My Years Without Sugar

Avoiding Sugar Can Change Your Life

2012-01-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

The countdown begins. Today is Saturday and Monday begins the juice fast/feast (depending on how you look at it).

All those little bouts of purging sugar from my kitchen ended badly. I kept caving. How is it possible to go almost 3 years without sugar and then have this much trouble quitting again?

My hope is that with 2 months of juicing I will know better than to dabble with sugar. If I play with sugar, it wins. If I abstain from sugar, I win.

Quitting sugar changed my life once. I know quitting again will have the same profound affects. It's what motivates me this time around. Valuable lesson learned? I really can't balance moderation with sugar, I wish I could. It's easier to just go without it 100%.

Check out this interview:

How Avoiding Refined Sugar Changed a Woman's Life

Extreme Make-Over: From Grumpy & Frumpy to Juicing and Sugar-Free

2012-01-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

My next endeavor is to juice stuff.

The goal is to try juicing for a month or two and see how it helps with sugar cravings, energy, my sleep cycle and my weight (which has skyrocketed since moving to Texas--go figure!).

My husband is on board with this, too. Amazing.

We watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead together and when it ended we looked at each other and shared an ah-hah moment. We still have to do our research to see how this will be done, the health benefits/risks, etc. We're really not-knowers when it comes to juicing.

Any tips?

Quitting Sugar, Again

2012-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

2012 Re-Quitting Sugar from myyearwithout on Vimeo.

It was easier to go without sugar for 3 years than it has been to give it up for a month at a time. The holidaze were the worst! I think people wanted to watch me feast on the white stuff. Every imaginable favorite dessert of mine was homemade and waiting for me when I returned to the northwest for Christmas.

On the flight to Portland I turned down freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (Frontier Airlines) and ate from a healthy pre-packed lunch. I was superior and not going to give in.

What is it about being home for the holidaze, surrounded by family and friends with fragrant homemade goodies and sweets everywhere?

Sweet tooth trumped Willpower. I don't understand this, because I was solidly off sugar for 3 years!

Let the justifications begin: I wanted to have a good time with everyone else and not be the only one not eating Mom's hot cinnamon rolls with frosting. I struggle with moderation, so once I let myself have a little sugar, nothing was off limits. I loitered in the kitchen every day in search of delicious ways to feed the monster.

Everything tasted absolutely heavenly but it didn't take long for my sweet tooth to become satiated. But the next day my tolerance for sweet had increased, and the day after that I had three cinnamon rolls in one day, not counting other goodies during the day.

If I'm going to indulge, I do not want to feel bad about it. Feeling guilty ruins things, doesn't it? So I made a mental note that after returning from the holidaze I would go back to being a devout non-sugarist. Until then, I would enjoy finishing off my stocking candy. Which led to making peanut brittle, then a chocolate espresso cheesecake (I am going to attempt this with a less-refined sweetener next time) for my husband, and then I made a lemon pound cake which I substituted for lunch.

The other day I looked through my cupboards to purge the demons, and Jeff quickly set up the video camera. Although I wasn't looking my best and would have liked to shower/do hair/make-up etc. (I mean, I am posting this on my blog!) I appreciated Jeff's quick reaction to the spontaneous moment and let it be.

http://vimeo.com/35040868

Oh Sure, Sugar's Not Addictive: I'm Just a Raging Zombie Having a BF!

2011-11-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

I become a zombie robot when a sugar craving hits:

1. Glassy-eyed and salivating, I venture into the kitchen and peek in all cupboards, the fridge and the freezer. I look behind cans, cartons and boxes hoping to find the perfect solution to my craving. Dried cranberries, prunes, naturally-sweetened cookies or even the perfect tea. If I'm lucky.

2. Upon finding nothing that appeals, I exit the kitchen in hopes of distracting myself.

3. Unless I've found something really engaging, I typically wander back into the kitchen and hope to find something that I missed the first time.

4. Repeat.

Needless to say this routine has got to stop. My mouth has got to stop dictating my actions. My brain and willpower are stronger than this, aren't they? What on earth propels me to shut off my brain and re-enter the kitchen over and over again? It's not like a little fairy flew in and sprinkled magic fairy dust on my prunes turning them into Oreos. The worst thing is, I'm not even hungry.

So, I created a solution.

The miracle is, it's working.

I made a Bitch-Fit (BF) Book. I labeled a notebook and set it on the kitchen counter. When I have a craving I go right to the book and write. I mean, write! Everything I am feeling, wanting and needing. I write anything and everything that comes to mind. By the time I'm done leaning against the counter writing, my craving has dissipated. I write until "it" is out of my system. Some entries are so passionate and desperate that my writing is hardly legible. I'm usually exhausted by the time I put the notebook down.

But it's working.

I highly recommend it. If you create your own BF book, please let me know how it works for you.

Disclaimer: Last night for some reason (where I'm at in my cycle?) even though I wrote in my BF book I felt like if there were a pint of Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream I would have eaten it. That's one reason I don't keep food like that in the house.

Image found at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/44157

The Pleasure of Temptation

2011-11-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

(Cartoon resource www.aliveandyoung.net/2009/08/garden-temptations)

My pattern is always the same: The mere thought of chewing on something sweet and I become orally fixated. Needy.

Temptation.....

I must put something sweet on my aching tongue or I'm convinced it will wither. I fantasize about donuts and ice cream and cookie dough for a second, and visualize going to the grocery store to buy whatever I want.

Temptation....

I ditch that idea and consider what's available immediately: A chocolate bar, chocolate chips or my husband's pint of ice cream.

Temptation....

The more I fantasize how satisfying it's going to be, the more the momentum builds. As I scan cupboards, fridge and freezer the momentum speeds up. When I make my decision to take the chocolate bar and have my way with it, the momentum is unstoppable. Minutes later I have regret and begin the pattern of self-deprecating.

If I had stopped the pattern of thoughts from the beginning, I could have stopped the initial momentum.

I discovered this on Saturday. Friday was my last day of work in an office, and I decided it was time to go without sugar again. Saturday.

It's now Monday, almost noon, and I haven't had an issue with cravings. I decided to ignore them. I've also created a BF (Bitch Fit!) book to log any and all thoughts, feelings and cravings. It sits on my kitchen counter. I hope to identify more emotions/situations that lead me to desire sweets.

In the meantime, I'm abiding by the AHA's daily recommended added sugar quotient, which is 6 teaspoons for women, 9 for men. I will only be eating non-refined sugars like maple syrup, honey and dried fruit but no more than 6 teaspoons a day. So far, so good.

My goal is to someday crave only whole foods, you know, the kind nature intended.

More thoughts on Temptation:

Wikipedia defines temptation as: "...A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual. It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions."

Some proverbs, quotes and other verses describing temptation:

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us...."

"Good habits result from resisting temptation."

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it," Mae West.

"Temptation is the fire that brings up the scum of the heart," Shakespeare

Sweet Mother of My Sweet Tooth!

2011-11-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm on a roll. This is my third post of the morning.

I'm frustrated at all of the latest sugar information I've waded through this morning: news articles about obesity, sugar addiction and beverage company lobbyists.

Thing is, I went 3 years without eating refined sugar.

I was superhuman.

I couldn't fly, but turned down every cookie, cake, beverage, ice cream and morsel of sugar. Dang! That was then. Now I'm eating it again and all of my former issues (self-loathing, addiction, sugar blues, muffin top) are back. So why don't I just cut it out again? If it were that easy I wouldn't be scrolling through the Twelve Steps.

I'm frustrated because I'm no longer superior, no longer superhuman. I'm a mortal living among other sugar-addicted mortals fighting the urge to snack on chocolate or buy Ben & Jerry's. Dang.

What happened?

Like every other addiction I know of, it seems to be an all or nothing ordeal. There can be no moderation, no matter what anyone says. But is this true, or just true for me?

According to the American Heart Association women are to eat no more than 6 teaspoons of (added) sugar per day and for men it's 9 teaspoons. What the hey? When are 6 teaspoons ever just 6 teaspoons? As if!

The main reason I am so frustrated, no, I'm freaking raging right now, is that once upon a time my cave-woman ancestor ate to live. Zog brought home leg of deer and they ate. They slept. They tidied their cave dwelling and she sewed the deerskin into a loincloth. I can't picture either of them sitting there chewing on a stick dreaming of Hershey's or the Cheesecake Factory. If Tala found a bush of berries while Zog hunted, they ate some. Some. Okay maybe all, but even if they stuffed their bellies with berries, we're talking about a whole food.

What the!?

I'm aware of the influences and traditions and conveniences that ease and justify my way to the cake mix aisle, but I would love to have the primitive tooth of Tala and be surrounded with bushes of berries instead of aisles of junk food. Yeah we've come a long way, but with the nation's obesity rate soaring, we're now devolving. (If you click on this link, watch the graph change with every year. Scary.)

Now what?

Big Soda Means Big Problems

2011-11-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Um, yeah:

"Over the years, CSPI has documented how the sugary-drink industry has used ostensible philanthropic programs to burnish its image in the eyes of health officials and the public. In 2009, Coca-Cola made a six-figure payment to the American Academy of Family Physicians to underwrite “consumer education content related to beverages and sweeteners.” In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry took a $1 million payment from Coca-Cola."

Here is the complete article written by CSPI.

Video: Sugar Is Not Addictive At All

2011-11-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Agave is so Over

2011-10-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen: The Nectar of Deceit.

Are there still any agave advocates out there?

As for what is happening in my life, I am about to be my own guinea pig again. Stay tuned for deets!

Artificial Sweeteners versus Natural Sweeteners - A Mercola Article

2011-10-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

What I like about this Mercola article is that it lists/discusses the main culprits in the sugar world. This includes the most common artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners.

For the last few years I've really been excited about natural sweeteners, but after all I've researched and experienced I've concluded that the amount in which we consume them make the consumption of them not exactly natural.

My latest bottom line (funny how this is constantly evolving) is that the healthiest natural sweeteners are whole foods. These can be eaten in abundance--we are supposed to be eating several servings of fruits and vegetables daily. (It's pretty difficult to eat more than one apple at a time, so no real fear of over-doing it.) I include dried fruit as a healthy alternative, as well. For example, the sweet, wrinkly little prune adds iron, vitamin A, calcium, fiber and potassium to your diet. In fact, I love prunes so much I felt inspired just now...

Prune Haiku
Small, moist, sweet and soft
You satisfy my craving
Sweet lingers on lips

By eating whole foods you avoid having to measure out how much to eat of this and that, but how many of us are able to resist the processed junk we've grown up with and have learned to love?

Sugar, Gout, Yeast Infections, Oh My!

2011-09-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

The biggest problem I had with the white stuff was bingeing. One cookie never meant one cookie. I had to eat sugar (in its best form: sugar + salt + fat) until my belly hurt. Until I thought I was going to be sick. Which led to a lack of self-confidence and torturous self-deprecating thoughts.

After three years abstaining from the white stuff, I'm back at it.

A new problem has surfaced.

Going without sugar was the most amazing thing I've ever done in my life. So empowering. The most incredible journey of willpower, discipline and research into the food industry. What would make me want to exchange all this for a cookie?

I wish I knew.

Perhaps to see how far I'd come in my discipline..... "Of course I am self-controlled enough now to enjoy one cookie!" The occasional sugar should be a non-issue in my life at this point....

So here's the problem: Because I am super aware of my body's response to sugar now, I am noticing affects it has on me. My body had three glorious years of freedom and repair from the white stuff, and now my body feels....different when I eat sugar. I'm not talking about the sugar crash. It's like sugar is directly causing pain in various parts of my body. I have been experiencing crazy symptoms within an hour (more or less) of eating sugar.....every time. I can only attribute this to sugar because most of the time I feel healthy and wonderful. I have a few health issues but they are stabilized and don't bother me much.

For example, my gout. I've had it since I was a kid. Over the years I have learned to control the symptoms with diet. When/If it flares up, I drink black cherry juice and drink an herbal anti-inflammatory. It always works. Not sure why I have gout, but it's easy to control the acute inflammation.
Unless I eat sugar. Within a few hours of ingesting sugar my big left toe feels stiff and aches, sometimes the ache goes up my leg. Sometimes my neck, my hands or my other leg hurts.

I've noticed other symptoms that seem to be directly related to sugar.....and/or refined grains. I can't seem to eat sugar or white flour (they are usually eaten in combination) without a yeast infection, and I can count on it disappearing in a day or two when I stop eating sugar/refined crap--100% of the time.

I meant to settle down here in this new city with a new diet--a whole foods diet. That hasn't happened yet, and I feel like I am paying the consequences every time I make a bad food choice. Not lesser food choice, BAD food choice.

The body does not need refined sugar. Some have argued with me that the brain runs on glucose so sugar is helping the brain. Whole foods like fruits and vegetables and whole grains also provide the body with glucose. Sugar is a lame excuse for food. I don't know about you, but I have not evolved to digest sugar without consequence.

15 Sugar-Free Blogs

2011-04-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Masters in Public Health blog, here's a compilation of some great blogs. There are so many sugar-free, healthy, gluten-free blogs out there but here is one such list. I like that there is a description about each one along with a link.

Enjoy!

*Stay tuned for an article about how I made a cross country road trip on whole foods only!*

Sugar-Free (Mostly) Once Again!

2011-03-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I made a pact. Once we moved from the big city (Washington, D.C. metro area) to Wyoming, we would eat only whole foods.

It was so easy in the big city to walk into the grocery store and load up on convenience foods. Life can be so fast-paced in the city that the convenient food seemed to make the most sense. Though I ate healthfully most of the time, near the end of my stay when I tried sugar I just about gave up healthy eating completely.

For example: frozen pizza, lots of mac N cheese, top ramen and a lot of chocolate (love that opiate-induced feeling in the brain).

When Jeff said that he would like to eat healthfully I about lost my senses. Since I've known him he has sustained himself on mostly these items: hostess cupcakes, chocolate syrup, chocolate ovaltine, pasta and pizza.

On our cross country road trip to Wyoming we made a list. We brainstormed what counted as whole foods and what didn't. What it amounted to is processed food is out of the question including: most breads, crackers, pasta, packaged junk, flavored drinks and sugary stuff.

It's been about two weeks and we are doing it! As a "reward" we treat ourselves to a donut once a month. It's about the worst, most delicious item we could think of that will motivate us to continue eating whole foods.

Recently, we decided to allow chocolate. Not just any chocolate but a high percentage cacao chocolate bar.

That's all I have to report for now.....

How I Got Back on the Sweet Crack

2011-02-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

It started innocently.

Sick of being so regimented and craving balance, I decided to try dark chocolate, and I don't mean 55% cacao. I'm talking about the 85-90% cacao.

It was wonderful! A square of it here and there, shared with my husband, was the delirium I wanted. To share in the exotic bliss of chocolate, lightly sweetened with sugar.

But one square at each sitting became, "Oh, two squares is okay," which became, "Well since we're sharing it we might as well eat the whole thing," which then became me eating entire bars of chocolate, ALONE.

From there, since I was already selling my soul to the white devil, why did it matter if it was just chocolate? Why not a little taste of an Oreo? After all, after quitting sugar for 3 years surely just one will satisfy.

It did satisfy.

The first time.

The next time I reasoned that if I enjoyed one, why not enjoy two? After all, I'm still totally in control.

I learned that Temptation will tell you anything. ANYTHING. I don't believe Temptation is some spiritual googly monster whispering in our ear. I believe it's basically the "thing" inside of our human nature that always chooses what we most want, with no respect for consequences.

Consequences, ahhhhhh.

Here's where things get interesting.

I had forgotten by this time some of the reasons I initially quit sugar. So upon finishing the most delicious chocolate layer cake I've ever eaten in my life, when I began to panic for no reason, it suddenly occurred to me that in past sugar binges sometimes I would get shaky and panicky.

I loved and hated the reminder. The feeling passed, but then the sugar low began. I couldn't keep my eyes open.

Which reminds me of last weekend when I decided I'd share a bag of Reese's Pieces with Jeff at a movie. I took a handful and the next thing I knew I was lifting my sleepy head off of Jeff's shoulder.

"All it took was a handful of candy!" he whispered to me during The Illusionist.

"What happened?" I asked, confused. I had just been awake watching previews.

"You conked out when you ate these!" he held up the bag of candy and jumped up. I stared at him. The movie was going. He left and came back empty-handed.

"We don't need those. Remember how sleepy you used to get when you ate sugar?" he asked and then we dropped the subject to enjoy the movie.

Panicky, sleepy......

And there's more.

Stay tuned again for another update.

Thanks for reading!

I NEVER THOUGHT THIS WOULD HAPPEN!!!!

2011-02-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

Um, I went back to the white stuff.

One of only three things I've ever regretted in my life.

Things are NOT good.

Eagerly anticipating writing a nice long explanation of what happened. And what I plan to do about it.

Stay tuned.

Elephant Journal Rocks

2010-12-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

Check out my new writing venue!

The Elephant Journal has tons of very interesting articles and people who write them. I'm just as fascinated by the authors as I am by the subject matter. Read on topics covering yoga, organics, consumerism, wellness, children, arts, education, etc.

Look for more of my upcoming articles, and as always, check back here for posts, too.

I apologize for my absence here at My Year Without.......life!

Really Really High Fructose Corn Syrup

2010-10-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

I have no idea how many of you are soda drinkers, but even if you don't touch the stuff, we all know people who do. Here's an interesting topic for discussion:

Researchers discover soda beverages have higher than expected amounts of fructose. The typical range of fructose in high fructose corn syrups is approximately 45%-55%. However, researchers recently found as much as 65% fructose in sodas, including Coke and Pepsi.

Gross.

What's the problem and who cares? Too much fructose is linked to serious health issues, including metabolic disorders. Marion Nestle of Food Politics says:

Fructose: increasing evidence suggests that the metabolism of fructose–which differs from that of glucose–is associated with abnormalities. This means that it is best to reduce intake of fructose from table sugar as well as HFCS. -Click here for full post

If you're interested in reading more about the latest on high fructose corn syrup and sodas, go to the following links:

Los Angeles Times article

Food Politics Blog

Sugar-Free, Quick, Easy Zucchini Bread & Stew

2010-10-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

This zucchini bread rocks. It comes from one of my favorite naturally sweet recipe books, The All-Natural, Sugar-Free Dessert Cookbook.

I had a giant zucchini that I used half of for my Mish Mash Veggie Stew (see below). The remainder I shredded for bread which I've been craving--I haven't eaten zucchini bread in three years. The shame. It's one of my favorites, too.

Like always, I fudged with the recipe (my version below) but it turned out perfect. It would be easy to substitute applesauce for the eggs to make this vegan. I just love how (happy, non-caged) eggs add fluffiness.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

1 and a half C white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C veg oil
1/2 C pineapple juice
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 and a half C shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray regular-sized loaf pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl combine dry ingredients. In medium bowl combine wet. Pour liquid ingredients into dry and stir until just blended. Fold in zucchini. Pour into pan. (I like to drizzle a little leftover juice on top at this point. It makes the crust crispier.) Bake 45-55 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and then remove from pan. Enjoy!

Mish Mash Vegetable Stew

pot of water
1-2 tblsp dried onions
tblsp of dried vegetable broth or similar
whatever vegetables you have!
broccoli
potatoes
yams
purple onion
kale
cherry tomatoes
garlic
whatever beans or lentils you have!
orange lentils
white beans
mung beans

I boiled the broth, dried onion, lentils and beans (after soaking) for about 30-45 minutes before adding the veggies. Then I let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

I found this great pretzel at my local grocery. They are so incredibly hard that I can only eat them by soaking them in soups. They are delicious and hearty but I fear they are capable of chipping a tooth if I don't soak first.

A Taste of Sugar, After Almost Three Years

2010-09-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Date: September 6, 2010
Time: 11:00pm
Place: Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington D.C.
Occasion: My 35th birthday
What: Sweet Indulgence

Almost three whole years have gone by and I have managed to stay sane without indulging in sugar. I've thrived, actually. Every New Year's Eve I've asked myself if I can let go and indulge a little. So far I have not wanted to taste sugar again.

At some point on my birthday, however, I decided that I might try a little dessert if the occasion presented itself.

It did.

Jeff and I enjoyed a very late night dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill and I asked to see the dessert menu.

(I've frequently thought about taking a bite of something deliciously, sinfully sweet, just a bite, but then fear becoming a full-fledged addict all over again. No taste in this world would make it worth it. And yet, does this total denial make me an obsessed freak?)

