Living without sugar:
So yesterday I baked a sugarless flour less chocolate cake, and I had quite a few comments about how its not a cake without sugar and why bother etc etc, and my reasons are simple, sugar is addictive, its acidic, and its not good for our bodies making us fat thus I am finding new and yummy ways of creating wonderful desserts, without this much marketed unhealthy luxury using natural sources such as dates, maple syrup and Stevia.
These sweet plant based sugars are great and flavorsome replacement's for sugar. They are just not as highly marketed as cane and corn sugar and the latest highly processed sugar on the market and in health food stores is rice malt syrup and agave.
Sugar is bad for our health and many go so far a to call it TOXIC. It's acidic, addictive and causes dental caries, weight gain, diabetes and heart disease just to name a few.
Dietary sugars feed harmful intestinal yeasts, fungi, toxic organisms, and all forms of cellular cancer
Sugar Suicide Article
High fructose corn syrup: our bodies don't metabolise fructose as our bodies use Glucose and it is then processed by our bodies into fat. The reason it is used in so many foods is because it is cheaper to produce than other sugars available. It is highly processed and refined sugar and has been know to interfere with thyroid function. Highly addictive. Mostly fructose. This stuff is toxic and should be avoided. I recently found that it has replaced cane sugar in the mayonnaise I purchase SW whole egg (always read the labels).
Cane Sugar (table sugar): a highly processed and refined sugar, highly addictive and 50% fructose, and does not contain any nutrients thus supply's empty calories.
Sugar Beats: most of the sugar beets used in the production of sugar is GM, and makes up for 50% of refined sugar in the US. Highly processed an refined avoiding this one is a must.
Agave: Marketed as natural, agave is highly processed using caustic acids, clarifiers and filtration chemicals, a high fructose sugar about 57- 90%. Agave syrup is not naturally occurring in the plant and thus lengthy and extensive processing is done to achieve Agave nectar.
Rice malt Syrup: This one is marketed as natural but far from it. A highly processed sugar made from processing brown rice, once this process is completed there is nearly no nutritional value left in the final product. RMS is 100% glucose giving it a high GI rating, and higher than any other refined sugar on the market leading to rapid spikes in blood sugar .
http://wellnessmama.com/15/harmful-effects-of-sugars/
http://www.naturalnews.com/037737_sugar_consumption_public_health_gm_beets.html
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-agave
http://realfoodforager.com/why-i-never-use-agave/
So yesterday I baked a sugarless flour less chocolate cake, and I had quite a few comments about how its not a cake without sugar and why bother etc etc, and my reasons are simple, sugar is addictive, its acidic, and its not good for our bodies making us fat thus I am finding new and yummy ways of creating wonderful desserts, without this much marketed unhealthy luxury using natural sources such as dates, maple syrup and Stevia.
These sweet plant based sugars are great and flavorsome replacement's for sugar. They are just not as highly marketed as cane and corn sugar and the latest highly processed sugar on the market and in health food stores is rice malt syrup and agave.
Sugar is bad for our health and many go so far a to call it TOXIC. It's acidic, addictive and causes dental caries, weight gain, diabetes and heart disease just to name a few.
Dietary sugars feed harmful intestinal yeasts, fungi, toxic organisms, and all forms of cellular cancer
Sugar Suicide Article
High fructose corn syrup: our bodies don't metabolise fructose as our bodies use Glucose and it is then processed by our bodies into fat. The reason it is used in so many foods is because it is cheaper to produce than other sugars available. It is highly processed and refined sugar and has been know to interfere with thyroid function. Highly addictive. Mostly fructose. This stuff is toxic and should be avoided. I recently found that it has replaced cane sugar in the mayonnaise I purchase SW whole egg (always read the labels).
Cane Sugar (table sugar): a highly processed and refined sugar, highly addictive and 50% fructose, and does not contain any nutrients thus supply's empty calories.
Sugar Beats: most of the sugar beets used in the production of sugar is GM, and makes up for 50% of refined sugar in the US. Highly processed an refined avoiding this one is a must.
Agave: Marketed as natural, agave is highly processed using caustic acids, clarifiers and filtration chemicals, a high fructose sugar about 57- 90%. Agave syrup is not naturally occurring in the plant and thus lengthy and extensive processing is done to achieve Agave nectar.
