The harvest is a traditional time of celebration. Though most of us no longer mark the season by storing our own grain, salting meat, and preserving fruits and vegetables, it's still a joyous time of year when eating and socializing top the charts. The only problem? Sometimes surrounding yourself with food presents problems for your diet - especially if you have a sugar sensitivity. Do you feel ill after eating sugar? Find yourself binging on sweets or eating when you aren't hungry? If so, you may have to focus more on keeping your diet in check during autumnal festivities. Don't despair! This fall, you can eat delicious foods and stay sugar-free with these five easy ideas.

1. Fruit Coulis is a thin puree made by cooking fruit (or veggies) until soft, then pureeing them until they make a thick sauce. The final step is to strain the sauce through a sieve to remove any seeds or strands. Great fruits include apples, pears, berries, or pineapple. The result is a delicious sauce you can pour over yogurt, sugar-free ice cream, or sugar-free pound cake.

2. Frozen Banana Brittle is delicious and easy to make. Slice bananas and lay them in the bottom of a pie tin. Melt ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup peanut butter, ¼ almond butter, and ¼ cup cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Add Stevia powder to taste: NuStevia® White Stevia Powder (a great alternative to sugar.) Once the mixture is well combined, pour over bananas and freeze overnight!  

3. Vanilla Hot Chocolate A cozy and warm cup of hot cocoa is the best when you're in front of a fire with family! Now you don’t have to miss out with this Sugar-Free version! Simply swap out the chocolate syrup for NuStevia® Cocoa Syrup and use a tablespoon of Organic Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. If you find you need just a little more sweetness, try using a couple of drops of NuStevia Vanilla Liquid Stevia!

4. Baked Apples Baked apples are a real win-win. It's one of those recipes that impresses everyone and seems like it took a lot of time and effort, but is actually ridiculously easy to make. We won't tell if you don't. Simply wash and core the apples, then set them in a baking pan, brush with a little butter or coconut oil if you’re dairy-free, and cover with foil. Roast them in a 350-degree oven until tender, usually between half an hour and 45 minutes. If you want to sweeten the deal, you can stuff the core with a mixture of raisins, butter, and NuStevia® White Stevia Powder.

This year, decide not to be nervous about family gatherings. Instead, bring your own sugar-free goodies to share, or just to tide you over while everyone else loads up on the pumpkin pie and whipped cream. You may find the season is even more enjoyable than previous years, because you no longer have to struggle to decide when to eat sugar or how much to eat. Instead, you’ll experience sweet, sugar-free freedom. What are you waiting for?