After a small dinner on the night of my birthday, the server brought out a chocolate cappuccino brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, covered with layers of fresh whipped cream. I knew this was going to be outrageously delicious. I planned to attack the dessert from the top down, one layer of whipped cream at a time before diving into the chewy brownie. I salivated in anticipation.

As I began to undress the brownie's sweet layers of whipped cream, a monster impulse came out of me and I began to greedily take large spoonfulls of brownie, covered in ice cream and whipped cream. I savored the flavors of chocolate and espresso and vanilla just long enough to swallow quickly before taking another bite.

This lasted all of four bites.

I reached my tolerance for sweet so quickly that I set my spoon down in surprise. I had not anticipated this. I planned to take advantage of the situation and eat the entire dessert, until the very last drop of melted ice cream and crumb of brownie were resting in my belly. I didn't care if I ate too much, just this once.

I sat back and looked at Jeff. He was holding his spoon, ready and waiting to pick up where I left off. I told him I had had enough. I couldn't even imagine taking one more bite. He asked me if I could "taste the sugar" and honestly I was not able to break down the ingredients like that. My mouth just began to need water and reject the mere idea of more sweet. It was simple and complicated.

Bittersweet.

I sat back and enjoyed watching my husband devour the almost fully intact dessert. He lives for chocolate and has this raging sweet tooth all the time. He asked me if we should tell our server what a significant dessert this was for me. The server came by and cleared our table and Jeff and I looked at each other, knowing that this would be our little secret.

As we walked outside, past the White House and down the street to our car, Jeff asked if I would eat sugar again anytime soon. Instantly pictures of donuts and cookie dough and ice cream flooded my imagination. I could take my pick. I could be done with this silly sugar-free kick and enjoy life! But I shook my head and tried to explain the strange sensation that I felt.

"As good as that brownie ice cream sundae tasted, a better feeling emerged from my brain as I stopped eating it and watched you enjoy it," I said, unsure how to explain this feeling. "These past few years I have watched so many people enjoy desserts, as I sip lemon water or tea. In the beginning I felt somewhat resentful and angry at myself for having such a dumb resolution to not eat sugar, but it morphs into something else. This is going to sound twisted, but I'll try to explain: As I watch other people eat dessert, I see that people are weak around sugar--which I recognize easily, because I am weak around sugar, too. They are victims to their sweet tooth and eat and eat until their stomach is about to explode, and after dinner will confess that they ate too much but couldn't stop. I feel a certain strength in passing on dessert because I know I will feel good about myself."

Too many times in the past (okay, almost every time) when presented with dessert, I overate. I would beat myself up for losing control, while suffering from a full, bloated belly. I would swear to have more willpower next time, but "next time" I never had that willpower I promised myself. It was a vicious cycle that never changed until that first day of the year, 2008, when I kicked sugar's butt.

After quitting sugar for two years and nine months and then finally eating a sugary dessert, my conclusion is that nothing tastes as good as feeling good about myself feels.

Back to my boring sugar-free ways...

Just kidding! Sugar free is not boring at all. Look around my blog for recipes and stories. Being sugar-free is actually quite an adventure, and I look forward to many more years of freedom from the white stuff.

I'm Back In, Sugar's Still Out

2010-09-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Well, dang.

I'm putting off school a little while longer, and in the meantime, I'm learning way too much about sugar to not keep posting and sharing.

While I froze my blog for a few months in an effort to take some time off writing about sugar, I found out that school will come later rather than sooner, and I never did stop writing about sugar. I just didn't post.

Not only is there a lot going on in the world of sugar, but I keep getting emails and feedback from people which has re-inspired me to continue writing, researching and posting. I've had my own interesting experiences, as well, including a short-lived experience with sugar that I can't wait to share!

You can count on frequent posts again, and I look forward to getting back on board in this gigantic world of blogging. I just can't help it, researching and writing about sugar and nutrition has become my passion.

Thanks for hanging in there, everybody!

More soon.....

Still Sugar-Free, But Moving On....

2010-07-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I apologize for my absence lately. It has been a difficult decision, but I have decided to freeze my blog in order to pursue some other interests. I am still passionate about living a sugar-free life, and had no idea that a New Year's Resolution would last this long.

As an overview, especially if you are new to the site, I quit sugar in order to see if it could be done and what it would be like. I was seriously addicted to sugar before I quit cold turkey.

I determined that sugar does not have a place in my life, ever, including life's celebrations and "indulgences". There are so many wonderful alternatives to sugar (my favorite being fresh, organic fruit, and honey-sweetened tea) that I don't feel like I am missing out. In fact, my taste buds are more sensitive to sweet now that they are not saturated and dulled by mass quantities of sugar, which I could never seem to get enough of. I used to plow through the vegetables on my plate in anticipation of dessert afterward. Vegetables satisfy my sweet tooth, now, and have never tasted more flavorful as they do these days.

Just from quitting sugar I have realized important physical benefits including: less tired, no sugar crashes, eating healthier foods in general, feeling better about myself, substantially stronger immune system, no itchy yeast symptoms, no more craving white sugar products, etc.

By quitting sugar and writing a blog, my interest in overall nutrition has exploded. Rather than stay focused on sugar (it offers no nutrients--don't eat it!) I am exploring the world of whole foods and how both healthy and unhealthy foods relate to healing and disease. In other words, I am considering going back to school to get my Master's degree in Nutrition. (A few years at a community college part-time, to get the pre-reqs out of the way, first!)

I am passionate about nutrition but also the relationship between food manufacturers and the general public. I have been duped most of my life into believing that a candy bar or cookie or piece of pie will make me happier and help me celebrate life's precious moments. Instead, eating those things made me feel lethargic, guilty and yet, somehow hungry for more. Now that I know how incredible it is to be free of sugar, I want to spread the word. By going back to school I hope to learn in more depth, what I have brought to the table in the last few years.

Thank you for all your feedback, great questions, support and interest in the information I've provided. It's been one of the most fun experiences I've had. I've really enjoyed getting to know many of you through your blogs, or by your great questions and feedback along the way.

I hate goodbyes, so instead, I hope the best for each one of you, whether you commit to giving up sugar or not!

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

Dried Cranberries: Recipes and More

2010-06-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

I love dried cranberries. I mean, I really LOVE dried cranberries. When I first gave up sugar in January 2008, it broke my heart that most brands of dried cranberries were covered in white sugar. I was ecstatic when I recently had the opportunity to review a package of dried cranberries, compliments of Eden Organic. Not only did they send cranberries, but I was "accidentally" sent dried cherries, too, as well as recipes, nutritional info, and their 2010/2011 catalog. I dove into each: cranberries, cherries (so tart, oh my!), and the catalog, which is full of a wide variety of items, including hard to find items like kuzu root, lotus root tea powder, and agar agar.

A bit about Eden Foods:

"Eden foods is the oldest organic food company in the US and Canada.
Eden foods means NO: Irradiation, Preservatives, Toxic additives, Food colorings, Refined sugars, or Modern genetic engineering.
Eden relationships with organic growers and over 355 family farms."

I used an Eden Foods cookie recipe, but as always, I made changes here and there, based on what I had in my kitchen. The cookies turned out incredible. The dried cranberries add a sweet zest. Though not as dark in color as other cranberries, they are just as flavorful and sweet as the other naturally sweetened varieties I've tried, and, they are bigger in size and organic.

Here are two oatmeal cookie recipes. The first is my version, and the second is the original recipe that I used to come up with mine.

Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
2 C. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 and a half C. white whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/2 C. organic apple juice
1/4 C. sorghum cane syrup
1/2 C. dried cranberries
1 tsp. pure vanilla
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil baking sheet. Mix dry ingredients separately from wet. Combine wet ingredients and then mix with dry.

Drop on baking sheet, pressing down on each cookie and shaping into a circle. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.

Just a note about some of the ingredients I used. Apple juice is a fantastic liquid sweetener. It keeps the cookie moist while not taking over in flavor. I opted to use regular vegetable oil instead of olive oil because the times I've tried olive oil in cookie recipes, the cookie tastes too much like olive oil. I'm not sure how these would have turned out using olive oil.....

Note the sorghum I used for sweetener. I just got it from MOM's and they purchase it from a small family farm here in the US. Sorghum was recently brought to my attention because of its unusual flavor (sort of like a milder version of molasses) and its nutrients. Most liquid sweeteners don't have much to boast about nutrients. But sorghum has calcium, iron and potassium, to name a few. As far as the cookies go, I think the salt was in perfect proportion to the sweet sorghum (or whichever sweetener you use), making these cookies super yummy and highly recommended.

Enjoy!

You can find the original recipe (Eden Organic: Oatmeal Cherry Pecan Cookies ) by clicking here.

Next on my list to try: Dried Cherry Tart with Oatmeal Crust....

Fun Ideas For Dried Cranberries

Toast: Spread whatever kind of butter you use, then spread a thin layer of honey, then sprinkle generously with cranberries. It's more delicious than jam.
Oatmeal: Sprinkle on top or for a softer version, add to the oatmeal as it's cooking.
Cereal: Sprinkle on top to make the most boring cereal exciting.
Trail Mix For Your Purse: Find yourself out and about and hungry? I always throw a little bag of trail mix in my purse if I'm going to be out long. A simple mixture of dried cranberries, almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, peanuts, raisins, etc.
Trail Mix For Your Car: Who doesn't get hungry on long drives? I always keep a bag of trail mix in my glove box and it hits the spot especially if I get stuck in traffic between meals and my stomach is growling.
Trail Mix For Your Desk: If you work in an office, keep a jar/bowl/bag of trail mix somewhere you can easily access it for when you get hungry or just get the munchies but want to avoid the vending machine. Add a glass of ice water and there, you've avoided the junk food vending machine and the soda vending machine. Start a healthy trend around the office.
Trail Mix For Travel: Whether you travel by plane, train or automobile, having this snack with you will keep you satisfied. The peanuts in flight are usually honey-roasted and covered in sugar.
Homemade Biscotti
Oatmeal Cookies: If you like raisins in oatmeal cookies, you'll love cranberries.
Salad: An excellent addition to a green salad. Sprinkle sunflower seeds and dried cranberries for added sweetness and burst of flavor.

Which Snack Bar is Best?

2010-05-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Need some help determining the best snack bar for you? I think Lara Bars are by far the best choice, because of the organic, natural, few ingredients. In a pinch, a Lara bar quells my hunger, and I feel good about what I'm eating. Loved Fooducate's breakdown of the Lara bar versus a Kellogg's bar.

I also just found Enlightened Cooking, a cooking blog that has an entire article dedicated to making your own Larabars. Check it out!

I've been so busy with life and projects that I have not been able to maintain new posts regularly. Sorry! Know that I am thinking about you, my blog readers, and am preparing some new articles that I hope to publish in the next few weeks...

If You Love Mango, You Can Quit Sugar

2010-05-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

A regular-sized mango has about 25 grams of sugar. That is why I love them.

My favorite fruit changes all the time. Usually it's whatever I happen to be eating at the moment. I love the fact that since I gave up sugar, a piece of fruit can satisfy my sweet tooth. This is particularly true with mangoes.

Trader Joes has a variety in stock right now called the Champagne Mango. It is smallish and the best type of mango I've ever tasted. I'm writing about mangoes for two reasons. One is because if you are trying to stay away from white sugary treats, load up on mangoes. Ripe and unripe. Eat the ripe mangoes soon and save the unripened ones for later in the week. (If they get overripe, cut out the meat and freeze it. Add it to a smoothie.) The other reason I feel the need to mention mangoes is that they can be intimidating to peel and eat--but I have found the answer!

My father-in-law gave me this great little mango-peeling invention and it looks like this:

In one easy swipe, it cuts through the entire mango, leaving you with three pieces.

At this point, depending on how you plan on eating the mango, there are many ways to attack the fruit. If you just need that sweet, juicy, unique taste of mango, then grab your serrated grapefruit spoon and dig in! I take one side at a time and scoop out the meat using this spoon.

It's more difficult doing this to the middle/pit of the mango, so I usually eat around it like an apple. If you are using mango slices for a dish, then simply take a knife and carefully carve out chunks of meat.

The mango-slicer-contraption is definitely worth having. Before I owned it, I would usually pass on mangoes at the store because they were such a pain in the neck to open. Trying to peel them was ridiculous and slicing them and trying to cut the skin off was a joke. For me, anyway.

Hope this tidbit is useful, and I would highly recommend loading up on mangoes! Your sweet tooth will be happy, you will be happy, and your body will be happy.

Mangoes are high in Vitamin A and C, and they are a good source of fiber. The only catch is that, "A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars." (1) The high amount of natural sugar is what makes the mango a perfect substitute for refined sugar. It's the reason they are so sinful to me. I love sweet things and this packs a natural, sweet punch that does the trick.

On a side note, I also love the unsweetened dried mango that TJ's usually carries in the dried fruit section. It's addictive, but healthy. I'm happy to be eating a handful of dried fruit these days instead of a handful of Oreos.

(1) http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1952/2

Super Easy & Terrific Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2010-04-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

My mouth is saturated with the aftertaste of cinnamon, honey and molasses. I am still savoring little bits of sticky cranberries and raisins in my molars. The cookie I just baked is amazing. It is so simple and perfect. Thanks to Jamison Studio for this delicious oatmeal cookie recipe.

Rule #58 in Michael Pollan's book, Food Rules says, "Do all your eating at a table." I am breaking that rule right now as I type this post with a plate of hot cookies to my left. I pray I have the willpower to stop at two.

I am so happy with these cookies because a) I experimented by using brown rice flour b) they are so easy to make it's ridiculous c) I used less sweetener than is called for in the original recipe and they are still incredibly sweet. Not only are they sweet, they have a perfect texture. I worry a little about using applesauce in cookie recipes because sometimes the cookie ends up dense and rubbery. Not these. These little gems are perfect. If you would like to see the original recipe, click on the blog above. Otherwise, what I provide below is the exact recipe I used, with all my fudging arounds. As with any recipe, substitute to your liking. Try different flours, dried fruit, spices, sweeteners, etc. The following is what I consider the perfect oatmeal cookie.

Super Easy & Terrific Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 C. white whole wheat flour
1/2 C. brown rice flour
1 C. whole oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 C. raisins
1 handful dried, apple juice-sweetened cranberries
1/4 C. raw honey*
1/4 C. oil**
1/4 C. applesauce
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 egg***
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 335 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then combine. Add in nuts, dried fruits, etc. Drop spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden colored.

*I found a jar of raw Wee Bee Honey at TJ Max, of all places. It is an east coast, raw honey all completely pesticide free. I tasted it before adding it to my recipe and it is the sweetest honey I have ever tasted. Fragrant, too. I recommend this stuff.

**You can use 1/2 C. applesauce instead of any oil, but I wanted to try using both this time.

***Jamison used 1/2 a banana instead of an egg and she said it turned out great.

Enjoy!

Now that I'm done writing this, I realized I stopped at 3 cookies. I was hoping for only two but at least I didn't get into that over-indulging state of mind that would have beckoned me to happily have more than 3.

A Naturally Sweetened Biscuit for Humans and Dogs

2010-04-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Like I've mentioned before, I love perusing the strange gourmet food section at TJ Max and Marshall's. Sometimes I'll bring home dinner: colorful noodles, exotic mushroom marinara (doesn't checking for sugar go without saying at this point?), olives, pickled asparagus, tea, nut mix, bruschetta, olive oil, etc. Sometimes my purchase will include breakfast, as well: German whole rye bread, maple syrup, raw honey, etc. If you have not checked out this hidden gem, give it a try. It's fun to have black squid-ink noodles and exotic marinara on hand when a friend stops over for lunch.

The other day I found boxes of

at TJ Max. Always on the prowl for a naturally sweetened goody, I picked this up, scanned the ingredients,

and threw the box in my basket. Who cares that they are little "teething" cookies meant for toddlers, whatever that means. They looked simple and tasteful with the oat flour and molasses. The bright red sticker with "$1.50" really did me in. A box of naturally sweetened cookies for one dollar and 50 cents? Deal!

The next morning I stumbled out of bed, woken by the bright sun shining in my room before the 7 o'clock hour. Jeff and I take turns taking Annie-the-mutt down the 6 floors and outside every morning. It was his turn. I walked groggily to the kitchen, filled my teapot with water and swiftly prepared course coffee grounds for my french press. When the coffee was ready, I examined my pantry for something sweet to dip with. I'm a dip-a-holic, by the way. I love to dip toast, cookies, biscuits, bread or anything hard and chewy that might contrast the bitterness of coffee.

Side note: (I am not using coconut milk anymore to sweeten my coffee (I use organic whipping cream). I got sick of it really fast, even though it was delicious at first. However, coconut milk is still fantabulous for making chocolate "milk".)

I noticed my unopened box of maple "teether" biscuits sitting to the side in my pantry. Perfect, I thought. I settled in on my couch, wrapped warmly in my robe, holding my hot cup of joe and armed with two biscuits. I was obviously going to love these puppies.

Well, uh, that didn't exactly happen. For those of you who have kids, perhaps the descriptive word, "teethers" means something to you. I didn't notice the word at all when I bought the box. I was focused on the fact that they were cheap and naturally sweetened.

Well, "teethers" means very hard and dense. They are biscuits meant for toddlers to suck on while they are teething. Or for dogs. I dipped one end of the biscuit into my coffee and expected a nice, soggy bite. Instead, I had to use my molars to break off a piece into my mouth. For the next bite, I soaked the biscuit much longer in my steaming coffee but to no avail. I'm convinced this biscuit is nothing other than a dog biscuit safe for human consumption.

However, it was very tasty and the scent and taste of molasses lingered for a while after the first bite. It ended up being a great compliment to my bitter coffee.

The Balcony Container Garden in its Infancy

2010-04-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

I just moved my container garden outside to the balcony. I transferred several cherry tomato, heirloom tomato, arugula and butter crunch lettuce starts to bigger containers. The basil seems to be growing--but rather slowly, actually. The fragile starts grow a little bit each day, and hopefully they keep growing and thrive.

I swallowed my pride and bought a few little herb plants: sage, thyme and basil. I've already dried the thyme and sprinkled it on salads. It is so amazingly delicious. I can not wait for sun-ripened tomatoes!

As far as sugar goes, I'm trying to locate a tea I used to drink that was called Sugar Balance or something like that. It helped to stave off sugar cravings. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Pink box?

Haikus and Strawberry Snacks

2010-04-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

Strawberries and nuts
Coconut and chocolate
A sweet snack for me

Rain and chilly days
Hot ginger tea with honey
Soothes my sweet tooth needs

Strawberry Snack
(Great for kids!)

Slice lots of strawberries
Lay flat and take turns decorating with one of the following nuts:
Cashews
Sliced almonds
Macadamia nuts
Pistachios
Peanuts

Then add one or more of the following:
Coconut flakes
Raisins
Grain-sweetened chocolate chips
Blueberries
Sliced bananas
Sliced pineapple

Get creative and snack responsibly!

Breaking News: Agave Allegedly Worse Than HFCS

2010-04-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Dr. Mercola states, "Many people interested in staying healthy have switched to agave as a safer "natural" sweetener. They want to avoid well documented dangerous sweeteners like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) but are unaware that most agave is actually WORSE than HFCS."

Rather than copy and paste entire sections here, read the article on Huffington Post yourself. It's long but worth the read, and current. Published yesterday, 4-15-10.

Dr. Mercola must have read my previous post about agave....

"How did I turn off the part of me that knew better?"

2010-04-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Interview with Special Guest: Michelle

Self-proclaimed Soda Addict

The other day at a local coffee shop, I had the privilege to interview this bright, witty, fun woman. Like many of you reading this blog, she has an interesting history with sugar.

Michelle was 19 years old when she first began getting the headaches. They got so bad she threw up. Repeated doctor visits, scans and tests showed nothing other than a possible sinus infection. She was given prescription drugs and steroids and took them...because she was desperate. The pain was unbearable. She dealt with this for 4 years, feeling like the diagnosis and treatment wasn't right, but not sure what to do.

A friend mentioned that diet could have something to do with the headaches. So Michelle visited her doctor and asked if diet could be the culprit. The doctor said no. A different doctor finally correctly diagnosed her headaches as migraines, but also told her that sugar had nothing to do with them. Despite this, she decided to change her diet according to her friend's advice and testament. For the first time in four and a half years, she no longer had migraines. So Michelle gave up sugar completely for one year.

