REVIEW // IQS4L 2 week meal plan

Today I am sharing my experience of following the two week one-person meal plan from Sarah Wilson’s second cookbook, ‘I Quit Sugar for Life’ (IQS4L). Rather than attempt to review the entire series, which is an extensive and well-followed one, I shall provide links to both books and the blog at the end of this post.



There are several meal plans at the end of the book, and I’m a sucker for anything that has the potential to streamline, organise and improve my life. This book ticks all of my personal preferences, as the plans:

Include options for solo eaters, families of four and those looking to detox;

• Integrate leftovers; 
• Are frugal, advising how many portions to make, eat now or freeze for another time; 
• Are flexible, suggesting swaps for ingredients i.e. no asparagus in season? No problem, here are other vegetables that will work instead; 
• Are realistic. If a recipe calls for ½ a courgette, chances are there’s a plan for the other ½ the next day. 

Of course for this to be a fair review, I will be honest about the cons. One size certainly doesn’t fit all! If you are not used to cooking or do not enjoy it, then you may find following the plan quite labour-intensive at times. One night in the middle of the first week I found myself getting home from a full day at work and spending pretty much all evening in the kitchen. I roasted a chicken, mixed homemade dressings, prepped the week’s breakfasts and made stock. I do believe however that unless you want to spend a lot of money getting your meals from healthy food delivery companies, or eating out then you should expect to have to put some work in. The effort I put in to that one evening resulted in a freezer full of meals, jars of dressings and extra kip in the mornings; it was worth it. I also want to stress that this food is delicious; the dressings in particular really made otherwise standard salads for lunch the envy of my co-workers.

Side note: there are plenty of kitchen tools out there that can save you time in the kitchen, and while initially expensive they will soon earn their keep. The equipment I recommend investing in include a slow cooker, a julienne peeler or spiraliser, a decent knife set and a high powered blender. If you buy nothing else, I’d say the blender is the most important to get right – I have tried countless numbers of cheap ones and with hindsight would have been better off buying an expensive one in the first place. You can’t go wrong with a Nutribullet imo.

The food philosophy is plant focused, paleo and gluten free friendly (all recipes suggest adaptations), with emphasis on nutrient dense and whole foods. If you like these kinds of recipes and want more ideas, I can personally recommend The Art of Eating Well by Hemsley + Hemsley and Get The Glow by Madeleine Shaw. Here are a few of my favourites from the book are below.

Berry omelette

Carrot cake porridge whip

Middle eastern meatza

Thai red curry 'bolognaise' with thai-talian salad

Rainbow great grated salad

Prawn cocktail great grated salad

Deconstructed hamburger 

Roast dinner gratin

CONCLUSION: Overall I give this book a big thumbs up and recommend it for families and individuals looking to quit sugar and eat real food.

I Quit Sugar

I Quit Sugar For Life

-Both by Sarah Wilson (www.iquitsugar.com)