Welcome! This is a way for me to share about my experiences as they relate to myself, family, health, compassionate cooking, baking and yoga. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice?


Although we've been a plant based family for three years now, we are constantly growing as we move towards more and more whole foods while using less and less processed. Gone are the days of packaged granola bars full of preservatives, dyes and refined sugars.  Now, if we want a bar, we make them with whole foods and more nutritionally sound sweeteners.  If we are out and about and really need a fix we stop at the nearest grocery store and grab a Larabar since they use only whole ingredients and are very similar to the ones we make at home.  For those with nut allergies, you can easily make them using pumpkin, sunflower or hemp seeds (raw of course).

With our journey into a healthier lifestyle we still like our treats, so I decided to explore new ways to bake sweets using ingredients that actually provide nutrients instead of using ones that provide disease.  For about six months now, we have eliminated refined sugar (even organic sugar is still sugar with zero nutrients).  The difference in how we feel and act is incredible!  I can also gauge this difference even more when, on the rare occasion we visit our favorite allergy friendly bakery, the girls will get a gluten free vegan sugar cookie and within minutes there is a noticeable change in their behavior.  Just as with fried foods, once in awhile is fine, everyday day or even week is detrimental.

The sweeteners we have been using in ALL our baking and/or cooking are raw agave, stevia or coconut sugar.  All three of these are great choices for everyone, but especially those with health issues such as diabetes.  The three mentioned will not spike blood sugar the way refined sugars do.  Alternatively you can also use fruit/vegetable purees, dates and raisins.  I like using the fruit/vegetable purees in pancakes, waffles and muffins along with the coconut sugar.

Benefits:

Agave:
  • Low on glycemic index
  • Accommodates calcium absorption
  • Lower in calories than conventional sugar
Stevia:
  • Completely plant sourced so no man-made carcinogenic chemicals
  • 300x's sweeter than conventional sugar so a little goes a long way
  • Zero carb
  • Zero calorie
  • Accommodates calcium absorption
  • Antibacterial properties
  • Low on glycemic index
Coconut Sugar:
  • Sourced from the blossoms of the coconut
  • Low on glycemic index
  • Contains numerous vitamins and minerals (so many that I'm not going to list them all)
  • Contains amino acids
  • Shows promising results for those suffering with chronic illness or disease (diabetes, cancer, heart disease, gallstones, obesity).  
When substituting agave you can do it 1:1, but since it is liquid you may need to adjust the liquid in the recipe so you're not left with a gooey mess.  Stevia comes in liquid or powder and you never want to use 1:1 when subbing or you will send your taste buds into a frenzy (here is a great link for how to sub stevia).  Coconut sugar comes in crystal form just as the conventional sugars do and looks very similar to brown sugar.  Subbing coconut sugar can be done 1:1.  We love the results from using coconut sugar and I now order it through Amazon as it's a lot cheaper that way.  When buying Agave I head to Costco because they sell it in a two pack (the larger bottles too!) for the price you would pay for one small bottle at your local grocery store.

Do not use the old excuse, "it's too expensive" to do the switch.  As I've said many times before, the little extra costs for some things actually pays off in the long run because you end up with less doctor visits and less pharmacy visits. 

I have remade every recipe in this blog that called for sugar using coconut sugar and we loved every one.  Search through old posts for some of your favorites (cookies, muffins, waffles, oatmeal, etc) and do the switch to see for yourself.  The taste is amazing and I bet you notice a difference in how your body feels after eating treats made with healthier options.