During that year her migraines were nonexistent. She felt healthy and happy. When I asked Michelle when and why she began eating sugar again, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "It sort of just happened."

A student brought in her favorite kind of mints (those buttery yellow, green and pink ones shaped like large Hershey kisses), and she figured one wouldn't hurt. She kept them in a jar on her desk and within a week they were gone.

She was back on sugar. She told herself, "Maybe I can handle a little bit here and a little bit there..." Her logic was that most of her food choices were so healthy that a little bit of candy once in a while would be okay. At first she didn't feel bad at all. Then she became pregnant so she quit sugar for good, again. She felt wonderful. Within a year her family moved to Japan and that's when sugar found itself back in her life.

"I started eating sugar again, not knowing it, because I couldn't read any of the food labels in Japan. Then we started eating out a lot and it brought old habits back, like drinking a lot of soda."

With her husband away traveling often and raising two kids at home, it was a treat to drink soda. Her justification was, "Everyone else is drinking soda and it's not bothering them." Her migraines had not returned so she tested the limits by overindulging in soda.

She says the behavior started when she was a child--drinking soda when she was sick, and drinking Slurpee's at 7 eleven. Back then little was known about the adverse affects of sugar. But Michelle says that even recently, her doctor recommended that she give her daughter "jello, gatorade, and popcicles to ward off dehydration." What is a parent supposed to do when these sugary items are recommended by pediatricians, and have been for decades?

Michelle told friends that she kept accidentally shrinking her clothes in the dryer. About a year later she realized she was bigger, her clothes were not smaller. It took a while to admit that her favorite form of sweet might be the cause of the extra weight, but eventually Michelle couldn't ignore that her weight gain was due to her out-of-control soda indulgence.

After two or three times quitting soda and then falling off the wagon, "I realized I had an addiction. It was like I was an alcoholic, except with soda. It was a vice. How did I turn off the part of me that knew better?"

When she began drinking soda and eating a lot of other sweets, the migraines came back. When she was diagnosed with a chemical sensitivity (chronic sensitivity to low levels of chemicals, including scents, food addtitives, etc.), it led to an excuse to eat sugar because she could blame the migraines on chemicals like perfumes, instead of sugar.

Michelle says, "What I firmly and strongly believe, no one would know based on what I feed my family."

So, what is Michelle doing now?

"My goal is to get myself and my kids off of processed foods totally. I'm not going to get my husband to eat this way, and even on the weekends if we go out to eat, that's okay. But during the week I'm going to buy and prepare whole foods, grind my own flour, and keep junk out of the house." In an effort to keep the migraines at bay and encourage her kids to enjoy healthier food, she is preparing her family for some big changes.

On New Year's Day 2010, she took out all of the junk food in the house and spread it on a table. She let her kids (ages 10 and 4) eat as much as they wanted. Then she threw away everything that was left. Now the family eats mostly healthy (her husband isn't buying into this health-streak just yet, however!).

Michelle now brings home delicious naturally-sweetened snacks that she and both her kids enjoy. Soda is a special treat instead of a daily ritual. She has the ability to consume sugar (soda) in moderation, something many of us only dream of having the willpower to do.

She admits that one of the greatest difficulties in eating healthy is viewing foods differently than her spouse. In her desire to avoid conflict, it's been easiest to go with the flow instead of putting her foot down about certain foods. That's all about to change this next year, but she is making small changes and baby steps forward instead of forcing everyone to quit cold turkey.

I applaud her for being a caring, loving wife and mom of two as she seeks balance in her family relationships and at the same time strives to provide healthy food for her household.

Mickey D's is on Their Knees

2010-04-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Begging me to please, please come in and take some free, government subsidized food products off their hands. What the?!

At least that's what the giant sheet of coupons implies. Two days after reviewing two outrageous food pyramids that are going to blow your mind, I received McDonald's coupons in the mail. Addressed to "Resident," obviously because they don't know that I am not a customer. Like I've mentioned before, on long road trips I love Mickey D's. I love that we can pull up, park, and I can run in a side entrance, use the loo, and then run back out again. Their bathrooms are usually clean, well-stocked and convenient. One summer I used their bathrooms so many times during a long road trip that I half expected to start seeing WANTED signs. "WANTED: Woman using bathrooms but not a paying food or beverage customer. REWARD."

The first two coupons on the sheet are "No purchase necessary." One for a free small Frappe, and the other one for a free 32 oz. beverage, "excluding orange juice, shakes, McCafe and iced coffee." The other coupons are buy-one-get-one or free this with purchase of that. For some reason I was insulted when I got this in the mail. I can't explain why, but maybe the pyramids I recently looked at had something to do with it.

Get ready to feel very, very angry:

The biggest revelation I got from this is that truly no one but myself has my best interest in mind when it comes to food.

(pyramids courtesy of PCRM. http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm07autumn/health_pork.html)

Sugar Cane and Nevella: Unrelated Stories

2010-04-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I enjoyed a 3-day weekend in small-town Virginia. In the little community we stayed in, there was a grocery store called Bloom. Underneath the store name was the phrase, "A different kind of grocery store". I didn't need anything there, but I was intrigued. What was so different?

Upon entering, we took a hard right into the produce section. Nothing looked too extraordinary, in fact I didn't even see an organic section, but I didn't look too hard because I immediately became distracted by a big brown barrel.....of giant stalks of sugar cane!

What?! Where did these come from and why would anyone want to buy a 7 or 8 foot stalk of sugar cane? I've seen short pieces of sugar cane packaged for sale before, but never sugar cane taller than me. Each stalk was for sale for $2.99. Jeff and I laughed and planned on stopping in to buy some (pure humor factor) on our way out of town, but forgot.

Bloom had a "natural foods" section, basically the same products you'd find at a Whole Foods, so I wandered around there for a minute before perusing the rest of the aisles of the grocery store. On an end cap I noticed a giant yellow bag of sweetener. I'd never heard of it before. "Nevella. No Calorie Sweetener." Hmmm. Of course I was skeptical. I picked up a bag (which weighed as much as a helium balloon) and looked at the ingredients, expecting sucralose, because so far, Splenda and its generic product sucralose, are the only sweeteners that don't weigh a thing.

As you can see, the ingredients are as follows: maltodextrin, sucralose, bacillus coagulans GBI-30-6086

I wouldn't touch this stuff. Why? All above ingredients are manufactured.

MALTODEXTRIN: Let's revisit maltodextrin. It's a product of corn (or wheat, in Europe). It's a food additive produced from corn starch by hydrolysis, into a white powder and is absorbed as quickly as glucose. Basically, it's a sugar you won't find anywhere in nature, and considered a "hidden" sugar. When you look for sugar in an ingredients label, it's easy to pass over this ingredient. (1)

SUCRALOSE: It's 600 times as sweet as table sugar. It is made by chlorinating sugar, and is made up of 50% phenylalanine, 40% aspartic acid, and 10% methyl alcohol. In 1998 it was approved by the US FDA. Then in 2000 safety concerns were raised, including lack of long-term studies. However, according to Wikipedia, "Sucralose is one of two artificial sweeteners ranked as 'safe' by the consumer advocacy group CSPI," not to mention other groups like the USDA, WHO, etc. Personally, I can do without anything artificial. (2)

bacillus coagulans GBI-30-6086: This ingredient was developed by Ganeden Biotech, Inc., who are focused on their probiotic technology. This patented bacteria strain can withstand high temperatures from baking and boiling.

It's interesting how many new sweetener products are on the shelves these days. I can't keep up with them all. However, it seems that most of them contain either sucralose or some product of stevia. Since consumers are demanding "sweet", but "no calories", the market (companies) is supplying that demand. I think artificial sweeteners will be around for a long time....

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltodextrin
(2) Get The Sugar Out, p. 56-57

Quit Sugar and Thrive

2010-03-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the reasons I go without sugar seem elusive, like during a full-blown craving. Other times I can't seem to find the time to list the reasons why refined sugar sucks.

Well, this morning I found some time and some novel reasons to reconsider eating any more of the white stuff. Although you'll mostly hear me demonize nutrition-less white refined cane/beet sugar, I also recognize and advocate keeping all sugars, even natural sugars, to a minimum. With that being said, I'd like to share bits and pieces of nutritional information and recipes from a book that I can't wait to share with you.

Ever heard of the Thrive Diet?

Written by a professional Ironman triathlete, author Brendan Brazier offers a plan to help you achieve top notch health and reduce all types of stress. He uses a whole foods plan and helps you understand how and why refined crap-food can be the source of stress. He provides super-easy recipes with wonderful, nutrient-rich ingredients.

Here's his take on the almighty sweet tooth:

"A sweet tooth also helps us maintain a positive outlook: The modern brain craves sugary or refined starchy foods (those foods whose fiber has been removed and therefore whose sugar component of the carbohydrate is relatively high) because they release serotonin, a chemical found in the brain's pituitary gland. The release of serotonin has a powerful elevating effect on our mood. Continually low levels of serotonin can lead to chronic fatigue and clinical depression. People who have a regular supply of serotonin being released into their bloodstream feel better, and are therefore more productive and feel less stressed, than those with low levels of serotonin. Serotonin is plentiful and free flowing when stress is low; however, as stress rises, serotonin production declines. Cravings for sugary or starchy food are most likely an attempt by the brain to make it "feel" better. This is why such foods are referred to as comfort foods--they are the foods that are craved after a particularly trying day. Ice cream and donuts, which are high in sugar required to produce the subconsciously desired serotonin hit, are common comfort foods. Giving in to these cravings will satisfy the brain, but this satisfaction is short-lived. And so you eat more serotonin-releasing foods, which eventually leads to more stress, since these refined carbohydrates offer very few nutrients--not having enough nutrients in our diet is a form of nutritional stress and therefore produces a stress response. Simply by having lower levels of cortisol (meaning less stress), the body will naturally produce more serotonin. Natural light and healthy food are the best ways to naturally raise serotonin." -The Thrive Diet, p. 18-19

He also states that the "common cause of nutritional stress [is] the overconsumption of refined food."

We've probably all faced the following situation: We are seated at a restaurant and we're ravished. We feel like we'll just drop unless we get some food in our body. The server brings a basket of bread and even though we don't want it, it's there and we're starving. We eat it anyway. Brazier describes what happens when we eat it: "I would wolf down the French bread typically served before the meal. My stomach would be physically full, yet I would still be hungry. Since white bread is void of any useful nutrients, my body wanted me to continue eating despite that I felt full. To digest, assimilate, and then eliminate the white bread requires a large energy expenditure. The net energy gain from it is very low." p.36-37

He goes on to describe how and why high net-gain nutrition is so important. He lists important staple foods, the role of exercise for life-long health, and meal plans for home and travel. His recipes include: pizza crusts (using beans and quinoa), energy bars, smoothies, pancakes (the chocolate banana pancake is made with hemp flour, buckwheat flour and dates), soups, salads, salad dressings, crackers, sauces, drinks and a banana coconut pie for dessert.

I'm eager to own this book (I'm borrowing the one I have now), and dirty the recipe pages while experimenting with hemp flour, ground sunflower seeds, hemp oil, miso, etc.

Urban Balcony Garden

2010-03-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know what you call the opposite of a green thumb, but I kill plants. I've tried indoor plants several times but they never make it. I understand the concept of over-watering and under-watering, so I'm not sure what my problem is.

Fortunately, I have better luck with plants outdoors. I love to garden and last summer I helped my dad prepare and plant his garden in Washington state. I moved to the east coast before reaping any harvest, but I was amazed at the bounty he and my mom collected over the summer.

Currently I live in a high-rise condominium, but I've been wanting to play in soil and garden. I have not identified any community gardens close-by (although there are several scattered throughout the city) so I was beginning to think I would have to swallow my desire to garden. Then, earlier this year I read this post on Crazy Sexy Life and I knew as I read that I would have to give balcony gardening a try. This guy just makes it sound so magical (a garden growing on a fire escape in New York City?!), while also sharing some dirty details and pointers. Check out his blog!

So, I'm doing it, too.

So far I have planted: basil, cherry tomatoes, heirloom purple tomatoes, arugula, buttercrunch lettuce and red cabbage. I germinated my basil seeds first, so we'll see how that goes. One of my main goals in balcony gardening is keeping the cost down, and using as many recycled containers as possible. Between my husband and I, we have plenty of containers and I'm hopeful that I will not need to purchase any. My costs have been $7 for a bag of soil, and around $2.00 for each packet of seeds. Yesterday I planted. I'm keeping everything inside until I have hearty sprouts, then I'll arrange everything on my sun-kissed balcony.

I feel like a little kid, eagerly awaiting any sign of the first sprout. The only thing I'm missing is Stevia. I want to grow my own plant, dry the leaves, and use them in their whole form for sweetening my tea. I'm also anticipating satisfying my summer sweet tooth with sun-ripened cherry tomatoes. There's nothing more delicious than a warm, ripe, juicy tomato. Goodbye winter. Let there be a warm spring and pleasant summer!

In a few weeks, I will be transferring my starts outside to my balcony.

Still Sugar-Free and Insanely Happy

2010-03-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's been exactly 2 years, 2 months and 22 days since I gave up the white stuff. I don't enjoy saying it like that, though, because it doesn't feel like I have given anything up. It feels like I have been given energy, happiness, good moods, more time (less time sleeping/napping), better health, and a greater understanding of this little devilish, overly processed grain of nutrition-less sweet.

What started out as a test of my willpower became much, much more. At first I missed and craved sugar in all it's sweet and fattening forms. Oreos became the object of my lust, as did giant mochas and whipped cream, brownies and Ben & Jerry's. Thing is, when I began feeling wonderful and going through my day without any sugar crashes, I realized that I was happier than a taste in my mouth could ever make me. The taste was so temporary but the feeling of being energized lasted and built up my confidence. I don't question whether I have willpower anymore. I've proven to myself that I can do anything since I did what I set out believing was impossible.

People ask me all the time whether I miss things like cookies and donuts. Sure I do. Sometimes. But most of the time I'm not obsessing over food anymore. I don't fantasize about getting my sugar fix. The cravings have hugely subsided and when I do get a hankering for something sweet, the slightest sweet in my mouth satisfies me.

Overcoming such a difficult behavior to control (my former sugar addiction) is the best. Nothing I've ever put in my mouth compares to feeling in control and happy and healthy. I used to think all this was impossible. I read books and heard stories about people who had given up sugar and I kind of didn't believe them. Surely they had hidden stashes of donut holes or midnight runs to Mickey D's for chocolate shakes. No one can really go without sugar, I used to think. Now, it's a way of life for me and lots of others who have dared to test the limits of their willpower.

With the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other medical issues, I don't care to go back to sugar. I love a little drop of honey in my tea, and my date- and molasses-sweetened cookies or my rich and creamy peanut butter cups. All in moderation, which is now something I can do. Hooked on the white stuff, I could never understand the concept of moderation.

Instead of saying I've "given up" sugar, I need to start saying that I've streamlined my eating habits to reduce needless calories. Giving something up is what people do for lent. It no longer makes sense for me to use this phrase. It's quite a treat being satisfied with a juicy piece of fruit. I no longer worry about extra calories, which before always came in the form of something sweet.

I don't know if this is at all inspiring in any way. I hope it is. I just wanted to give a personal update and reiterate that being sugar-free is one of the greatest gifts I have ever given to myself. It's not only doable, it's packed with rewards.

(Thank you Marc and Angel for posting my article, "9 Timeless Nutrition Tips for Any Age" on their blog, Marc and Angel Hack Life.)

Coke, PepsiCo, Michelle Obama, & Other News...

2010-03-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Recently in the news:

PepsiCo
PepsiCo makes a world-wide commitment to not sell sugary drinks in schools. However, they will still sell non-caloric beverages and sports drinks like Gatorade. We all know Gatorade is sugary, but at least Pepsi is taking a step in the right direction. Thanks to CSPI for their work in this effort. Unfortunately, Coke is not doing the same.

Michelle Obama "Scolds" the GMA
Thanks to Food Politics for outlining excerpts of Mrs. Obama's speech to the Grocery Manufacturer's of America. It certainly packed a punch!

Let's Move! Campaign: A Closer Look
Take a look at the informative post on Appetite for Profit's blog. If you haven't been interested before, reading A for P's take on things is sure to get you fired up!

Fooducate
Here's more on the Let's Move! Campaign, plus, look around this blog for lots of great nutritional information.

Bob's Red Mill: An Incredible Change of Ownership
When I found out that Bob transferred his multi-million dollar business to his employees, I teared up. Not just because I miss my hometown, but because of this amazing act of kindness. He inspires me to make decisions that I can look back on and feel proud of (giving away material items rather than storing them). Click here for the scoop. And if you happen to run out of date sugar or garbonzo bean flour, order from the Red Mill. Better yet, take a vacation to Portland, Oregon and plan to eat at and tour the facilities. It's quite charming.

That's it for now. I have an itch to write something provocative and juicy. Any topic suggestions?

My Kitchen Exploded

2010-03-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've had the motivation to blog...

Here's the most recent reason why:

It happened last week and almost killed my dog. I was seconds away from having my bare feet sliced into serving sizes.

What happened is I got home and wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water. My faithful mutt always has a sip with me. Her eating and drinking dishes are next to the pantry. Like I've mentioned before, my kitchen is teeny. So, Annie and I are wetting our whistles and then I step out of the kitchen for a second before loading some dishes in the dishwasher. Annie steps out into the front room with me. As we are walking out of the kitchen, the biggest crash I've ever heard in my life happened on the tile floor. The shelves in my poorly constructed pantry came crashing down. Basically, my pantry exploded.

Upgrading your containers to glass is a good idea--if you trust your pantry shelves. Most of my grains and pastas have been housed in gorgeous mason jars. Suddenly my kitchen floor became a swampy combination of vinegars, syrups, and a steady flow of molasses carrying large chunks of glass all throughout my kitchen and seeping into my living room. Walls were splattered with sticky substances. Most of our food became a soupy mix of glass shards and molasses. I freaked out. I grabbed Annie, and ran outside the apartment to call Jeff. I thought the wall had come down.

Fortunately, I have a most incredible husband. As soon as he heard the trembling in my voice, he assured me he was out the door and would take a cab home. I was shocked and thought it unnecessary for him to leave his job (contract position...you don't just leave because your wife has a molasses problem) until 6pm that night when we finally finished cleaning up the mess. It was a nightmare. Our apartment is completely tiled, so glass shards had rolled and spread all throughout the kitchen and the front room. We wore Crocs as we cleaned and then had to clean the glass bits out of the Crocs. Scrubbing molasses and glass off the floor was dangerous and tedious. I got cut. Jeff probably did, too, but didn't say. He had the good attitude, I had an anger management problem: "I could have been killed! Annie was drinking her water just seconds before...if she were standing there when it happened, she could have been killed!"

Jeff lost much of his "junk" food, and I lost all sorts of beans and grains and pasta. But in the end, I realized how lucky I had been. I can't imagine standing there and having a pantry full of glass jars and dishes fall down on me, surrounding me with shards of glass, cutting me into pieces. Annie and I decided that even though it was a strange catastrophe, it was a reminder to be thankful. We avoided the worst of it. And Jeff still has his job.

Natural Sugars are Still Added Sugars

2010-02-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Anyway I look at it, I have been eating too much sugar, albeit in the form of natural sugars. Women should eat no more than 6 teaspoons of sugars, and for men it's 9 teaspoons. Lucky I don't eat added sugars. At least that's the way I saw it, since my sugars are mostly natural and hardly processed.

My latest revelation is based on information I read in CSPI's Jan/Feb 2010 Nutrition Action Healthletter. The cover story is SUGAR OVERLOAD, Curbing America's Sweet Tooth. Read it!

I was happy to see my favorite subject broached, but I thought to myself, 'This doesn't pertain to me anymore. I quit sugar over two years ago.'

What I read, however, turned my perfectly ordered world of natural sugars upside down.

I was not ready to have over two years of my work be thrown out the window by one statement. "[Added sugars] include high-fructose corn syrup, ordinary table sugar, honey, agave syrup, and all other sweeteners with calories."

Then I discovered a list in the article that brought me to tears. The list titled, Sugar by Any Other Name, broke down what is considered an added sugar, which just made me grimace. Why? Because my beloved list of natural sweeteners that I held high and mighty and above all reproach found themselves in the same category as the horrible sugars that I have not touched in over two years. How in the world could my raw honey be rubbing elbows with corn syrup? Or table sugar even compare to grape juice? Were not my beloved natural sugars in an entirely different class because they're, er, natural?

