Sugar is Bad, Honey is Rad
Remember how we talked about cutting out the bad stuff in our diet, and replacing it with real foods instead? Sugar is definitely one thing I needed to do this with. I was completely, undeniably a sugar-holic before I started eating traditional foods.
I’m not gonna lie. I definitely still struggle with sugar cravings. I know I need the GAPS diet to cure me of that.
But in the meantime, I’ve been trying to focus on replacing bad, refined sugars with healthier, natural sweeteners that allow me to get a bit of a sweet fix, without wreaking absolute havoc on my body.
Since the majority of our refined sugar intake typically comes from processed foods, that’s definitely step number one in getting it out of our diet. I’ve learned that if you want something sweet, you’ll just have to make it yourself!
Thankfully, there are great recipes for healthier sweets in Nourishing Traditions
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Instead of fake sprinkles like these, you could use crunchy date sugar!
Notice that agave nectar is definitely NOT on that list! More on that later.
Okay. So here’s the part where I get lazy tired of writing, and decide to make the rest of this post a “vlog” instead! 🙂 I recorded the following little video series to discuss natural sweeteners and explain more about them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpo_64yuemo&feature=channel_video_title
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmVZAmCjRQQ&feature=channel_video_title
Such flattering screen shots YouTube provides, eh? 😉
What sweeteners do you use in your home? Which do you think are best for baking? Or making other treats such as ice cream? Or for sweetening drinks like coffee? Got any good tips to share about using these alternatives to processed sugar?
{This post is being shared with Freaky Friday at Real Food Freaks!}
I love honey..so honey goes into my coffee and whipped cream even cookies! I had some cupcakes with xylitol and sometimes stevia gets thrown in the mix! I totally relate to the “the white poison(sugar)” addiction as I think tasca reno called it….anyways i spent most of my life on that disease causing stuff…let me type that it’s refreshing to find a like minded gal on the food issue! knowthecause.com or Know The Cause TV show taught me what I do today on all the food and supplements!! love it!
That’s awesome! It’s equally refreshing for me to find people that come here and actually agree with what I have to say! (especially after Saturday) 😛
Okay I’m so confused about xylitol… I keep reading conflicting things about it and I’m just not sure what to think! Anyone else wanna chime in about this??
Can I just say you are gorgeous?! Great job with the video post–and great topic, too. This is one of the biggest ways I make my baking (at least semi) healthy. Cuz I can’t not bake muffins! 😛
Aw Lori, I’m majorly blushing!! You’re so sweet (and quite beautiful yourself!)! 😀
I don’t think I could ever go without muffins either — thankfully there’s at least coconut and nut flours for when I go on GAPS! I could not live without treats.
What kind of sugar do you use for Kombucha and water kefir? I get some mixed messages about organic sugar being okay (the cheaper stuff in the organic aisle at the store)which I bought because it was cheaper than Sucanant. Am I making a big mistake?
Darn it — I meant to mention in the video that the reason why I even still have that container of the white, junky stuff is for my kombucha! From what I understand, the best food for your SCOBY is the super refined, white cane sugar. And it does a good job eating it — so it won’t make it into the final product.
As for organic sugar, it is better than regular white sugar, but really only because you can be sure it won’t be made from GMO sugar beets. It’s still pretty highly processed, which we want to avoid. I would try to get sucanat if you can squeeze it into your budget. Great question! Thanks, Molly.
Isn’t that awful that agave nectar is so highly marketed as being healthy? I used to use it all the time until about a year ago I stumbled across a WAPF article about it. There are a few “health-conscious” restaurants in my town that have agave sweetened drinks, and it makes me cringe every time I see them on the menu!
I had never thought of the potentially calming properties of date sugar – definitely a great call for the kiddos 🙂 My go-to sweeteners are raw honey, maple syrup and sucanat, but sometimes I cheat for desserts that can’t handle those stronger flavors or that take on the color of sucanat. When I cheat, which I try to make a rare occasion, I use evaporated cane juice, which I consider to be a few steps above the “white stuff” 🙂
Ugh, yes!! I can’t believe how well the companies behind agave nectar have COMPLETELY FOOLED nearly all of us! It’s disturbing, really.
Totally get you on the strong flavors with baking deserts. I don’t think a little organic evaporated cane juice (that’s what I meant to say in the video, btw, I kept saying “dehydrated” cane juice, lol!) is really gonna do much harm. I agree that it seems like it’s gotta be at least a step or two above granulated C&H! 🙂
Just found your blog through a link on a friend’s Facebook page. Enjoying reading your entries. I picked up my copy of Nourishing Traditions a couple years ago and have been doing lots of food changes since. Regarding sweetners, I find myself going to Stevia most often. I use it in my tea, kefir shakes, hot chocolate, etc. I could drink maple syrup by the gallon so anything I can use it in I do (salad dressing, oatmeal, etc). I have not been able to eliminate refined sugar as much as I would like from my kid’s and husband’s diet but you know how that goes. I still use it for baking cookies but I figure homemade cookies with butter and plain sugar are better than store bought with partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.
I have a question on the Stevia. They are marketing stevia as a sweetener now via lines like Truvia. But when I looked at it, it has maltodextrin in it as well. I am assuming these versions do not count?
I get a kick out of this. My grandfather was a dairy farmer and my mom describes being horrified to watch him put big spoonfuls of butter in his coffee. And what else did he use? Honey. She just thought that was weird.