-taste (in my opinion) but lots of people like it. Agave is a great option and good in both drinks and baking.

7. Healthy desert! Sometimes desert can be naturally low in sugar. Try fruit kebabs with a little dark chocolate dipping sauce, or if you are completely off the chocolate wagon try making your own jello. The recipe below simply uses natural fruit juice and it's set by agar-agar, a vegetarian gelatin available from Down to Earth and the ABC Adventist book and health store. Most types of juice work (but not orange, kiwi or anything especially tart) but I like combining apple and pineapple juice best. You can add chopped up soft fruit e.g. blueberries/raspberries if you like the jello/fresh fruit combo.

Homemade Jello (fills four large ramekins):

500ml fruit juice (e.g. half apple, half pineapple)

1 heaped teaspoon agar-agar flakes

• Bring the fruit juice to a boil in a non-aluminum saucepan

• Add the agar-agar and stir well

• Boil gently for a further five minutes, stirring occasionally

• Check the agar-agar has dissolved by stirring and checking for undissolved flakes. If some remain, continue to boil for a few more minutes.

• Allow the juice to cool a little, stir again and then transfer to ramekins. Refrigerate for a few hours to set.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com