Apparently, folks, my head has been in the clouds. I thought I had found redemption in honey and juice concentrates and maple syrups. The sad news is that these are added sugars. That's not an opinion. That's a fact.

And that, my friends, breaks my heart.

An added sugar is an added sugar, no matter what the source of that sugar is. The verdict is in, the science is clear, and the AHA is bold enough to tell us that unless we keep all of our added sugars in the 6-9 teaspoon range (9 for males, 6 for females), we may be headed for medical troubles including increased risk of heart disease, high triglycerides, diabetes, visceral fat, gout, overeating, high blood pressure and obesity.

Added sugars do not include fruit, dried fruit, vegetables and other whole foods.

I'm angry for giving natural sugars an exception in my kitchen and in my diet. I thought I was free to eat as much "sweet" as I wanted, as long as my sweet was natural and barely processed. Now I see that I confused science and philosophy. Because I believe philosophically that honey is a better sweetener than sugar (raw, local, not processed, etc.), I made the mistake in believing that it is healthier, too. It may or may not be healthier, (honey has about 300 more calories per cup than white sugar) but as far as all those medical diseases are concerned, I have to limit honey as much as I have to limit white sugar because they are both added sugars.

I don't want to play by the rules of the AHA (6 teaspoons, approximately 100 calories, is not very much sugar, especially if you drink sweetened beverages or alcohol), but I also don't want to be suffering from heart disease or diabetes in the future, trying to convince myself that natural sugars are off the hook.

Soda Tax: Who is For It & Who Isn't

2010-02-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

Sugar, rum, and tobacco are commodities which are nowhere necessariesof life, which are become objects of almost universal consumption,and which are therefore extremely proper subjects of taxation.

— Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776

What it is:

A soda tax is a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and those sweetened with caloric sweeteners.

Purpose:

To decrease the consumption of sugary beverages and to generate revenue for obesity-related medical costs.

(The following is far from being an exhaustive list of all who are for and against the tax.)

Who is for it:

Most recently, California Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez introduced his soda tax bill for California.

California Center for Public Health Advocacy helped Florez draft the bill.

The soda tax was first introduced in 1994 by Kelly D. Brownell, PhD., Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale.

The current Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thomas R. Frieden, and the above-mentioned Brownell argue for the taxation of sugary beverages in this 2009 New England Journal of Medicine article.

New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene

Dr. David A. Kessler, author of my personal favorite, The end of overeating.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest

Without coming right out and saying it, Dr. Nestle implies her interest in the tax with several related posts.

President Obama: "It's an idea that we should be exploring," the President said. "There's no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that's been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity as just about anything else. Obviously there is resistance on Capitol Hill to those kinds of sin taxes," he continued. "Legislators from certain states that produce sugar or corn syrup are sensitive to anything that might reduce demand for those products. And look, people's attitude is that they don't necessarily want Big Brother telling them what to eat or drink, and I understand that. It is true, though, that if you wanted to make a big impact on people's health in this country, reducing things like soda consumption would be helpful." — President Barack Obama to Men’s Health

Who is against it:

Beverage companies, and the American Beverage Association (ABA).

The ABA has this to say about the tax, "Families are still barely making it from paycheck to paycheck. Adding to their burden with a tax on their groceries should be the last way to tackle the state's budget problems." I think they need a heftier argument. Since when have sugary beverages become a staple of Americans' groceries? They go on to say, "...this tax will threaten thousands of well-paying, New York jobs in the beverage and related industries." Lack of jobs in New York? I can only hope that there would be a lack of jobs in the sugary beverage industry and other junk food industries!

Let's see, who has our best interest in mind: doctors, professors, and directors of major health agencies......or beverage companies?

I can't resist sharing this video:

Easy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2010-02-17T07:32:00.000-08:00

This bread is virtually the No-Knead recipe I posted in October, with a few alterations. It's a cinch to make, hardly any maintenance, but does take 12-18 hours to rise. So start it the day before you want it. For those of you who have had little luck with yeast breads, you'll love how fool-proof this is.

The only real trick, in my opinion, is getting the water temperature just right for the yeast. My way of doing this is crazy and I don't exactly recommend it, although it works for me every time. I basically put my finger under running water until it's just too hot for me to stand, but not hot enough for me yell. I know there are better ways (a thermometer, perchance?) but I'm old fashioned in the kitchen, including measuring. I generally don't. My husband wonders why I don't measure, and I don't have an answer for him. I know it makes sense, to guarantee that the recipe comes out perfect.....I guess I love how food comes out different every time.

However, it's hard to post a recipe when I'm just throwing things around, so I've done my best to gauge amounts. Tinker if you will.

Easy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour
2 pinches sea salt
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 C raisins
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
approx 2 C. tepid water (less water by about 1/2 C if using white flour)

Mix dry ingredients including yeast. Then add water and mix until sticky and shaggy. This picture shows that I need more water. Dough should be fairly moist all over.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for between 12 and 18 hours, room temperature.

Then turn dough onto lightly floured surface, sprinkle with a little flour, and fold it over once on itself. Cover loosely with plastic wrap for about 15 minutes.

Using lightly floured hands, quickly and gently fold dough into a ball, and place on lightly floured towel, seam down. Dust with more flour. Cover with another towel and let rise for 2 to 3 hours. Should double in size after rising:

At least 30 minutes before putting dough in oven, heat oven to 450 degrees and put in a heavy cast iron pot (or enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) that is at least 3.5 quarts to 8 quarts. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven and turn dough over into pot. Shake pot once or twice if dough is not evenly distributed. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes. Then remove lid and bake another 15 minutes, until loaf is nicely browned. Cool on rack.

While the bread was still warm, I cut a few slices and slathered them with butter (Earth Balance) and just a light smear of honey. I find this bread delicious and especially rustic. Each bite with raisins is heavenly. I'll add more next time.

I can't resist showing you my dog, Annie. She put up with us while we had cabin fever during the blizzard last week. She pretends like she hates wearing glasses, but she knows she'll get treats if she poses for the camera. The abuse!

An Unfortunate Marriage: Peanuts and Corn Syrup

2010-02-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

To my shock and horror I discovered corn syrups and other sugars added to jars of peanuts.

I usually by peanuts in the shell, but I don't eat peanuts that often. I typically stick with more exotic nuts like macadamias, almonds, pistachios, pecans, cashews--because I'm so fancy.

I love a good peanut, though, dang it! I'm fortunate not to have allergies, and I realize and sympathize with those who are unable to experience the joy and tasty satisfaction that peanuts can offer. Luckily these days grocery stores are stocked with all kinds of nuts so our choice is not limited.

Last week, during our wonderful blizzard, I wanted peanuts. I visited the nut aisle (which is new to me because I usually buy my nuts at TJ's) and found a large variety of peanuts. I figured right off the bat that honey roasted peanuts would be off-limits. They were. I looked at some roasted, unsalted peanuts and they looked boring so I tried finding roasted, salted peanuts. I found several different brands, including the big "P" brand of peanuts, that added corn syrup, maltodextrin and corn syrup solids. Can you imagine why the heck these peanut companies are adding all this sugar to the poor, otherwise innocent peanut?

I finally found a grocery store brand of roasted, unsalted peanut and that turned out to be my only bet. All other peanuts had added sugars.

Two things I don't get:

Peanuts are naturally sweet, so why would they need sugar? Without added sugars, one serving size of peanuts (28 g/about 40 pieces) has approximately 1 gram of sugar. Peanut sugar. Let's say that peanuts were not sweet enough by themselves. Wouldn't it be just as easy to add sugar ourselves?
I've heard that sugar can act as a preservative. In this case, though, peanuts don't need preservatives. The jar I bought says, "SELL BY JUN 22 11". If my roasted, unsalted peanuts have a year and half shelf life, what gives? Do the corn syrup covered peanuts have a 10 year shelf life? Gross.

I have no idea why sugar is added to peanuts. It's not needed.

It's another must-read label, folks!

Ellen Degeneres Gives Up Sugar

2010-02-15T07:05:00.000-08:00

I love when celebrities talk nutrition!

Click here, or here to watch Ellen's video diaries as she shares what it's like to be without the white stuff.

A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down?!

2010-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

What do a blizzard, NyQuil and candles all have in common? They all happened this past weekend. It wasn't the 2 and a half feet of snow covering the city or the loss of heat, power and hot water that got to me most or the lighting our place with candles. It was finding out that NyQuil has high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. What a disappointment, especially after taking it every night consecutively. Imagine a "remedy" full of sugar!

It happened right under my careful little nose. I check ingredients of everything-even soap. But several nights ago I realized that coughing all through the night wasn't just affecting my sleep--it was keeping my husband awake, too. That night I coughed so hard my nose bled and I threw up. I could hardly breathe because of the phlegm draining into my throat. I was miserable but determined to get through this au natural. Herbs, vitamins, tea, whole foods, water--YES, over-the-counter crap--NO WAY.

But I bit the bullet that night and climbed out of bed around midnight to enter the wild snow storm outside. I was delirious. My cough continued as I climbed over snow drifts and breathed in ice cold wind all the way to the grocery store.

I told myself I was doing the right thing. I had to get sleep and I hadn't had good sleep for days. I convinced myself to grab a bottle of NyQuil as soon as I got there and not let myself deliberate or check ingredients--but I was only surmising the chemical ingredients that would freak me out. Sugar never crossed my mind. When I arrived at the store I did just as I envisioned doing--I quickly grabbed a bottle of red nighttime NyQuil from the bottom shelf and threw it in my basket.

I guzzled the red, syrupy stuff before going back to bed and slept better than I had in quite a while. Every night I tried to skip the NyQuil but I had this crazy cough that started at night and would not let up. So I turned to the bottle several nights in a row and when Jeff got the cough, we toasted our elixir. Day 3 or 4 it occurred to me I hadn't checked the ingredients for sugar. I was so concerned with being scared off by the chemicals I didn't want to see, I had forgotten about sugar. High fructose corn syrup is listed after all the food colorings and before the glycols. Yuck. Did I still take the stuff after I found this information out? Sadly, yes. I felt trapped--either be awake most of the night coughing up my lungs or give myself a break and sleep soundly so my body can rest and repair. I chose the latter but only had to take it a few more times.

I feel taken advantage of. Gross. Angry. I was put in a catch-22 situation. I was not able to trace it back to anything or anybody which is disconcerting but I have let it go. I heard that some people have the cough for up to 8 weeks...mine has been less than two weeks, so I guess being healthy to begin with helps lessen the duration of such things.

Our power went out Friday night. No heat, electricity or hot water. The amount of snow that fell weighed down tree branches everywhere, including my neighborhood where the telephone pole and all the wiring fell and became tangled in the branches. Workers worked all day Saturday to restore power and by almost midnight we had some power. Still no heat or hot water. Sunday, Jeff and I made the most of it. We decided to build our own internal heat by walking around outside. It was crazy to see everything covered in a blanket of snow. Some cars completely covered, other cars with giant trees laying on the hood, broken and fallen.

We made the most of the fallen snow. Instead of rotting inside and getting cabin fever, we made an effort to be out in daylight. We found a great hill in our neighborhood where we tobogganed and took mad photographic shots of each other.

When we returned home, the hot water was back in business. It was a perfect way to end our perfect weekend. I definitely take too much for granted--my health, the weather, hot water, heat, etc.

The extra-perfect part of the end of our weekend included two new pairs of slippers.

Now my job is to write a complaint letter to NyQuil....

Showdown! Agave VS. High Fructose Corn Syrup

2010-02-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Agave_tequilana_2.jpg/797px-Agave_tequilana_2.jpg)

Let the showdown begin, but first, a word about agave.

I love it in Coconut Bliss ice cream and I love it in cookies and cakes. I love the perfectly moist consistency without compromised flavor. I love agave-sweetened lemonade. Agave is easy to substitute, relatively cheap to buy (2 bottles for xx bucks at Costco) and easily satiates the pesky sweet tooth.

However.....

I'm very suspicious of it.

Even the organic, raw, "high quality" versions. I'm suspicious even though high quality health food stores carry it. No sweetener should become my darling like agave has become the media's. And something I need to be reminded of--all sugars should be eaten in moderation, even the good ones.

Why I am suspicious of agave:
*It is high in fructose.
*It is higher in fructose than high fructose corn syrup. It ranges from over 55% to 90% fructose.
*Too much fructose is bad for our bodies (see Wiki Fructose, below).
*It is not a locally grown plant. Most agave is imported.
*It is relatively high in calories/about the same as white sugar.
*Though it plays to the tune of my sweet tooth, it keeps me addicted to wanting more sweet stuff.
*It offers no nutrients or benefits to my body.
*There are healthier sweeteners like date sugar, fruit, honey, molasses and stevia.
*There are weak labeling laws for the term "Raw". For the raw foodies out there, you may not be getting what you think you're getting.
*It is touted as low glycemic, however, the glycemic index uses glucose as a measure, not fructose, which can be especially harmful to diabetics, the very people agave is often marketed towards.
*It is touted for it's use in weight loss, but has just as many calories as sugar.
*Fructose has been linked to: raised triglycerides, fatty liver disease, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, belly fat, and Metabolic Syndrome.

Why high fructose corn syrup deserves more credit than agave:
*It is a by-product of locally-grown corn, whereas most agave nectar is imported.
*It is lower in fructose than agave. The HFCS used in soft drinks is 55/45, fructose/glucose and the HFCS in foods and baked goods is about 42/58, fructose/glucose.
*It's cheaper (true, but obviously tongue-in-cheek)
*Yes it's more processed than agave, but there is no fear of any company adding high fructose corn syrup as a fill to high fructose corn syrup.....
*I have no idea if high fructose corn syrup comes organic.

High fructose corn syrup makes me cringe, so don't get me wrong. It's just that agave should make me cringe, too, but because it is touted as this super-wonderful alternative to sugar the vibe seems to be positive. Neither one offers much of anything but calories. Ahhhh, media hype.

For those of you who read my previous post about agave, here are more bits and pieces of information:

"Refined sugar, corn syrup, and agave nectar contained minimal antioxidant activity...." -Journal of the American Dietetic Assocation .

"Fructose consumption has also been related to the metabolic syndrome and to abnormal lipid patterns. This evidence suggests that we should worry about our current level of fructose consumption, which has been increasing steadily for over 200 years and now represents over 10% of the energy intake of some people." -Int J Obes

Marion Nestle mentions agave in her blog, Food Politics:

"Q. Can you please explain what benefits, if any, there are in using a “natural” sweetener, e.g. agave, over regular sugar? Are there any differences in terms of glucose/fructose makeup?

A. Agave is more expensive so you probably won’t use as much of it. Beyond that, it is higher in fructose than table sugar or honey. This is because agave contains inulin, a polymer of fructose, which must be hydrolyzed (broken down by heat or enzymes) to fructose to make the sweetener. It’s a processed sweetener requiring one hydrolysis step, requiring more processing than honey and less than high fructose corn syrup. It has the same number of calories as any other sugar, about 4 per gram or 16 per teaspoon."

"HFCS [sub the word agave here] does contribute to added sugars and calories, and those concerned with managing their weight should be concerned about calories from beverages and other foods, regardless of HFCS content." -Am J Clin Nutr.

The following articles have more information about agave and fructose:

This article is written by Nancy Appleton, PhD, clinical nutritionist, researcher, lecturer and author: "Fructose Is No Answer for a Sweetener"
The Truth About Agave: Not as Healthy as You May Think
Wiki Agave.
Wiki High-Fructose Corn Syrup.
Wiki Fructose.

Unfortunately, some of my favorite sources had very little or nothing to say about agave nectar. To me this means it is under-studied and another good reason to stick to other sweeteners.

This article is from the Mercola website:

{"Agave syrup is neither a natural food nor organic.
Fully chemically processed sap from the agave plant is known as hydrolyzed high fructose inulin syrup. According to Dr. Ingrid Kohlstadt, a fellow of the American College of Nutrition and an associate faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, '[Agave is] almost all fructose, highly processed sugar with great marketing.'

Agave syrup is not low calorie.
Agave syrup is about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar.

Agave syrup may not have a low glycemic index.
Depending upon where the agave comes from and the amount of heat used to process it, your agave syrup can be anywhere from 55 percent to 90 percent fructose! (And it's likely you won't be able to tell from the product label.) This range of fructose content hardly makes agave syrup a logical choice if you're hoping to avoid the high levels of fructose in HFCS. And if you're diabetic, you should know that the alleged benefit of agave for diabetics is purely speculative. Very few agave studies have been documented, and most involved rats. There have been no clinical studies done on its safety for diabetics.

Other Reasons You Should Steer Clear of Agave (Mercola article, continued)
1. There are very few quality controls in place to monitor the production of agave syrup. Nearly all agave sold in the US comes from Mexico. Industry insiders are concerned agave distributors are using lesser, even toxic, agave plants due to a shortage of blue agave. There are also concerns that some distributors are cutting agave syrup with corn syrup--how often and to what extent is anyone's guess. In addition, the FDA has refused shipments of agave syrup due to excessive pesticide residues.

2. Agave syrup is not a whole food--it is fractionated and processed. The sap is separated from the plant and treated with heat, similar to how maple sap is made into maple syrup. Agave nectar is devoid of many of the nutrients contained in the original whole plant.

3. Agave syrup is not a live food. The natural enzymes are removed to prevent agave syrup from fermenting and turning into tequila in your food pantry or cabinet.

4. Agave is, for all intents and purposes, highly concentrated sugar. Sugar and sweeteners wreak havoc on your health and are highly addictive."} -Mercola.com

Let's keep the discussion open. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one!

Agave VS. High Fructose Corn Syrup

2010-02-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned this week for the nitty gritty details.

It's not going to be pretty.

Humble Pie

2010-01-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

I totally pride myself on my health. I love telling people that it's been "xx" this many years since I've been sick. I have felt especially immune, cutting out sugar, so I figured that as long as I was sugar-free, my immune system would have superpowers strong enough to keep me from all harm.

Yesterday I had one of the worst fevers I've ever had. My body ached. My throat just burned. But that was all. No other symptoms, so I'm doubtful it was the swine flu, which seems to include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. However, whatever it was really threw me for a loop. I took a naturopathic approach to my symptoms and let my body have its fever. I needed it to kill the virus that attacked me. I used to pop pills immediately upon feeling yucky, but now I know the importance of our body giving us a fever. It is to help us! If we treat that "symptom" we are only prolonging the flu/virus.

So, today was about recovery. It took a lot out of me to withstand the aches and pains and chills of a high temperature yesterday. My plan was to stay home all day and rest today. Then this morning I ran out of toilet paper.

Do I:
a. Take some from the public facilities in our building?
b. Hold it all day until husband can pick it up on his way home?
c. Go out and get t.p. myself?

I went out. I knew it would be refreshing to get outside today. But on the way to the grocery store I was hit head-on by a woman in her brand new 4x4 pick-up. She pulled out of a store parking lot from behind a parked truck and couldn't see me. I slammed on my brakes but still slammed into her. We pulled over and I had to wait for an officer to arrive who spoke Spanish. Unfortunately my 3+ years learning/practicing Spanish did not amount to much in this situation. It was funny, though. I told the officer that it was my brother's car I was driving and that my brother is currently in Guatamala studying Spanish. It was ironic.

Ironic and humbling, which is why I share this recipe with you.

Humble Pie
1 part being humble
1 part keeping my mouth shut
2 parts being sensitive to others

Practice this daily for best results!

Quick, Healthy Breakfast Tip

2010-01-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

I was so excited a few weeks ago when I brought home my super-healthy container of organic steel cut oats. Then my heart sank when I read the instructions. It would take over 35 minutes to make, which it did. When I make breakfast, I usually have to do it fast because as soon as I start to feel hungry in the morning, the hunger rages.

I learned something, though. I made too much oatmeal but realized I could refrigerate it and heat it up again the next morning. What may seem obvious to all of you seemed to me a streak of pure genius, until a friend told me, "I've been doing this for years." The next day, I scooped out a cup of the cold, hard, but cooked oatmeal and added it to a pan of an inch of boiling water. I stirred the cold oatmeal until it softened and then added frozen blueberries (from my long-lost blueberry trees back home!) and then pecans. In just a minute or two I had a piping hot, fresh bowl of oatmeal. The following several mornings were just as easy. Now, if I can suffer through making a large pot of oatmeal from scratch once every five days or so, I know I'll have left-overs to last all week.