Rice malt Syrup: This one is marketed as natural but far from it. A highly processed sugar made from processing brown rice, once this process is completed there is nearly no nutritional value left in the final product. RMS is 100% glucose giving it a high GI rating, and higher than any other refined sugar on the market leading to rapid spikes in blood sugar .
http://wellnessmama.com/15/harmful-effects-of-sugars/
http://www.naturalnews.com/037737_sugar_consumption_public_health_gm_beets.html
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-agave
http://realfoodforager.com/why-i-never-use-agave/
| Artificial Sweeteners: These sweeteners are NOT sugars, and they are highly toxic to our bodies. They are added to diet sodas, lite, low sugar and diet foods, sugar free gum, some vitamins, some prescription drugs, dental hygiene products, baked goods, the list is endless. They also interfere with appetite regulation making us eat more, and making us fat. Splenda (Sucralose): It is in line with aspartame and saccharin. A chlorinated artificial sugar, decreases beneficial gut bacteria, compares appetite regulation (causing weight gain), increase the Ph level in intestines. Added to foods and medications. Highly Toxic. Article - Harmful Affects Aspartame: Migraines, seizures, death, depression, weight gain, acute & chronic nervous disorders, asthma, cancer, irritable bowl syndrome, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis & epilepsy. Highly Toxic. Xylitol: This one is marketed as natural but is far from it, it is a sugar alcohol extracted from corn, raspberries and plums. Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, loss of coordination, collapse, seizure's. This is sometimes used in pet products and is TOXIC to animals causing liver failure. Saccharin: Nausea, cancer, skin irritation, allergies. Dangerous Sweeteners |
The good Guys in sugars and sweeteners:
Stevia: extracted from the plant Stevia Rebaudiana, this one is so awesome it can lower blood pressure by 6-14%, can lower blood sugar levels. And just to weed out the competition, companies who produce artificial sweeteners have purchased up and coming stevia companies, in a bid to stop it coming onto the market, but be careful when purchasing stevia products at your local supermarket as a lot of stevia marked products are mixed with other artificial sweetener's so when purchasing this wonder sweetener ensure it only contains stevia, no additives, or other ingredients and purchase it only from you local health food store. You can also purchase dried stevia leaves, this being a great option as you know no additives are there but it may make foods its added to green. This one is diabetic friendly.
Honey: made by bees. That is all. Honey has a high vitamin and mineral content, however ensure that you purchase unpasteurised honey which is hard to come by as it is not sold in supermarkets. The reasons for this is that when the honey is pasteurised the trace nutrients are killed by the heat, meaning the honey does not have the original nutritional value. To be used in moderation as it is high in fructose.
Maple syrup: High in minerals but also high in sugar maple syrup is made from the sugary sap of maple trees. To be used in moderation, high in fructose but less than sugar.
Dates: The fruit from the date tree, they have a caramel like flavour and are a fantastic sugar alternative in raw vegan desserts.
Coconut Palm Sugar: is made from the sap of the coconut flower like maple syrup and is heated to evaporate the water, it has valuable nutrients and has a lower GI than table sugar (cane sugar).
Stevia: extracted from the plant Stevia Rebaudiana, this one is so awesome it can lower blood pressure by 6-14%, can lower blood sugar levels. And just to weed out the competition, companies who produce artificial sweeteners have purchased up and coming stevia companies, in a bid to stop it coming onto the market, but be careful when purchasing stevia products at your local supermarket as a lot of stevia marked products are mixed with other artificial sweetener's so when purchasing this wonder sweetener ensure it only contains stevia, no additives, or other ingredients and purchase it only from you local health food store. You can also purchase dried stevia leaves, this being a great option as you know no additives are there but it may make foods its added to green. This one is diabetic friendly.
Honey: made by bees. That is all. Honey has a high vitamin and mineral content, however ensure that you purchase unpasteurised honey which is hard to come by as it is not sold in supermarkets. The reasons for this is that when the honey is pasteurised the trace nutrients are killed by the heat, meaning the honey does not have the original nutritional value. To be used in moderation as it is high in fructose.
Maple syrup: High in minerals but also high in sugar maple syrup is made from the sugary sap of maple trees. To be used in moderation, high in fructose but less than sugar.
Dates: The fruit from the date tree, they have a caramel like flavour and are a fantastic sugar alternative in raw vegan desserts.
Coconut Palm Sugar: is made from the sap of the coconut flower like maple syrup and is heated to evaporate the water, it has valuable nutrients and has a lower GI than table sugar (cane sugar).