Published January 31, 2024 by Dr. Stephanie Gray, DC

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POV: Store bought or traditional homemade jam is FULL of sugar and should be avoided. A good solution is to make your own!

I love jam. Who doesn’t? The bad news is that homemade or store bought jam is FULL of sugar. Most people don’t realize that a typical jam has about 13 grams of refined sugars in 1 tbsp. That’s a lot. The WHO recommends that people limit sugar consumption to 25 grams/day for the maintenance of good health. So if you have 2 tbsp of jam, you have exceeded how much sugar you should have in a day. That’s crazy. Diabetics or pre-diabetics should never consume conventional jam. Period. Even sugar free jam, is full of chemical sugar alternatives that are no better for you.

The good news, is that blackberries are naturally  sweet on their own and make a lovely jam without any added sugar at all.  People are always surprised at how jammy and tasty it is.

Critics will often say “but fruit has sugar too-it’s no better”. Yes, fruit has natural sugars but the dose is considerably less (than the 1-2 cups of sugar in a jar of regular jam) and it affects your body differently than table sugar (or other type of sugar) that is added to commercial or traditional homemade jams. Fruit has lots of fiber that is portioned properly to the amount of sugar in the fruit that slows the absorption rate in the body.  Also, the fiber help transport the fructose portion of the sugar to the gut bacteria to feed the microbiome. Nature never intended the fructose in fruit to be for you- it’s meant for your gut bacteria. The fructose from fruit is very beneficial to your gut microbiome. The fructose from table sugar (sugar is half glucose, half fructose) is metabolized by your liver and converted to fat.

This blackberry jam is also surprisingly super easy to make. No Certa needed. No boiling water in giant pots. I simply cook down 4 cups of fresh or frozen blackberries in a saucepan, blend with an immersion blender and stir in chia seeds and lemon juice. That’s it! The chia seeds thicken as they sit and create a lovely jam- like texture. No added sugar is needed.

I hope you enjoy this one jar, 3 ingredient, no sugar added Blackberry Jam!

Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, plant-based (vegan), healthy carbs, no sugar or bad fats.

Here are a few of my other Jam recipes:

3 ingredient no sugar added Mixed Berry Jam

One jar no sugar added Peach Jam

Why you will LOVE this 3 ingredient no sugar added  BLACKBERRY JAM

• No added sugar – only natural sugars from the blackberry

• This jam is FULL of flavour! Use fresh or frozen blackberries (PRO tip: frozen blackberries are much cheaper than fresh)

• Very quick and easy to make!

• Will keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge

• Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, /plant-based, refined sugar free, no refined carbs or oils

• Even kids will enjoy this healthy recipe

How to Store Jam?

Store jam in a tight glass container like a mason jar. Must be refrigerated. Should be eaten within 2 weeks. Jam can be frozen. Allow jam to cool fully before putting in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.  

I’m a doctor of chiropractic, with a special interest in nutrition. I am passionate about healthy eating and using food to heal thyself. Food should be made in a kitchen not a factory. I believe in eating whole foods, keeping processed foods to a minimum. It is my goal to show you that eating healthy and cooking at home can be simple and very rewarding! All of my recipes are gluten-free. Some are ketogenic or paleo friendly.