As far as toppings, anything goes: nuts (especially if you toast them first or caramelize them in honey), seeds, dried fruit, coconut, berries, mango, apricot, bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, etc.

For a bright purple oatmeal that your kids will love, put blueberries in right away and stir until they bleed into the oatmeal.

Super Easy, Healthy Snacks

2010-01-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

If you don't have time to make the hummus yourself, buy it pre-made. I would rather have this high-protein snack on hand than not at all.

Cashews, raisins and prunes. The idea here is a naturally sweet snack loaded with plant protein. I usually have a variety of nuts.

Sliced apples and almond nut butter make a refreshing, filling snack every time.

Four ingredients: sprouted organic whole wheat kernels, filtered water, organic dates, organic cinnamon. Absolutely delicious toasted and high in iron and protein. I can only find this bread at Whole Foods in the freezer section. Ask your local health food store or co-op to bring in this line of bread. The other flavors are just as amazing.

Wash and slice ahead of time and choose a healthy dressing for dip. This is the difference between whether or not I eat fresh veggies. I like shitake sesame dressing. Check ingredients!

These super healthy snack bars fit perfectly in my smallest purse. I never leave home without one because I don't ever want to be so hungry and desperate that I justify junk food. Example of ingredients for Chocolate Mint bar: organic dates, organic almonds, organic cocoa mass, organic cocoa powder, organic vanilla flavor, organic peppermint flavor. Can be found at many grocery stores in the protein bar section, and some flavors available at TJ's.

Check the ingredients of salsa or make your own. Add extra crunch and nutrition by adding fresh peppers, beans or corn.

High in iron, five ingredients: whole kernel rye, water, whole rye flour, salt, yeast. Delicious when toasted with Earth Balance margarine and sprinkled with nutritional yeast or a few drops of honey. Similarly packaged breads available at: TJ's, Whole Foods, World Market, and most grocery stores in the bread aisle.

Although I enjoy the crunch and saltiness of pretzels, they put me right to sleep (white refined flour) which makes this a yummy-yet-sinful late night snack. It's mostly just a delivery system for mustard, which I love.

Edamame, sea salt and cashews make a tasty, high protein snack that will help tie you over until your next meal.

The difference between a healthy snack and a packaged-not-so-healthy snack is whether a healthy version has been prepared ahead of time. When I take a fruit or vegetable out to cut, I try and take as many fruits and vegetables as possible and line them up behind my cutting board. This way when I need a snack, I can count on having something healthy instead of forging through my pantry trying to justify something else.

Your suggestions and tips are more than welcome!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Heaven

2010-01-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

The other day I was cruising around looking for a dessert recipe that called out my name. Apparently I was craving cake because when I found this recipe I jumped up, grabbed my apron, and got to baking.

The cake turned out beautiful. So many of my baked goods are whipped up so fast that I neglect the aesthetic appeal and tending to the appearance. This recipe would be difficult to make anything but pretty, by how it is made. I was able to make it in about 15 minutes or less and then a half hour after baking, I was chewing a very luxurious, moist cake. The top of the finished product is wonderfully sticky sweet and reminds me of my mom's monkey bread made with brown sugar and butter. I added pecans to this recipe and it added a nice, flavorful crunch to an otherwise soft, perfectly moist cake. Although it was perfectly moist, it did not burst with flavor. I would add spices next time or more vanilla, and I even thought of adding macadamia nuts instead of pecans and putting shredded coconut in the batter. As it is, I halved the recipe since my cast iron skillet is much smaller than the one used in the original recipe.

*Note: This recipe can be altered in so many ways. You can easily substitute gluten-free flours, or take the dairy products and eggs out and use substitutes, although I have not tried it yet.

By the way, since I've been talking about coconut milk lately, I've been putting two or three spoonfuls of it in my coffee every morning and it is sinfully perfect. It almost seems too good to be true. I do not want my coffee tasting like coconut and it doesn't. It's just thick, creamy, rich and slightly sweet. It has now replaced the tablespoon of heavy whipping cream that I was using every morning.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

For the top:
sliced pineapple
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 C. honey
*optional: pecans

For the cake:
1 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C butter or coconut oil
1/2 C honey
2 eggs
1 C buttermilk
1 and a half tsp vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the 4 Tbsp butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet (I halved the recipe and used my smaller skillet). Once melted, add in the honey and stir until combined. Cook a couple minutes until the mixture is nice and bubbly.

Place pineapple slices in pan.

Continue to cook another couple minutes, turn the slices over, and turn off heat. (If using, place the pecans in pan after you turn off heat.)

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Next, cream together the 1/2 C butter, and the 1/2 C honey until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time and then stir in vanilla. Alternating between flour mixture and buttermilk, add them into creamed mixture, stirring just until combined.

Pour over the pineapple slices.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the sides and quickly tip over onto a flat plate or cutting board.

Enjoy with a hot mug of coffee & coconut milk!

Glycemic Index: A Real Shock

2010-01-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

I started writing a different post today but was sideswiped by some startling information. Info that I thought I understood and grasped a long time ago. I am sitting here in shock at how much I did not understand the Glycemic Index (GI). A year or more ago I read about it for the first time. It seemed almost common sense. But I totally missed something. I was of the understanding that on the index scale of 1 to 100, table sugar is 100. WRONG! Glucose (blood sugar) is 100.

In a nutshell, the Glycemic Index is a measurement for how carbohydrates affect our blood sugar levels. Carbs that break down quickly, releasing glucose rapidly into our bloodstream have a high GI. Carbs that break down more slowly, releasing glucose more steadily into our bloodstream have a low GI. Pure glucose serves as a reference point, and is given a GI of 100. This information has been thought to be especially important to people with diabetes, but come to find out it is also important for the rest of us. You know that "sugar" high you get, associated with eating crap? There is a physical reason for it. You've just spiked your blood sugar.

Makes me wonder if our assumption that turkey makes everyone tired at Thanksgiving is wrong. Maybe it's the mashed potatoes.

Surprisingly, many starchy foods have a higher GI than table sugar. (I don't quite understand this yet.)

Sugar (sucrose) has a GI of about 68.

Foods with a GI of 55 or lower are considered low GI and foods higher than 55 are considered high GI. An example of some foods that cause our blood sugar to rise more rapidly than white sugar are:

Pretzels: GI 83
Popcorn: GI 72
Rice Crispies: GI 82
Parsnips: GI 97
Pumpkin: GI 75
Rice crackers: GI 91
Wild rice: GI 87
"Sticky" rice: GI 98
100% Whole wheat bread: GI 77
French Baguette: GI 95
English muffin: GI 77

Here's a look at how white potatoes compare to sweet potatoes:

Yam: GI 37 LOW!
Sweet Potato: GI 44 LOW!
White baked potato: GI 85 HIGH!
Boiled Red-skinned potato: GI 88 HIGH!

Yams and sweet potatoes are the obvious choice. From the above list, I just don't understand how pumpkin and parsnips can have such a high GI. Does this mean they are digested quicker than white sugar? How is this possible?

The reason GI matters:

"Your body performs best when your blood sugar is kept relatively constant. If your blood sugar drops too low, you become lethargic and/or experience increased hunger. And if it goes too high, your brain signals your pancreas to secrete more insulin. Insulin brings your blood sugar back down, but primarily by converting the excess sugar to stored fat. Also, the greater the rate of increase in your blood sugar, the more chance that your body will release an excess amount of insulin, and drive your blood sugar back down too low. The theory behind the Glycemic Index is simply to minimize insulin-related problems by identifying and avoiding foods that have the greatest effect on your blood sugar." (3)

I have much to learn about the GI. I am fascinated by the concept that sugar isn't the only thing that causes such a dramatic spike in blood sugar.

Sources:
1 (http://www.lowglycemicdiet.com/gifoodlist.html)
2 (Eat, Drink & Be Healthy, by Walter Willett, M.D.)
3 (http://www.nutritiondata.com/topics/glycemic-index)
4 (Wiki)

*The picture above is a real, sugary espresso chocolate cheesecake that I made for Jeff the day he got a job out here in DC. It's his favorite but a very rare treat. I have plans to try it with honey someday....

Amazing Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate

2010-01-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

I found a deliciously improved recipe for hot chocolate. Thanks to the nourishing gourmet, I now have a hot chocolate recipe that is rich, creamy, frothy and still perfectly sweet. I tinkered with the orignial recipe and mine is as follows:

Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate

1/3 part coconut milk
2/3 part boiling water
2 heaping spoons of pure cocoa
1 small spoonfull honey (or more for sweeter)
dash of vanilla

To my french press I added the coconut milk then stirred in cocoa and vanilla. After pouring in the boiling water, I stirred in the honey and then pumped my French press to mix and make it frothy.

I'm drinking this wonderfully warm, happy beverage right now. I lift my mug to you and say, "Cheers! Isn't it wonderful to be so happy without white refined sugar?!!"

ENJOY!

Banana Almond Butter Macadamia Nut Toast

2010-01-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

I don't like bananas anymore. I used to eat them every single morning chopped up on cold cereal, or as a snack in the afternoon. For some reason over the last few years they have started to become disgusting to me. The flavor is too strong and the mushy texture is a big turn-off but I also don't enjoy them under-ripe.

I still eat them, though. I rarely eat cold cereal anymore but bananas go well with warm oatmeal, nuts and dried fruit. I've been craving and eating sprouted wheat toast with almond butter since I started going to Jazzercise recently. It's filling and two pieces is all I need. This morning I added some simple flourishes for variety and it was really tasty, even with bananas.

(One of the reasons I still eat bananas is because they are indicated for healthy digestion and elimination. Heard of B.R.A.T.? If you need to bulk things up, four foods are commonly indicated: bananas, rice, apples or toast.)

This morning I created a toast masterpiece for my mouth. Perhaps I was giddy from the goodies I brought home from Trader Joe's: dried cherries, prunes, cashews, macadamia nuts, and lots of fruit to name a few. Right now my local TJ's has organic oranges, apples and grapefruits so I loaded up.

As for my toast:

Sprouted wheat berry bread (5g of protein per slice, and although it contains dates and raisins, it does not contain them in whole form. They must grind them up and add them in pulverized or something. Terrific sweeteners.)

slathered with almond butter, topped with chopped banana, and loaded with roasted-but-not-salted macadamia nuts, and then sprinkled with cinnamon.

It was so filling that I could only eat one piece of toast with all of that. My other piece was just Earth Balance and cinnamon. You don't need cinnamon sugar, which is something I grew up with. Just recently I started sprinkling straight cinnamon on toast and it's perfect.

On a different note, I was thrilled to bring home sugar-free "dried bing cherries" from TJ's....until this morning when I opened the package and took another look at the ingredients just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating last night when I bought them, because it is SO hard to find dried fruit without sugar. Indeed they are sugar free, but contain sulfur dioxide. What the heck is this stuff, I asked myself. I referred to two different books about additives to see what came up. Not good. Very bad.

From Food Additives, it says, "See sodium bisulfite." Okay. "Sodium bisulfite: destroys vitamin B1; small amounts may cause asthma, anaphylactic shock; dangerous for asthma, allergy sufferers; has causes deaths; banned on fresh fruits and vegetables, except potatoes." Next to the definition were the letters "A" which means, "The additive may cause allergic reactions," and "X" which means, "The additive is unsafe or very poorly tested."

Wikipedia says, "Inhaling sulfur dioxide is associated with increased respiratory symptoms and disease, difficulty in breathing, and premature death." Is that why I coughed when I swallowed a few cherries?

My What's In Your Food book says "Produced by burning sulfur," and the "Potential Effects" are as follows: "Asthma; bronchospasm; bronchoconstriction; hyptension; anaphylaxis, bronchitis; cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, liver and neurotoxicity; destroys vitamins A and B1 in food; animal mutagen." It has a frowny face next to it.

I love TJ's. I feel like I represent many of their health-conscious customers when I say that an ingredient like that is not acceptable.

Sometimes, though, I wonder how I can keep up being pro-active in the food world. I feel like I'm always writing letters to companies, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. However, once I believe there is a problem I feel it's my responsibility to do something about it. You should see the havoc I wreak in my local big box grocery store where they continue to try and sell "Conventional" produce under "Organic" labels..... It's not a pretty sight.

If you are inspired to give TJ's your feedback, here is their contact form. I'm going to personally return the package of cherries with a letter to the manager attached.

Welcome Crazy Sexy Life-ers!

2010-01-14T07:36:00.000-08:00

A warm welcome to those of you new to my blog!

I woke up this morning and was excited to see that CrazySexyLife had posted an article I wrote for them. It's a brief overview of going without sugar...

So now that you're here, (and some of you are working on a New Year's resolution to give up sugar) I've dedicated this post to help you find what you need, quickly.

This Table of Contents should help. (I gathered a few of my favorite posts...):

FAVORITE RECIPES: World's Best Gingersnaps, Mounds Bars, Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Treats, Pear Tart, Nori Roll, Easy Tabouli, and more..... See the list to the right.

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: Random Info, Mayo Clinic, Splenda, Truvia, Sucralose-Splenda, Artificial Sweeteners, Aspartame, Mannitol, Maltitol

HOW TO'S & TIPS: Tips for Sugar Addicts, How To Quit, How To Pass on Dessert, How & Why to Cut Sugar, Get Through the Holidays, Hide Your Twinkies!, Your Kitchen

INTERESTING FACTS: Coca-Cola, A Word on Sweetness, Harvard's Food Pyramid, USDA Food Pyramid, More Pyramid Facts, Definitions, Alcohol, Cereal, Center for Consumer Deceit

MOTIVATIONAL MATERIAL: Don't Eat This Book, List of Books, Sugarettes, Mindless Eating, Sugar Addiction, The End of Overeating, Psychology of Sugar, Video: Sugar & Disease, Video: Sugar Addiction

STORIES: Chocolate Cake, Inspirational, Down with Cool Whip, The Great Debate, Carbs, Honey & The Difficulty of Being Sugar-Free

I hope you've enjoyed this site. I would love to hear from you and what your goals are!

Breakfast Recipes

2010-01-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while when I'm in a panic for a good, sweet recipe, I'll pull this book off the bookshelf: "Get the Sugar Out, 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet". The content of the book is true to the title. It's a great book with pointers and recipes throughout.

Recently, I had a humongous craving for sugar in the morning. I don't get humongous cravings often at all anymore, so I'm not sure why I was hit with one. Anyway, I made my all-time favorite breakfast food: French Toast. I was out of farm fresh eggs so I made my once-favorite vegan recipe for French Toast, which is just as good. While I was throwing the ingredients together, I grabbed my Get the Sugar Out book just to see what hidden breakfast recipes lurked. There are some great ones, one of which I am currently baking in my oven: Peanut Butter Muffins. I halved the recipe, which called for oil, and used oil in one bowl and coconut oil in another. We'll see how these two ingredients compare in this quick and simple recipe.

In the meantime, here is a recipe for my vegan French Toast. I have no idea where I got it....I've been making it for years. I rarely measure, so sorry!

French Toast

Batter:
dairy-free milk
nutritional yeast
pepper
cinnamon (lots)

Soak your sprouted wheat bread (or whatever healthy bread you currently have) in the batter and throw it on your lightly oiled griddle. I cover generously with Earth Balance and then a quick pour of maple syrup. This is how I get my sugar fix. It's so amazing with a mug of hot joe. If you want to use eggs, just add them to this batter.

Here are the recipes from Get the Sugar Out:

Banana French Toast

2 eggs
2 large ripe bananas
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/2 C water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
6 slices spelt bread

Blend the eggs, bananas, whey protein, water, cinnamon, and vanilla in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 pan. Place the bread in the banana mixture and let soak until the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 15 minutes, turning the bread occasionally. Lightly coat a large heavy skillet with olive oil spray; heat over medium heat. Add the bread and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Freezes well. Serves 6.

This next recipe I am going to try tomorrow morning.....I like using leftover ingredients like canned pumpkin (which I used to treat my dog's digestive system) when I don't have enough to make an entire dessert.....

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 egg (or 1 and a half tsps Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed in two tablespoons water)
1 4-ounce jar sweet potato baby food (I'm going to use left-over canned pumpkin.....)
1 and a half tablespoons oil
1/4 C water
3/4 C brown rice flour

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Beat the egg lightly and add sweet potato and oil. Add water to the emptied sweet potato can, shake it a couple of times, and empty its contents into the liquid ingredients to get all the sweet potato. Add brown rice flour and mix again. Drop batter into 2-inch-round pancakes and cook until brown on one side. Flip over, push the pancakes down, and cook until done.

The muffins just finished baking. In the book, they are called Peanut Butter Muffins, but I used almond butter instead of peanut butter. I made two batches, one with canola oil and one with coconut oil.

[Almond Butter] Muffins

2 C whole wheat pastry flour (I used white whole wheat flour from TJ's)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)
1/4 C almond butter (or peanut butter)
1/3 C oil or coconut oil
1/4 C honey or molasses (I used molasses--love the flavor and how it moisturizes any recipe)
1 and a half C rice or almond milk

Stir flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix almond butter, oil, molasses and rice milk in a separate large bowl until smooth. Add dry mixture to liquid mixture and mix with minimal strokes. Do not beat. Fill 12 oiled muffin tins two-thirds full. [Or use baking cups.] Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven 25 minutes or until done. (Mine took 15 minutes).

These renegade muffins jumped out of the tray and tried escaping me, but they got what was coming for them anyway.

These turned out fabulous.

The coconut oil muffins weren't amazing, but they were okay. I forgot how much coconut oil takes over the flavor in a recipe. I could taste the molasses a lot better in the recipe with oil.

Easy Tabouli Recipe

2010-01-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

Tabouli....Mmmmmm. Crunchy, fresh, raw, tart salad that fills. Eat parsley--it's wonderful for your health. Since I quit eating sugar, I coincidentally began making tabouli--lots of it. I'm excited for you to try this easy, delicious, super-healthy recipe.

Easy Tabouli

1 bunch of parsley chopped finely (if I had a food processor, I'd use it)
2 tomatoes cut into small pieces
1 bunch green onions, chopped
juice of 2 fresh-squeezed lemons
olive oil (I don't measure! Just coat the ingredients....1/4-1/2 C., maybe?)
1 cup bulgar
1/4-1/2 tsp. sumac
pinch sea salt
(You can add finely chopped cucumbers, and most recipes call for chopped fresh mint. I don't care for the taste of mint in my tabouli, which is why it is not listed. Experiment!)

Soak one cup bulgar in one cup water for approximately 30-60 minutes. Transfer to bigger bowl and mix in parsley, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with sumac and salt.

Combine well so the olive oil and lemon juice coat all the ingredients.

Enjoy!

One reason I love this recipe so much is that my meat-eating, sugar-consuming, fruit-and-vegetable-negligent-husband happens to love it and devour it. We eat it several times a week.

I learned from a Lebanese friend that you can use sumac in this Middle Eastern salad, although typically sumac is used in recipes like spinach pie... You can find this wonderfully tart ingredient at international grocery stores.

Bulgar is a whole grain packed with protein and iron. It's delicious in all sorts of recipes after soaking in water. Try using it in place of white rice or pasta, or add it to salads of all types.

Parsley is an amazing herb. When I worked at a health food grocery store 10 years ago, I learned a lot about this plant. Though I worked in the vitamin and mineral section of the store, and customers came in looking for a magic pill for all types of maladies, I constantly brought the sick and weary over to the produce and explained the benefits of parsley. One bunch of parsley is so much cheaper, fresher and more natural than a bottle of this or that. Fighting fatigue? Eat parsley. Gassy? Halitosis? High blood pressure? Parsley is indicated for these and many other problems.

According to Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch (excellent comprehensive guide to drug-free remedies) the actions and uses of parsley are as follows:

"Contains a substance that prevents the multiplication of tumor cells. Expels worms, relieves gas, stimulates normal activity of the digestive system, and freshens breath. Helps bladder, kidney, liver, lung, stomach, and thyroid function. Good for bed-wetting, fluid retention, gas, halitosis, high blood pressure, indigestion, kidney disease, obesity, and prostrate disorders. Contains more vitamin C than oranges, by weight."

I don't love the flavor of parsley, in fact it's a little bitter for me, but in Tabouli I could eat bunches and bunches...

Is Sugar Addictive?

2010-01-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

(picture: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/231/471510638_94acf2e71f.jpg)

"IS SUGAR ADDICTIVE?" is the title of Marion Nestle's blog post dated January 7, 2010, on her wonderful, most informative blog, Food Politics.

Either way you flip it, both sides of the coin are extremely interesting here:

Say there is such a thing as sugar addiction (I know most of you reading this believe there is, and that is why you are here). What is going to happen to the multitudes of people with this addiction?! How are food suppliers/manufacturer's/FDA/USDA going to respond, not to mention nutritionists, dietitians, naturopath doctors and M.D.'s? Not only do we have a national eating disorder (preoccupation with food, food used as entertainment, overeating, etc.) but a possible national sugar addiction?

What is at stake? Health, money and politics, in my opinion.

HEALTH: Being addicted to a non-nutritive substance related to diabetes, heart disease, overweight, and other health issues. What are the national and individual implications?
MONEY: The trade-off for food suppliers to supply us with food is to make money. When we buy food at the grocery store we are surrounded by obvious junk foods/beverages but also foods with "hidden" sugars, like salt, pepper, bread, sauce, etc. With every purchase of food we are casting a vote in the system of supply and demand. Though in some cases the supply creates the demand, for the most part suppliers follow demand trends. Because we love our goodies so much and continue to buy them, we are putting money in the pockets of those who are creating the goodies.
POLITICS: Ever heard of the Snack Food Association? (I can't help myself from picking on them). In part, they: "Serve as the voice for the snack food industry before government," among other things.

By chance the book is closed on the issue and it is concluded by experts that there is no such thing as sugar addiction. What do we call it, then, when someone (like myself, back in the days of sugar consumption) obsesses all day about where to get sugar, and then eats it in unnatural proportions to fulfill the "sweet tooth"?

Whether there will ever be a clinical term coined for sugar addiction, there exists a problem. I had it, and I see it, hear about it and read about it every day.

If you have the time, jump over to Food Politics to read the post and the very interesting comments that follow. "Mason" put it best: "So is sugar physically and chemically addictive, or is that dependence purely psychological? I don’t think it matters. Either way, we’re so addicted to our lifestyles and our rabid-overconsumption that arguing the point seems trival. Who cares if the lights don’t work when the plane is crashing?"

Michael Pollan on the Daily Show

2010-01-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Michael Pollan

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

This is a fantastic short interview with Michael Pollan. The basis for the interview is his new book, Food Rules, but he mentions other great information, too.

Here are some highlights, although I recommend watching the clip.

"Americans are getting 20% of their calories from high fructose corn syrup."

"240 pounds of sugar a year....is what we're eating."

"Right now the food industry creates patients for the health care industry."

"[The Farm Bill] subsidizes the least healthy foods at the supermarket."

"Eat food. Avoid edible food-like substances."

(More about the Farm Bill here and here)

Tips for All You Sugar Addicts!

2010-01-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

Hello sugar junkies!

I am one, too. (Once an addict, always an addict.) I have had a plethora of mail recently from many of you who are challenging yourselves to be sugar-free in 2010. I hope to inspire those resolutions and offer helpful tips. I have successfully been off of sugar for two years now, and realize that it is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. Looking back, if someone told me I would be staying off of sugar this long I would have keeled over laughing. Seriously, I had a major problem. I could not get enough of it. Being sick to my stomach was basically how I felt most of the time in an effort to quell the almighty sweet tooth. Although I desperately wanted to boot out sugar in my life, I had no idea if it was possible for someone like me or what it would look like in reality. Was I going to become a weird hippie or get totally obsessive? (I love hippies)

At first I did get obsessive. Sugar was all I talked about. I bored my poor friends and family to death with all kinds of details about sugar and sugar alternatives. Many people still happily indulging in sugar just don't care.

Now that the holidaze fog has cleared and it's back to the swing of things, I thought I would re-write some pointers for how to stay strong and keep sugar at bay. Keep in mind we are up against the well-oiled sugar machine. Everywhere you look we are being bombarded with ads for junk food or the actual junk food itself. You can't stand in line anywhere (health food stores included) without being surrounded by chocolate and other sugar-laden goodies. I have noticed that even at non-food stores the registers are surrounded by a sea of candy as if to appeal to our spontaneous senses. It's a sugary freak show out there. I can't believe how much sugar is everywhere. Even though our country is faced with an obesity epidemic, heart disease as the number one killer, a national eating disorder and a growing number of children with diabetes, you can find sugar anywhere. Yet try and find a piece of fruit when you want it!

Despite all the efforts out there to appeal to our sweet teeth, we can rise above the mixed messages and eat healthy.

It's not that difficult when you make a few things habit:

Keep healthy snacks with you AT ALL TIMES. Being broadsided by hunger pains and a sweet tooth can lead you into temptation unless you planned ahead. Take a moment to sit somewhere and enjoy the flavors of that apple or those juicy green grapes. Enjoy each of the different flavors in your little bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit.

If you forgot your healthy goodies and are hijacked by a craving, run to the nearest available water source, preferably where you can add lemon. After a glass of water you will probably get your senses back. Sip some hot tea with honey if you have to.

When you do your grocery shopping, Do not give yourself a limit buying healthy foods. Buy a variety of healthy foods that you know you will go to when you have a craving. Keep your pantry, fridge and freezer full of these items.

Some of you will need to empty out your kitchen of all sugary goods. Personally, I don't have a problem seeing my husband's sugary goodies around. I fear that if I remove all his sugary goodies, when I am around sweet treats I will just lose all control. I like to know that I have control even when I'm alone. Whatever works for you.

Decide right now what your exact goals are. To give up all refined sugar? To give up natural sweeteners, too? Know whether or not you will eat artificial sweeteners because you will find a lot of sugar-free goodies and beverages out there, full of chemicals otherwise known as: Splenda, aspartame, maltitol, saccharin, etc. Many of these sugar alternatives have dubious beginnings and unknown futures based on lack long-term human trials. And take it from me, even though ingredients like maltitol seem like a benign sugar alcohol, it can really wreak havoc on your system.

You will have cravings. Prepare ahead of time for these and know that you can get through it. Have new, flavorful teas ready to try with a drop of honey, fruit pre-washed and prepared, healthy gum to chew on, baked goods sweetened naturally, etc. The craving will pass and you will be stronger each time you don't run to sugar.

Offer to bring an appetizer, main dish or dessert to gatherings. Make them sugar-free, of course, and have fun experimenting with different recipes.

Explore the giant blog-o-sphere and read what other people are doing. This has been incredibly inspiring for me. There are so many people revamping their diets and eating healthier and posting recipes.

What else do you think it takes to be free of the white stuff? What do you do to help with cravings?

2009 in Pictures

2010-01-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010!

There were big changes in my life in 2009 including moving from my beloved west coast to experience the fervor of the east coast. I am still sugar-free and will be posting a re-cap soon, on helpful hints for making sugar-free a reality.

Here are a few pictures taken in 2009 since my move to the D.C. area:

Views from my 6th floor balcony.

We were welcomed to the area by some of the most beautiful lightning I've ever seen.

I love that there are farmer's markets everywhere, but I have rarely found the produce to be organic....

I spend a lot of time at the zoo here. It's free and amazing. There are beautiful jellyfish at the DC zoo, but the one above lives at the Baltimore Aquarium.

My first loaf of perfect, yeasty artisan bread!

Delicious dark chocolate, moist raspberry cupcakes. You can't eat just one.

I tried to give up coffee a few times throughout the year but always go back to it. It is really my only vice. I found a locally roasted coffee in Old Town called Misha's. I can't live without it.

At a thrift store in Old Town I found an old cane sugar brochure. I love the first line: "The food value of sugar is surprisingly high." And the last lines: "The high dietary value of sugar is universally recognized by scientists and physicians. It is vitally necessary for you to have a goodly amount of sugar in your diet--and important medical authorities tell us that for health and enjoyment there is no substitute for sugar." 50 years from now I wonder what we will think of some of the foods we are eating now.

I spied this great little piece of art as part of an art collage in the tunnel connecting the Library of Congress to the Capitol.

At the theater, Jeff ordered a small soda and it came in this size. I was and am still shocked.

One of my favorite outings here is the Eastern Market. You never know what artsy item you will find or interesting vendor you will meet.

I discovered a scary supermarket that dedicates five aisles to sodas and other sugary drinks, not including juices.

At a health food store I discovered bathroom tissue made from sugar cane fiber. I tried it and would not recommend it to my worst enemy, if you know what I mean.

My brother invited us on a trip to Charlottesville for a show, but we end up spending just as much time in a toy store, beforehand.

Once a year the Kennedy Center has an open house arts festival. Street performers from all over the world come to put on shows. I was quite taken by this guy.

Our year ends in a blistery cold storm that produced two feet of snow.

I haven't had this much fun in city snow since Portland's big snow storm in 2004.

Refined Sugar: A Scary Discovery

2009-12-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought all your herbs and spices were free of hidden sugars, look again.

I'm livid. I just found sugar where I never would have dreamed it would be: in pepper. Garlic pepper, to be exact. My husband buys our spices and experiments with them nightly. Our homemade pasta sauces are spicy and exquisite. Garlic pepper just happens to be one of the organic, high quality spices he brought home months ago. I've been using it regularly on my homemade sweet potato fries. I learned a long time ago to check the ingredients of salt, but it never occurred to me to look at the ingredients of pepper.

Last night I doctored up my batch of sweet potato fries with garlic pepper and noticed strange clumps of pepper. I wondered if this "fresh" brand of garlic pepper goes bad quickly. Then I noticed a tiny dried, green herb that I had not noticed before. That was a surprise. I had never looked closely at the bottle of garlic pepper before, but when I did I noticed a lot of the dried green herb. Funny, the bottle was just labled, "Garlic Pepper". When I examined the bottle for an ingredients list, I discovered this:

Ingredients: organic garlic, spices (organic black pepper and organic parsley), sea salt, organic onion, organic cane sugar, silicon dioxide (an anti-caking agent).

The product brand is called "Simply Organic" and the company is one of my favorite organic spice suppliers, Frontier. This company supplies many health food stores with their supply of bulk herbs and spices.

As has happened before over the last two years, my heart sank. Not only have I been eating it, it is a sad reminder that nothing is exempt from the possibility of having sugar added to it. Now when Jeff and I look for spices, we will have to bring a magnifying glass to read the tiny ingredients on each bottle.

Not only is this a tedious task (reading the labels on every grocery purchase can literally take hours) but this indicates a scary trend. It seems like every company recognizes the "value" of adding sugar to its products--it will taste better than its competitor's product. Organic, "high quality", expensive brands are apparently not exempt from lowering their standards to include sugar. If someone wants to add a sweetener to their food, it should be their choice. We should not have to strain our eyes for hidden sugars where they might be sneaked in.

Marketing 101

2009-12-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

My husband walks through a mall to catch the subway to work and yesterday he paused to take a photograph for me:

I feel like plastering current obesity and heart disease statistics all over this sign....

(Oh, and these are no ordinary pretzels. Most of them are covered in butter and cinnamon sugar, gooey pizza toppings, etc.)

Are You Reading Packaged Food Labels?

2009-12-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

This girl is!

If it won't play for you, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlLZO2w9xLA

Why You Should Eat Candy

2009-12-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

"A cup of candy corn has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.

Some candies, such as lollipops, candy canes, gummi bears, gum drops, licorice twists and sour balls do not contain fat or cholesterol. What's more, many of these candies are relatively low in calories."

"Want more specific help on how candy can fit into your lifestyle?"

These are exact words from the National Confectioners Association (NCA) website. I am deeply moved that someone cares enough about my sweet tooth to offer help on how to fit candy back into my life. It's exactly what I need.

After reading and scrutinizing the links and information on the NCA website, I decided to share with all of you:

Click here for the Science and Nutrition web page (This page has pictures of vegetables and candy. How nice.)

Click here for the Health Professionals web page

For a really hilarious read, go the the Food Insight web page and click on "The Truth About Sugars" PDF. I found this link through the NCA website.

It absolutely blows my mind that the sugar people are getting away with trying to make a real case for sugar. That they say sugar is not linked to obesity, heart disease or cavities is truly the icing on the cake.

One last thing.....apparently candy is not associated with ill health. Oh goody gumdrops!
"New Study Finds Candy Consumption Not Associated with Negative Health Outcomes As part of a balanced diet and active lifestyle, moderate amounts of candy and confections provide enjoyment." Read more, sweet things!

Moderate Sweets: Research Finds Sugar Guilty of Drug-Like Activity

2009-12-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Since it's the holiday season and candy, sweets and junk food are everywhere, I thought I would share the article below with you in hopes of inspiring moderation and caution. Although many people give up their diets this time of year because apparently it's the one time of year that group binging is socially acceptable, I would encourage you to stay on track! It is possible with a little planning and foresight. Visit an old post of mine from exactly one year ago on some tips for how to have holiday willpower. Looking back on it, it's pretty hilarious.

Thanks to Stop Being Sweet, I read an article in Psychology Today that presents new disturbing findings about sugar. Disturbing, yes, but not necessarily totally new information to those of us who are familiar with the affects of sugar and junk food on our brains, bodies and desires. Of course the more sugar I eat, the more sugar I need. Of course if I have cake for breakfast I'm going to want sweets the rest of the day. Of course I can justify sweets and junk foods because of their ability to comfort......

But here is the hard evidence:

"Bit by bit, experimenters, along with their sacrificial mice and rats, have built up a strong case for equating the effects of gorging on sweet, fatty fare with the effects of hard drugs.

In controlled experiments, the animals that binged on fast foods like Ho-Hos and sausages:

(1) wanted more and more (showing habituation)
(2) needed more and more to feel "normal" levels of pleasure (showing acclimatization)
(3) held out for the hard stuff, refusing nutritionally balanced rat chow even if hungry (showing distorted priorities)
(4) kept gorging on treats while receiving electric shocks to their naked little feet (showing the self-destructive over-motivation drug addicts experience)
(5) took a long time to recover their dietary equilibrium, some never making it all the way back (indicating that their neural networks -- like hard-drug addicts' -- had been radically rewired).

If loading up on sweet, rich food was merely addictive, we'd be fine, but, alas, excessive sugar intake also facilitates the onset of Alzheimer's, diabetes and not only heart-taxing weight-gain itself but, especially when combined with fat, the metabolic propensity to pack on extra pounds.

(I find this next piece most fascinating:)

Jeffrey I Gordon, M.D. director of the Center for Genome Sciences at Washington University recently recreated a human environment in the guts of "clean" (germ-free) mice, and found that switching half the mice from a plant-based diet to a fat-and-sweet "Western" one changed the animals' intestinal flora within days. Mice with the changed intestinal mix gained weight faster, even back on a low-fat diet."

The Psychology Today article is laced with references and research published in peer-reviewed journals. There are several links throughout the article, which if you have the time, take a look. They are very interesting.

Click here: (Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake) for a fascinating article with more information about sugar addiction.

According to the research, "gorging" and "excessive" intakes of sugar are the problem. I don't think too many people are concerned with a few grams of sugar here and there--but who eats this little sugar? I wish I could eat tiny amounts of sugar in moderation so I could enjoy a dark chocolate bar or a bite of ice cream but I guess I am much like a rat or a mouse. A little leads to a lot, and the craving for more.

Agave Nectar: The Verdict......Is Still Out

2009-12-07T12:47:00.001-08:00

(picture courtesy of blueagavenectar.com)

I've been avoiding researching and writing about agave nectar.

Why? Well, one reason is because it seems increasingly difficult to find solid, unbiased research.

Following is some information I've gathered about agave nectar with sources included. If you have verifiable information about this sweetener, please forward it to me. Perhaps this will be an on-going blog-community effort.

WHAT IT IS: Agave nectar (also called agave syrup) is a sweetener commercially produced in Mexico from several species of agave, including the Blue Agave (Agave tequilana), Salmiana Agave (Agave salmiana), Green Agave, Grey Agave, Thorny Agave, and Rainbow Agave.

Agave nectar consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source gives 92% fructose and 8% glucose; another gives 56% fructose and 20% glucose. These differences presumably reflect variation from one vendor of agave nectar to another. Due to its fructose content and the fact that the glycemic index only measures glucose levels, agave nectar is notable in that its glycemic index and glycemic load are lower than many other natural sweeteners on the market. 1

HOW IT IS PRODUCED: To produce agave nectar, juice is expressed from the core of the agave, called the piña. The juice is filtered, then heated, to hydrolyze carbohydrates into sugars. The main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose called inulin or fructosan. The filtered, hydrolyzed juice is concentrated to a syrup-like liquid a little thinner than honey and ranges in color from light to dark depending on the degree of processing. The syrup naturally contains quantities of iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium, which contribute to the resulting color. 2

GLYCEMIC INDEX/LOAD: The glycemic index categorizes agave nectar between 11-19, and the glycemic load between 1-2. 3

DR. WEIL ON AGAVE NECTAR: Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that ranks relatively low on the glycemic load scale. It is sold in health food stores and online and has been growing in popularity in recent years. Although it provides as many calories as sucrose (table sugar), it is sweeter, so you can use less of it - say one-quarter of a cup to substitute for one cup of sugar in recipes. I like the taste of agave nectar and have started using it in my kitchen, as well as trying products that contain it.

A 2006 review of the scientific literature on agave published in HerbClip™, on the Web site of the American Botanical Council, concluded that it is safe to use agave in the amounts usually found in foods and beverages, but the reviewers cautioned that pregnant women should avoid it because some species (more than 200 have been identified) contain anordin and dinordin, steroids with contraceptive effects that could lead to miscarriage. I think this is a very low risk. I am more concerned about the sustainability of agave as a food source, because demand may soon exceed supply. 4

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:

Recipe with agave: PCRM.org is a wonderful organization committed to nutrition, education and responsible medicine. President of PCRM and medical doctor, Dr. Neal Barnard, published Program for Reversing Diabetes that includes a recipe containing agave nectar. 5

Metabolizing Fructose: It seems like a recurring health-related issue with agave is its high levels of fructose. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states: "Most of the metabolic effects of fructose are due to its rapid utilization by the liver and it by-passing the phosphofructokinase regulatory step in glycolysis, leading to far reaching consequences to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism." Click on the link to AJCN below for more information. 6

Diabetic-Related Information Regarding Agave: Glycemic Research Institute stated that clinical trials were stopped due to severe side effects in diabetics. 7

Wall Street Journal Information about Agave: Very vague information about agave, but includes the organization that issued the warning about agave. 8

Sources:
1, 2: Wikipedia
3: The Glycemic Index
4: Dr. Weil
5: PCRM
6: Am J Clin Nutr.
7: Glycemic Research Institute
8: WSJ

White Whole Wheat Agave Sweetened Sugar Cookies

2009-12-07T08:35:00.001-08:00

I tampered with Nourishing Apron's sugar cookie recipe. I was out of white flour and I tried agave instead of honey.

I also substituted vanilla extract for almond extract. Basically, I completely changed the sugar cookie recipe and used different ingredients except butter. I didn't measure, which I realized I should have so I could share those amounts with you, however, they were fairly close to the amounts used in Nourishing Apron's recipe.

Here is an estimate of what I used:
One and a half cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cold, salted, organic butter
1+ tsp vanilla extract (I rarely measure--I just pour)
1/4 cup agave

I combined the butter and flour first, then slowly added the agave and vanilla. It is a pretty hard dough after you refrigerate it, which makes it nice and easy to roll out later.

I don't have a food processor, which probably would have made combining the cold butter and flour much easier. I used a hand held mixer at first but ultimately a fork to combine the butter and flour, much like you would do for pie crust. Slowly adding the agave helped combine the last remaining stubborn pieces of butter with the flour for a nice, thick dough.

After a few hours of refrigeration (or days in my case) roll out and use a cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes at 300 degrees F.

If you try these and use different amounts or ingredients, let me know!

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a problem with this cookie dough. It is out of this world delicious. It is so sweet and chewy and moist with just the right amount of vanilla.....It is the ultimate comfort food. Not hard to believe when you think about it: butter and sweetly aromatic, with flour for fill, for that intoxicating fragrance and heavenly sensory experience.

Cookie dough has always been my favorite sweet snack. With the little dough I had leftover after days of snacking, I was able to make a small tray of cookies. They were delicious, too, but didn't even make it beyond the day they came out of the oven. I have to admit that even though I used a white sugar substitute, (agave) my problem with eating too much of something good still exists. I have to work on my moderation skills before I dare make these again.

Enjoy!

One of my readers, Shanti, baked Nourishing Apron's cookies and they look beautiful. She sent me this picture:

(Shanti says no, the sprinkles are not sugar-free! Dang!)

Cut Out Sugar With These Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!

2009-11-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

I love cookies, don't you? Just saying the word cookie makes me happy.

Buttery, rich and chewy describe these insanely delectable cut-outs. I find them fascinating because they are truly sweet and have an excellent texture but only four ingredients.

I posted a similar recipe a long time ago, but now seems like the perfect time of year to share this recipe again. Krista uses a little almond extract in this recipe, and it's also delicious with a dollop of jam on top or a few sliced almonds. Feel free to experiment with different flavored extracts: vanilla, lemon, cinnamon, etc.

It's simple: flour, butter, extract and honey.

I will be trying it with my new favorite flour, white whole wheat flour, and we'll see how it turns out. It seems like the only modification you need when using this flour as a substitute to white flour, is to increase liquids by a little bit. For me, this means honey of course.

Visit Nourishing Apron's blog for more mouth-watering, no refined sugar recipes.

(I "borrowed" the sugar cookie picture until I have one of my own. This one contains sugar but looks similar to the sugar-free cookie.)

Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

2009-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

I hope this finds you warm and well.

I thought I would put together a consortium of blogs, recipes and ideas for the upcoming day of feasting--now only two days away. Thanksgiving has always been exciting in my family because of the foods, desserts and ultimate relaxation. I have to admit that this year, though, I am doing something quite non-traditional--homemade pizza--but for the masses seeking ideas for a more traditional Thanksgiving fare, I hope you can use something here:

The Nourishing Apron offers a sugar-free pumpkin bread recipe using honey, maple syrup and orange juice concentrate to sweeten with.

Treat yourself to a delectable, dessert-like cranberry salad, brought to you by the Nourishing Gourmet.

The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen couple have several Thanksgiving recipes, beginning with the Butternut Squash & Bean Casserole with Sage and Shallots. Scroll down for a nice list of T-Day recipes, including desserts.

Over at the Spunky Coconut you will find a mouth-watering recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake, made with white beans! What I like about this particular post is that all her Thanksgiving recipes are gluten-free, caesin-free and sugar-free.

Still not enough ideas? Over at Diet, Dessert and Dogs, Ricki has provided quite an exhausting list of recipe ideas that look incredible.

For the morning after, try this applesauce-inspired French toast recipe with maple syrup or sauteed apples.

Whatever you do, I hope it turns out wonderful. One little piece of advice in case a cooking experiment goes awry, is always have a nice box of tea and jar of honey ready to give your host if all else fails. When it comes time for dessert, there will then be something sugar-free for you to have.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Fascinating Blog: Crazy Sexy Life

2009-11-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

I have just stumbled upon an incredible blog called Crazy Sexy Life. It appeared with a list of other blogs mentioning "refined sugar" in my Google alerts. Just when I thought the fog and gray sky were going to get the best of me today, I happened upon this great find.

Today's article focuses on inflammation; what it is, diseases it's linked to, and an "Anti-Inflammatory Plan" to help you get started. One of the steps to reducing inflammation is giving sugar the boot, of course. "Reduce or eliminate refined sugars and carbohydrates. Refined sugar disrupts immune and digestive function, which contributes to inflammation."

I'd also like to note that the "blog posse" is totally worth reading. These are the contributors, with short, very interesting bios on each person. This is a fascinating, well-rounded blog worth your time.

Trader Joe's: A Great Source for Sugar-Free

2009-11-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

During my latest trip to Trader Joe's, I had an epiphany. I hadn't realized it until then, but most of my sugar-free foods come from this wonderful grocery store. It's a million times less expensive than Whole Foods, and it's easier to find what I'm looking for as long as it's not a total zoo (hint: early morning is least crowded.)

Not to pick on other grocery stores, but TJ's seems to really know and care who their customers are--not who they imagine them to be.

Here are some examples of sugar-free groceries I've been able to get at TJ's over the last few years: crackers, chips, bread, muffins, cereal, salad dressings and other sauces, marinara sauce, pasta, peanut butters, etc. (Albeit, you must check labels.) I've been able to get more sugarless foods here than most any other health food store (which seem to think that if their sugar is organic, it's okay). TJ's has a plethora of natural sweeteners, also: 100% fruit juices, a great selection of honeys, dried fruit (you must check these labels), molasses, etc. Their organic selection has grown considerably, also, since I first began shopping here years ago. Within the last year or so I noticed they also started carrying sprouted wheat bread, in their bakery section, fresh.

I was able to buy a box of Barbara's cereal for about $3.50 at TJ's....at WF a box half the size was over $4 if I'm remembering correctly. TJ's also has an interesting variety of non-dairy milks. There are several with no added sugars, organic and cheap. Also, TJ's is where I first discovered white whole wheat flour, and cheap. This flour is great in baking and more wholesome than white flour. I found packages of organic tempeh for $1.50, which go for over $3 at most health food stores. To really treat my sweet tooth, I load up on dried fruit leathers and keep my pantry stocked. They are delicious and just fruit!

Not to mention the fabulous wine selection, decadent foreign chocolates for my husband and guests (don't get the sugar-free versions.....maltitol!) and even affordable dog treats. (I should be making my own...)

I'm probably leaving out plenty of other groceries, but I just wanted to emphasize that TJ's has quite an impressive selection, somehow tucked in their little stores, and very affordable.

Tofu In Cookies?

2009-11-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

I've had a 1982 Tofu Cookbook for probably 10 years and have never used it until today.

I have no idea why one would use tofu in cookies, but I thought I'd see what it was all about. I thought I would bring this strange goody to a potluck tonight. As it turns out, the recipe is completely vegan and I turned it into sugar-free.

I had to delete the entire recipe after the first batch came out of the oven. These are not potluck-worthy. Shoot! I wonder if by substituting white whole wheat flour for regular flour they got heavier? They are okay, but really not very sweet and kind of cakey and dry. If anything, by substituting honey for sugar, I expected them to be quite moist.

I enjoy using organic tofu once in a while, but I'm going to use it as a main ingredient for now on, not a cookie ingredient.

If you are interested in an 80's tofu cookbook, this one seems to have some pretty interesting recipes, many of which I would like to try sometime. I just wouldn't recommend tofu cookies.

(I would love it if someone out there proved me wrong and provided a delicious tofu cookie recipe!)

Cookbook: Tofu Cookery, by Louise Hagler

Center For Consumer Deceit

2009-11-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

What do you think of when you read the following title: Center for Consumer Freedom?

I was sitting at a restaurant the other day and an interesting commercial came on the big, annoying screen above the bar. Click here for the link to the commercial. It was another silly skit defending high fructose corn syrup. First of all, I could care less whether HFCS is exactly the same or different from white table sugar! Does that in any way excuse it from wreaking havoc on our health? Ironically, the only thing the corn people can say about their beloved HFCS is that it's the same as sugar--as if that solves the problem. The problem is that it exists in the first place, is needlessly but highly prevalent in foods and beverages and is linked to obesity. But I am getting off subject.

As I watched the commercial, I noticed this in the lower part of the screen: PAID FOR BY THE CENTER FOR CONSUMER FREEDOM. I thought to myself, Hm. That sounds legitimate. Perhaps we are blowing this HFCS-thing out of proportion?

The next thing I know, Jeff is busy Googling the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) on his iPhone. Annoying!

But I'm glad he did, because he shared with me what this Center is all about, and we laughed like little kids. What an appealing, creative, deceitful title. What a load of @!!#.

After looking at their website, I have to say that I probably disagree with EVERYTHING they say. It's not that surprising when you learn that the Center is supported by over 100 companies, including "the restaurant industry, food companies and individual donors. The forerunner to the CCF was the Guest Choice Network, which was organized in 1995 by Richard Berman, executive director of the public affairs firm Berman and Company, with $600,000 from the Philip Morris tobacco company, 'to unite the restaurant and hospitality industries in a campaign to defend their consumers and marketing programs against attacks from anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-meat, etc. activists ...'"

Do you know what a "front group" is? It's an "organization that purports to represent one agenda while in reality it serves some other party or interest whose sponsorship is hidden or rarely mentioned. The front group is perhaps the most easily recognized use of the third party technique."

Beware of the CCF: "For example, Rick Berman's Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) claims that its mission is to defend the rights of consumers to choose to eat, drink and smoke as they please. In reality, CCF is a front group for the tobacco, restaurant and alcoholic beverage industries, which provide all or most of its funding." (sourcewatch.org)

Go to the CCF website and see for yourself all the incredible health and wellness groups and activites they speak against! They attack preventative medicine, treating animals with respect, organic food, eating healthy and more. I went to their "About Us" section and almost choked on my tongue.

Here are some snippets:

"Consumer freedom is the right of adults and parents to choose how they live their lives, what they eat and drink, how they manage their finances, and how they enjoy themselves.

Unfortunately, Americans have been force-fed a diet of bloated statistics hyping the problem of obesity. Those statistics have been used by Big Brother government bureaucrats and greedy trial lawyers to justify a host of noxious "solutions," like extra taxes on certain foods and lawsuits against anyone who grows, makes, or serves anything tasty.

A growing cabal of activists has meddled in Americans’ lives in recent years. They include self-anointed "food police," health campaigners, trial lawyers, personal-finance do-gooders, animal-rights misanthropes, and meddling bureaucrats."

Down with those who campaign for health! Darned those crazy food police and do-gooders! Can you imagine the nerve of CCF saying these things?! Who could possibly be their audience, besides each other?

The name of their HFCS commercial is "sweetscam.com". The real scam is that when people see the commercial, they may make the same mistake I did, but without investigating who the Center for Consumer Freedom really is--a front group who wants us to throw away our money and health on their food.

Outrageous Physicians' Alliance With Coca-Cola

2009-11-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'm livid.

Imagine running an animal rights organization, and having slaughterhouses fund your research. Seriously, that would be absurd.

"But wait, if they are offering money for research, why not take it?"

It seems like some of the worst decisions ever made are because of money. But in this case (see below), I can't help but wonder if there is more on the line.

Advice about soft drinks and health from one of the nation's largest doctors groups will soon be brought to you by Coke.

This is not a joke. Read on:

"The American Academy of Family Physicians has a new six-figure alliance with the Coca-Cola Co.

Academy CEO Dr. Douglas Henley said Wednesday that the deal won't influence the group's public health messages, and that the company will have no control over editorial content. He said the new online information will include research linking soft drinks with obesity and will focus on sugar-free alternatives.

But critics say the Coke deal will water down the advice.

'Coca-Cola, like other sodas, causes enormous suffering and premature death by increasing the risks of obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, gout, and cavities,' Harvard University nutrition expert Dr. Walter Willett said in an e-mail.

He said the academy 'should be a loud critic of these products and practices, but by signing with Coke their voice has almost surely been muzzled.'

Dr. William Walker, public health officer for Contra Costa County near San Francisco, likened the alliance with ads decades ago in which physicians said mild cigarettes are safe,

Walker has been a member of the academy for 25 years but quit last week. He said 20 other doctors who work with his local medical practice also quit because of the Coke deal."

I discovered this disappointing information in several articles, the original source being the Associated Press. The above quote was found in the Topeka Capital-Journal online.

(However, the most thorough article I've found is Huffington Post. Posted after my initial post!)

I had to check out the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). AAFP website

The AAFP claims to represent "more than 94,600 physicians and medical students nationwide." Does this mean Coca-Cola Co. just hired 94,600 physicians and medical students?

I will repeat the words of world-renowned researcher, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard's School of Public Health, Dr. Walter Willett, "Coca-Cola, like other sodas, causes enormous suffering and premature death by increasing the risks of obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, gout, and cavities."

By Coke's dangerous nature and the fact that it provides us with nothing but health risks, these physicians have no business making alliances with Coca-Cola. These physicians are the very people who have the science to know better. What new information about Coke could we possibly benefit from? It's never going to be a product with nutrients we need.

Contact Information for AAFP

Contact Information for Coca-Cola Co.

Artisan Bread - Two For One

2009-10-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

I experimented again.

This time, I split the giant mound No-Knead Artisan bread dough in two. To one I added cinnamon and raisins, and to the other I didn't do anything different. Except bake each one in a smaller ceramic pot.

They both turned out perfect, and when I want something a little more sweet, I go for the cinnamon bread, although it's not really sweeter, but I associate cinnamon with sweet so it seems sweeter.

These handy little loaves make perfect gifts, wrapped in a piece of material and tied with string, or just to put out when friends are over.

It would be just as easy to add olives or rosemary or pepper to the loaves, as well. The only thing I would do differently next time is to add these ingredients to the dough before it rises.

The Best Date Cinnamon Rolls - Whole Wheat and Sugar-Free

2009-10-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

**These cinnamon rolls are my favorite of all the sugarless baked goodies I've been making over the past almost 2 years. They are incredibly sweet and perfect.**

As I write this, a sweet fragrance lingers in my kitchen and has visited me in my living room work space. It is the smell of pineapple juice, which my dates have been cooked in and soaking in for the past few hours. Today is a perfect day to make cinnamon rolls. It is rainy and foggy--my usual view of the Capitol is covered in layers of beautiful fog. The leaves are the only colorful thing I see out my window--reds, oranges, yellow and still a lot of green.

I was given this recipe for date cinnamon rolls a while back but have waited for that perfect chunk of time to dawdle in my kitchen, listen to music and leisurely play with yeast dough. As usual, I have tampered with the recipe quite a bit, to try and make my existing ingredients work instead of having to go out to buy new. The original recipe also called for refined sugar and larger amounts of ingredients than I needed to use. I substituted pineapple juice for apple juice and the smell is amazing. As I was taking the pits out of my dates, I looked at the nutritional value and thought it was interesting:

Date Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 5-6 dates
Calories 120
Potassium 240 mg
Total Carb. 31 g (10% daily recommended value)
Fiber 3 g (14% daily recommended value)
Sugars 29 g
Protein 1 g
Calcium 2% daily recommended value
Iron 2% daily recommended value

Here is my recipe:

Date Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1/2 C. pineapple juice
2 packets active dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs, beaten
3 C. white whole wheat flour
1/2 C. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsps. cinnamon

Filling:
1 C. pitted dates
2 C. pineapple juice
1 C. raisins
2/3 C. chopped walnuts/pecans

Icing:
1/2 C. sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Step 1: Warm pineapple juice in a small pan. Transfer to large mixing bowl and add one packet of yeast and honey. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes. Add eggs and enough flour to form a thin batter (about 1 cup). Beat until smooth. Clean down sides of bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 30 minutes. In another bowl, add yeast packet, 1 tablespoon flour and about 1/8 C. tepid water. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes.

Step 2: While dough is rising, make filling. Place dates in small pan and cover with pineapple juice. Heat to a simmer, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 20-30 minutes. Let cool. Puree in blender and set aside.

Step 3: Place raisins in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soaking them will plump them.

Step 4: Return to dough. Add small bowl of dough to large. Beat in butter, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Begin adding flour to yeast mixture. When it is too hard to stir, place on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean and oil bowl. Place dough in it, cover with plastic wrap, then a towel, and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough into a rectangle. Spread half the date puree, strained raisins and nuts on the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up from the side like a jelly roll. Cut into 1-inch slices and place cut-side-up on an oiled cookie sheet or in muffin tins. Repeat with other half of the ingredients. Bake for 15 minutes.

While rolls are baking, place all ingredients for icing in small bowl and whisk together well. When rolls have baked 15 minutes, spoon some of the icing on top of each roll and bake another 10-15 minutes.

ENJOY!

Funny, I forgot to puree the dates, but it didn't really seem to matter at all. I don't think it's necessary now that I've forgotten, especially since this would save one messy step. I also forgot to sprinkle cinnamon on the dough before rolling them up, but it didn't thwart things at all. I didn't realize I missed this step until I began to type out the recipe.

I froze half the batch, so I'll see how those turn out when I have guests over or I can't wait any longer for more for myself. I've had three for lunch today with lots of added icing. They are absolutely heavenly. I can't wait to try them out with my morning mug of joe tomorrow.

-Original recipe courtesy of: www.feedingfamily.com

Artisan No-Knead Bread

2009-10-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

'Tis the cool, yet snuggly time of year to be baking and experimenting.

I found an incredible bread recipe that I had torn out of an old newspaper.....months ago? Years ago? I can't remember, but as I looked over the recipe and the pictures, I decided to try it out. Although I really enjoy kneading dough, I was curious what it would be like to make a yeast bread that required no kneading. Would it be less intimidating?

One of the main things that caught my eye with this recipe is that it calls for yeast but does not call for sugar. The only reason, I believe, that sugar was ever added to bread recipes is that it causes bread to rise faster. Anyway, although yeast digests sugars until they are transformed into carbon dioxide and ethanol, and I will eat yeast breads and drink beer, I still can't use sugar in my own baking.

Although this recipe calls for white flour, I tried it with half white flour and half white whole wheat flour. It turned out amazing. Since then, I've made it entirely with white whole wheat. It was dense but still incredibly chewy inside with a perfectly hard crust. I've learned the secret to chewy inside-crusty outside is baking in a cast iron or ceramic pot with the lid on and then with the lid off for the last 15 minutes or so.

Although to make this bread you will have to plan about 24 hours ahead of time, it's worth the time logistics. It sits by itself for the first 18 hours, anyway.

Artisan No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour OR one and 1/2 C. all-purpose flour and one and 1/2 C. white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast (use RapidRise yeast)
2 1/2 tsp. salt (less if you use sea salt)
One and a half cups plus 2 tablespoons tepid water
*cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and very sticky.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 hours, at warm room temperature. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured work surface; sprinkle dough with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously dust a cotton (not terry cloth) kitchen towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.

Cover with another kitchen towel and let rise for 2 to 3 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least 30 minutes before dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, or ceramic; anywhere from 3 and a half quarts to 6 or 8 quarts) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that's OK. shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is nicely browned. Cool on rack.

Enjoy! Great with many different fixings: butter, hummus, fig jam, as bruschetta, toast, honey etc., or by itself.
(-Courtesy of The Oregonian printing the Sullivan Street Bakery recipe, New York City)

Maltitol and My Big Mistake

2009-10-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

The cookie aisle worked its magic on me a few months back, and I'm only now able to write about the experience. It's embarrassing.

I happened to be craving something sweet. Something familiar. Something that would take me back to my carefree days of youth. I found myself face to face with wafer cookies. The rectangular shaped, flaky cookies filled with cream that just melt in your mouth instantly. They are like chips in that you can never eat just one. I wanted to abandon myself to that feeling of eating sweets carelessly so I made the first mistake of pausing in the cookie aisle.....all the while knowing EXACTLY what I was doing.....what I was going to do. I knew I would walk out the door with a package of sugar-free cookies. In the moment of tension and temptation, I gave myself over to my instincts: The sweeter, the better--take advantage of the now.

I picked up dozens of packages of "sugar-free" cookies, knowing exactly what I would be facing: artificial ingredients and a world of guilt for eating them. I decided on a package of vanilla wafer cookies. On the front of the package "Splenda" greeted my eyes, printed in royal blue font. I was suspicious because Splenda wasn't the only artificial ingredient in the cookies. I didn't care. I wanted to get home and devour. I had not abandoned myself to anything like this in a very long time. I was ready to sit down on the couch and throw down. I decided this was an excellent idea because I could still be sugar-free. I was not happy to be ingesting artificial ingredients, but I would deal with that guilt later. There was something about that week, that day, that moment that ultimately led me to let myself eat this crap. I still can't pinpoint what it was, but it will never happen again--here's why:

Even though I read the ingredients and wasn't happy about eating maltitol and Splenda, I needed these cookies. So, okay, a few won't hurt. After all, the asterisk next to "maltitol*" told me only that "Excessive consumption may have a laxative effect." Easy! I did not need to consume an excessive amount...just three light little wafers.

I got sick. Bubbles formed and pressure and instense stabbing pains dominated my abdomen. The next morning after I felt better, I decided that three must be excessive, so I decided to have two. That must be excessive also, because the pains from the night before were re-created so I threw out the rest of the cookies.

What in the world does "excessive" mean? It happens to be a subjective term, deemed appropriate for food manufacturer's to use on their labels as a justification for putting a terrible ingredient in our food supply. The dictionary's definition of excessive is: "exceeding what is usual, proper, necessary or normal." How is that for vague?

Not to mention I didn't feel like I was abandoning myself at all when I was eating them. I am much too aware of ingredients and consequences to just let myself go. The taste was nothing memorable, and I know I won't be buying them ever again.

Do you have an interesting story about this ingredient? I've heard that some people are extra sensitive to maltitol, but I've always taken pride in having a stomach-of-steel. I didn't think I had anything to worry about. Now I know I will never recommend any food with maltitol. I'm pretty sure sugar is a better option!

Benefits of Natural Sweeteners

2009-10-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

White sugar is devoid of ALL nutrients.

The only thing it offers is carbohydrates and calories, but even so, sugar is 100% nutritionally deficient. Weren't we meant to eat food for nutrients and health? Why do we eat white sugar?

Thinking about using natural sweeteners to replace sugar? Here some benefits to consider:

Molasses is high in nutrients like potassium, calcium and iron. Its rich flavor works well in sauces and baked goods.
Brown Rice Syrup contains complex carbohydrates as opposed to simple sugars and has a low glycemic index.
Date sugar is made by grinding dehydrated dates. Minimal processing means that all the nutrients and fiber remain intact. Date sugar contains folic acid and potassium.
Barley Malt is made from sprouted barley and is high in fiber, complex carbohydrates and potassium, and has a low glycemic index.
Maple sugar is dehydrated maple syrup, which contains amino acids, potassium, calcium, niacin, riboflavin, and folic acid.

(-GloryBee Foods, 2009-2010, pg.32)

My mother-in-law sent me a bee-keeping magazine/catalog, knowing that I would be interested in the recipes, information about honey and other natural sweeteners inside. More to come!

Ginger Almond Raisin Biscotti - Vegan, Too!

2009-10-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

The locals here told me this would happen. One day it is a brilliant and hot summer day, and the next day it's instantly fall. It's true. It's been chilly and foggy lately, with a few beautiful sun breaks. It's new and exciting to be on the east coast during this seasonal transition. I love this time of year no matter where I'm at, and always get re-inspired to spend more time in my kitchen.

Lately, I've been experimenting with biscotti. I love dunking something sweet in my morning joe, and because donut holes and apple fritters are still out of the question, I have had to get creative. Toast just gets soggy--not that it stops me.

I came up with this recipe with fall in mind. This time of year I revisit spices that have been pushed to the back of my cupboard: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc. I added all three of these to this recipe, as well as molasses and applesauce for sweeteners. I've been experimenting with different flours, too. Feel free to do the same. Let me know how yours turns out, especially if you tweak the ingredients.

The key to making biscotti is cooking time and temperature. Think low temperature, long bake time.

Ginger Almond Raisin Biscotti

One and 1/4 C. brown rice flour
One and 1/4 C. white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 C. sliced almonds
1/2 C. raisins
1/4 C. molasses
1/2 C. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C. oil
2 tablespoons water

Mix dry ingredients together and then add wet. Mix well. Dough will be thick and heavy. Form into giant patties and press flat.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then, remove from oven and turn oven down to 300 degrees F. Slice patties into strips, spread apart on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake for 15-20 on each side. This is the only way to ensure nice, hard biscotti cookies.

Once mine were done baking, I left them in the oven overnight to dry out. If you put them in a sealed container, especially if they are still warm, they will retain moisture. Dry them out for best results. Also, for a sweeter cookie, add more raisins and/or honey to the dough. I prefer mine semi-sweet, as this recipe reflects.

Dunk in a hot cup of coffee and enjoy!

Sugar-Free Challenge

2009-10-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

To get inspired by a recent sugar-free challenge, visit my virtual neighbor, Nourishing Gourmet, for a slew of stories about going a week without sugar or white flour. Even though it's been one year and 10 months for me without sugar, I still find myself completely impressed and inspired by others' sugar-free journeys. Congratulations to all who participated in the challenge!

More News About Coke

2009-10-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Sadly, my computer has been battling a computer virus and I have been virtually unable to blog, among other things. Hopefully this FIOS thing works out next week.....

There is no way I will be able to catch up on world sugar-related news anytime soon, so to share from the latest (and extremely important!) Food Politics blog, here I present to you, Another Sad Partnership Story: AAFP and Coca-Cola. The comments following the post are rather interesting, as well.

Hope to be back in the saddle by next week, though I've done a ton of writing on paper recently and was reminded how very much I enjoy writing exercises by hand...

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

2009-09-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a perfect day to experiment in my kitchen. A friend of mine just moved out of the country and gave me the contents of her refrigerator and cupboards. I took home a lot of peanut butter and honey so I didn't feel intimidated to experiment, which sometimes I feel when I think of wasting ingredients.

Nourishing Gourmet has a homemade version of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I tried it out, but instead of using coconut oil, I tried a little bit of organic shortening in the chocolate part, and cocoa instead of hard chocolate, which didn't work out at all. It was worse than terrible. The clumpy mixture had to be chucked. I'm sure Nourishing Gourmet's version was great. The reason I wanted to forgo coconut oil is because it gets so sticky and melty so soon after taking it out of the freezer and I didn't want my peanut butter cups tasting anything like coconut.

I decided to make up my own version of peanut butter cups. Fortunately, mine ended up simple, easy and delicious.

The only problem is that the smell of peanut butter and melting chocolate attracted a small crowd (think teeny, tiny East Coast kitchen apartment). The next thing I know, Jeff is next to me with his Skippy peanut butter and our dog Annie is hanging out giving me her special adorable eyes, patiently waiting for a glob of peanut butter to drop to the floor.

Here is the how-to for these tasty, sweet treats. If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, then you'll love these and never need another Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. If you really want decadence, when these have finished solidifying, cut them into small pieces and add to ice cream-sugarless of course!

Easy Peanut Butter Cups

Peanut Butter
1 C peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tblsp honey - depending on your sweet tooth

Chocolate:
2-3 ounces unsweetened chocolate bar, broken up into bits
2-4 tblsp honey - to your sweetness requirement

Mix peanut butter with vanilla and honey. Press spoonfuls into mini cupcake pans, filling each about halfway.

Next, I put the chocolate bits in a glass measuring cup in a small pan of simmering water. Stir in the honey and keep stirring until the chocolate is melted.

Next, have your camera ready for when you catch your partner sneaking peanut butter to the dog.

Lastly, if you have family members who poo-poo your naturally sweetened goodies like I have in my family, save a couple cupcake spots for them. Jeff was quick to fill his spots with peanut butter and chocolate chips when he saw that there was room.

I don't know if I'll ever convert his sweet tooth to naturally sweetened goodies. He seems dead-set against it and I don't push it on him, too much.

I put the cupcake pan in the freezer to get the peanut butter cups to solidify and it worked great. They pop out easily and still manage to melt in your mouth right out of the freezer.

My palate has changed so much over the past year and a half that even the smallest amount of sweetener satisfies. Keep in mind that the honey amount in this recipe can be altered, depending on your sweet tooth. If you are looking to cut down on calories, use a low-fat peanut butter and consider using a different sweetener than honey. It has more calories than white sugar.

This little recipe is incredibly easy, quick, and produces very little mess.

Enjoy!

Goodbye Portland!

2009-09-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

I've moved!

At some point this past year, having been purposefully unemployed, my husband and I decided to make a big change in our environment. More than a year ago we quit our jobs and sold our house in Portland, Oregon in search of a joint purpose. What we anticipated to include a lot of traveling, did, but our time off included a lot of other experiences as well. We visited a plethora of cities and small towns and it became obvious to both of us that the Washington, D.C. area held the most opportunity for our interests. So we are here successfully pursuing our dreams in this land of opportunity.

This weekend I volunteered at D.C.'s first ever VegFest and it was a blast. The only problem is that my only exposure to anything sugarless were little samples of Larabar's (which the peanut butter flavor really rocked my world). Other than that, I was quite frustrated at the beautiful, delicious-looking pastries because none that I asked about were sweetened naturally. There are a million places I want to explore here in the city, and I know local, naturally sweetened goodies must exist somewhere out here.

So far, my favorite place to grocery shop for naturally sweetened items is MOM's (My Organic Market), which is both more affordable than most health food stores and within two miles of where I live.

Looking forward to exploring and discovering everything this area has to offer, and sharing with you here.

Is Coca-Cola Hiding Something From Consumers?

2009-09-09T10:20:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how to present some information I stumbled upon this morning.

I don't want to slander or pick on a company, so I am currently trying to decide how to present the info. Coke, if you are reading this, I would love a comment from a representative on this one.

I've given myself some time to think it over, and I think my role as a "sugar" blogger, is to be objective in this case and just share the information. Actually, what I am about to share will speak for itself.

For those of you who are health nuts and are very careful about what you eat and drink, this information may not be meaningful to you, however, I believe the implications are extremely important.

Dare I draw this out and make you wait any longer?

Okay, here is what I discovered accidentally while researching some things online this morning:

Coca-Cola does not list "sugars" or "high fructose corn syrup" in its "Soft Drink Nutrition Information For Carbonated Beverages" pdf. on their home website. I looked elsewhere on their website for information about sugars and found Q&A about sweeteners in general, but I was after finding out how much sugar is in a Coke Classic. (Why I wanted to know is a different story!) Finally, discouraged by their website giving me the run-around without producing information on this, I bought a Coke from the vending machine downstairs in my building, feeling extremely guilty the entire time. I read the nutrition information on the can and left it sitting next to my computer. A few hours later it disappeared. Jeff? Ah well......

Here is what The Coca-Cola Company does list under nutrition information: Calories, Carbohydrates, Sodium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Caffeine, Saccharin, Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium, and Sucralose [which is generic Splenda].

Sorry, I realized I can't just share this information without commenting on it...

What I find fascinating is that "Phosphorus" is listed, for example, but not "sugars". Why Phosphorus? Who in the world is interested in knowing the amount of Phosphorus in their drink?

Also, I find it quite interesting that they provide a listing of the various artificial sweeteners, yet no "sugars". Now, to be fair, they do list "carbohydrates" and sugar obviously falls under this category, but they do not specifically label this category "sugars". On the can they do list "sugars" but not on their website.

I feel as though The Coca-Cola Company is not being transparent. If I was selling a nutrition-less product, at 39 grams of sugars per 12 ounces, I might not want to share all this information, either.

Your thoughts?

Sugarettes: A Must Read If You Want To Kick The Habit

2009-09-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

I am excited to give this book a review.

The title says it all. The author, Naturopathic doctor Scott Olson, compares eating sugar to smoking cigarettes...in the first part of the book. The entire book is full of great information, research, comparisons, reasons to cut out the white stuff, and how to do it.

As you read, you get the idea right away that Dr. Olson is very motivated to help people eat healthier and achieve overall balance and health. It was his patients' struggles with sugar addictions that eventually led him to write Sugarettes.

My favorite chapter is "Let's Talk Carbs" where Dr. Olson describes the differences between simple and complex carbohydrates. He discusses carbs at a molecular level, using simple drawings, which greatly enhances the learning curve. Carbs can be a little confusing, but rest assured you'll feel quite educated by the end of the chapter. You will understand why "white bread and white sugar increase your blood sugar identically." You'll want to read more.

Dr. Olson is passionate about sugar. He is passionate about helping his reader understand all aspects of sugar: history, carbohydrates, addictions, insulin, high blood sugar, glycemic index, artificial sweeteners, sugar and disease and lastly, an entire chapter dedicated to "Surviving in Carbo-Land".

Dr. Olson taps into facts and figures about sugar that are science-based but underestimated in the medical community. He opens a pandora's box of questions, accusations and ultimately what we the consumer can do about our own addiction to sugar.

Although I have remained sugar-free since I gave it up a year and a half ago, I know that if I was still eating sugar and read this book, I would be very motivated to quit.

Sugarettes is an easy read, packed full of important information and motivating tips for how and why to quit eating and drinking sugar.

Thank you Dr. Olson for providing a great book dedicated to the topic of sugar!

To view Dr. Olson's website click here.

What's the Beef With Milk Sugar?

2009-08-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Do you eat or drink milk products?

Did you know that there is a naturally occurring "sugar" in milk, called lactose? Lactase is an enzyme in our bodies that allows us to digest this milk sugar.

Ever heard of an allergy to milk? Apparently, it's not an allergy after all because there is, "not an immune response". (USA Today)

A milk "allergy"is more correctly defined as lactose intolerance: "Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products, because the required enzyme lactase is absent in the intestinal system or its availability is lowered. It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood."

I came across an interesting article about milk sugar that discusses this in more detail:

"People who are lactose intolerant can't digest the main sugar -lactose- found in milk. In normal humans, the enzyme that does so -lactase- stops being produced when the person is between two and five years old. The undigested sugars end up in the colon, where they begin to ferment, producing gas that can cause cramping, bloating, nausea, flatulence and diarrhea."

For more information than you ever wanted to know about lactase, the enzyme (that we don't all have, and have in differing amounts) allowing us to digest milk products, check out this article in the European Journal of Human Genetics. "Most people cannot drink milk as adults without the symptoms of lactose intolerance, and most lactose intolerance is due to absence of the lactase enzyme in the gut."

I'll continue to get my "natural" sugars elsewhere.

Whole Foods Gets Honest

2009-08-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

"We sell all kinds of candy. We sell a bunch of junk," said the CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, to the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.

American Heart Association Recommends Less Sugar

2009-08-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

The American Heart Association (AHA) must be reading my blog.

When I did a Google News search for AHA and sugar, 474 articles became available. Apparently, AHA's recent recommendation is really big news. I wonder why the sudden urgency?

I found the following information on AHA's website:

The American Heart Association, "Recommends reduced intake of added sugars. Study highlights:

High intake of added sugars is implicated in numerous poor health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Added sugars and solid fats in food, as well as alcoholic beverages are categorized as “discretionary calories” and should be eaten sparingly.

Most American women should consume no more than 100 calories of added sugars per day; most men, no more than 150 calories.

Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the number one source of added sugars in the American diet.

'Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories,' Johnson said. 'Consuming foods and beverages with excessive amounts of added sugars displaces more nutritious foods and beverages for many people.' The statement says that most women should consume no more than 100 calories (about 25 grams) of added sugars per day. Most men should consume no more than 150 calories (about 37.5 grams) each day. That’s about six teaspoons of added sugar a day for women and nine for men. In contrast, the statement cites a report from the 2001–04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that showed the average intake of added sugars for all Americans was 22.2 teaspoons per day (355 calories)."

If on average we are eating over 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, and the AHA is recommending women reduce sugar intake to 6 teaspoons and men reduce to 9 teaspoons, this is a DRASTIC REDUCTION IN THE DAILY AMOUNT OF SUGAR WE OUGHT TO BE EATING.

For women, this means cutting back our sugar intake by 73%.

73%!

Here's a pie chart to illustrate just how much the AHA is recommending we cut back.

This huge percentage is a sign that sugar has wedged itself as an all too common ingredient in people's diets. The data is interesting; the average daily intake is from a report dated 2001-2004. We are probably eating more sugar now than then, but that is the current data we have.

Not only do we have to make a change, the AHA is suggesting we make a drastic change. Our health and the health of our children depends on it. Cutting our sugar consumption in half is not enough.

As we enter into the "Age of Transparency" cutting down on sugar should become easier. As we, the consumer, demand more nutritious foods and less sugary junk food, the food producers will scramble to satisfy our demand. This is not going to happen overnight, but I have high hopes that the pendulum will swing in favor of health food. For the AHA to make such a giant statement about sugar, it is a sign that we are already heading in that direction, or my blog must be very convincing.

The Irony of Junk Food

2009-08-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Websites that promote apples do not disparage oranges or peaches or cherries. If you look at websites that sell whole grains, they do not disparage other healthy whole food products.

What I find interesting is that Junk Food "A" may talk very highly about their product, but have something terrible to say about Junk Food "B". The sugar people will go off about alternative sweeteners, and the alternative sweetener folks will go off about both HFCS and sugar. All the while, each company's product is touted to be quite superior. If each of the junk food companies has something legitimate to say about the other junk food company's products, isn't this a sure sign that it's all....JUNK?!

Here are some examples:

What the Sugar Association has to say: "HFCS does not exist in nature. It is a highly processed product that requires the ingenuity and efforts of man for its creation, and was unknown to the world until the 1970s. Sugar is all-natural and has been the primary sweetening ingredient worldwide for thousands of years and still is the predominate sweetener in every country, except the United States. Sugar exists naturally in almost every fruit and vegetable but most abundantly in sugar cane and sugar beets."

The Sugar Association has gone so far as to create a website called The Truth About Splenda which further disparages another competitor.

Here is what SPLENDA has to say: "SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener may be used as part of a healthy diet that includes a variety of nutritious foods in moderate portions. Because SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener tastes like sugar and can be used for cooking and baking, it helps meet consumer demand for good-tasting foods and beverages without all the empty calories of sugar."

and...

"Although sucralose (generic term for SPLENDA) is made from a process that begins with sugar, the body does not recognize it as sugar or a carbohydrate. It is not metabolized by the body for energy, so it is calorie-free.....it passes through the body without being broken down for energy, so it has no calories, and the body does not recognize it as a carbohydrate. " This is saying that SPLENDA is not recognized by the body as a food, which in my opinion means we have no business putting it in our bodies!!

The NutraSweet Company is proud of their product because of its lack of calories: "Aspartame has many benefits. Aspartame can reduce or replace the sugar and calories in foods and beverages while maintaining great taste. Thus, aspartame offers one simple step in helping people move closer to achieving a more healthful diet." That's funny.

Saccharin comes right out and says, "Although the totality of the available research indicates saccharin is safe for human consumption, there has been controversy over its safety. The basis for the controversy rests primarily on findings of bladder tumors in some male rats fed high doses of sodium saccharin." Oh, woops. Just bladder tumors. No worries. Then I wonder why convenient stores have saccharin warning signs in their store windows?

Again, healthy whole foods will never be controversial. We don't need science to tell us what our common sense leads us to believe about healthy foods....that an apple is good nutrition, for example. If there is any controversy about a food you are eating, I would suggest you consider eating something that has never been controversial.

You can't go wrong by eating whole foods, keeping in mind portion sizes. You might go wrong by eating JUNK. To me, it's not worth risking what I don't know.

Lastly, I include with the Corn Refiner's Association take on their product HFCS, because it is so funny to me: "Mention corn syrups and consumers think of the sweetness and energy they offer--outstanding characteristics--" More like mention corn syrup and watch people roll their eyes. The press, the commercials and the lobbying is just ridiculous. I can't imagine anyone going to such great lengths to lobby for steel cut oats or lima beans.

Here is an interesting article about HFCS, with quotes from the president of the Corn Refiner's Association, Audrae Erickson. HFCS or sugar? Sugar or HFCS?

The press on this right now is downright silly. We have companies responding to consumer demand by taking HFCS out of their products and going back to using sugar. Hooray? Really? To me this is the silliest battle between highly processed junk foods that we should eat less of altogether. I don't eat either one, and it's difficult to avoid because most packaged products have one or the other. I usually end up eating fruit, darnit.

My point is that no matter how ignorant we might want to feign to be, it's obvious what is healthy whole food and what is not. I don't believe that the "foods" created in the laboratories were made to improve our health, although many of the artificial sweetener producers would argue and say that they are providing a low-calorie sweetener alternative. What good does it do to put a low-calorie sweetener in a product that is loaded with junk and many other types of calories?

Sugar Politics

2009-08-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

To understand sugar policy, good luck.

However, to get a notion of what the "sugar crisis" is about, jump over to Marion Nestle's Food Politics blog or the Atlantic's identical report.

Humongous is the New Small

2009-08-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I were at the theater today and he ordered a small soft drink. (Sigh....)

When he walked up with his "small" drink, I was shocked. I grabbed it and said, "You HAVE to photograph this!"

I asked him if he was going to drink it all even though he wanted a smaller size. He looked at me like I was telling him what to do, not asking. Okay, maybe I was passively suggesting that he didn't have to drink it all. He said next time he'll order this same size and if we are with a group of people who want soda, too, he'll order three or four empty cups. I wonder how that would go over....

He told me that when he stopped in at a coffee shop yesterday for a mocha the cashier asked what size and he said, "Small." He said the cashier asked why he would just want small when for a few cents more he could get a much larger mocha.

Just because you can get more for less, doesn't mean you should. On that note, I can't believe McDonald's is currently advertising all soft drinks for $1. In this case "more" is just more sugar, calories and chemicals that our bodies suffer from. We get NO nutrients from soda!

"Super-sizing" our portions is undoubtedly super-sizing us!

When I did a search hoping to pull up the actual dollar drink ad, I found instead a bunch of blogs of people who are really excited to be getting this good deal....