I'm beginning to realize that quitting sugar is a lot like quitting cigarettes (based on my friends and family's experience) or heroin (which I've read about). It's tough, so tough! When I started this quest I had this quaint notion that I would quit sugar, walk away, and feel so awesome I'd never go back. Feel so healthy, self-righteous, elated, alive... why would I want to touch that stuff again?
Well! That is just not the case. It became a battle somewhere, involving a whole lot of guilt and weird back-and-forth arguments in my head. Never a dull moment to be human, I guess. The trick with quitting anything is to just pick yourself up and get back on the wagon as soon as you can, like the next day. I just lost the will somewhere, caught up in the misery and stress of schooling and then my internship. It just didn't seem to matter anymore to take care of myself in the way I know best. Maybe the psyche likes misery? Hey I know! We're miserable and stressed, let's compound that by altering things drastically with that sugar drug! Whee, isn't this fun?
Plus, the fact that there is sugar around constantly in the place I work (and the place I went to school) means I can never escape. I used to dream when I was a child that someday I'd have a big glass jar, as tall as me, that was an eternal fount of candy. No matter how much you took from it, how much you ate, it was never empty! In that world, you could eat chocolate for all your meals, and boy was that fabulous! Well, it's nearly a reality with the way we live today, and with the endlessly filled candy dish at work (not to mention cookie Thursdays, plus thank you gifts from clients, do-gooders bringing in donuts, etc, etc... endless...) It makes is so challenging to live up to the highest ideal I have given myself.
It makes quite an interesting vortex or whirlwind, too; eat that crap, feel guilty/ bad that I'm off the wagon, compound with stress from work, eat more of the crap to try and feel better (the mind likes arguments like- well, I deserve some pleasure, don't I?); feel worse, crash, eat more. Next thing you know I'm buying it instead of just eating it at work, and voila! Not only am I off the wagon, I'm sitting in the dirt watching it pull away. Oof!
I never wanted it to be a battle where I could beat myself up for making mistakes. In fact I am always telling others to be gentle with themselves if they slip and eat pie at a family dinner. It's ok to be human! However, I need to remind myself it's for my health and it really doesn't make me feel good to crash and burn in that endless cycle. Or worse, hurtle towards diabetes. Goddess forbid!
After being "off the wagon" for quite a long time, I've jumped back on, cold turkey. I cannot allow myself even a little bit because it's a gateway. Depression and stress are no excuse because frankly, they are worsened by sugar. I know this! Instead of leaving it as an indefinite thing, I have decided to be a bit more gentle and go month by month. I am simply doing a sugar fast this month. None. No sugar. That's easy, I know I can do that, that is an attainable goal! It is a perfect way to detox, and trick myself into compliance. It's easy to go around the candy bowl at work when I can say to myself- not this month! I'm not eating sugar right now.
Then, next month, I can do it again. And again. Until I am back in the swing and can write on here how amazing I feel not eating crap.
I was prompted to jump back on due to the fact that I got sick again. When I am not eating sugar, I never get ill. Now I've been battling a lingering cold/ crud for weeks and I'm disappointed. Not only that but I gained some weight, feel terrible, achy, and so on. How shameful, since I know the prevention and the cure! Old habits truly die hard, and people where I live are very unforgiving of those living an alternative lifestyle... very suspicious of those who do not eat the All American Diet. Many of the people around me are overweight. It's an epidemic in this country, as we all know! I want no part of the modern diseases our diet has caused us. Time once again to stop.
2.20.2009
1.03.2009
Fasting for the New Year
I'm sure many of you have been battling the endless battle of Holiday Crap. Aunt Sally's Death by Chocolate... Granny P's devastating peanut brittle... the list goes on and on. The candy jar at work. The endless thank you presents from clients- cookies, chocolates, you name it. Ugh. You gain weight, crash and get cranky just by looking at the stuff.
It's a tough battle to say no all the time, especially to well-meaning family members who get such joy out of feeding others. Or with co-workers who secretly get pleasure out of sabotaging your diet... you know who I mean. It's cruel! Just cruel!
Anyway take a deep breath, the new year is here and there isn't another stuff your face holiday for a while.
I am fasting to celebrate the new year, as a way to re-start my body and mind back into the health I adore so much. Cleansing is good practice, and not a bad idea to do a few times a year, or more if you stress a lot. Giving your body a break from all the things you put into it makes good sense.
The fast I am doing does not involve complete food deprivation. I cannot do that, I've tried. It makes me crazy. Instead, I am doing a fruit fast for two days (today is day two) and then an Ayurvedic type fast for another two days. (I got it from the "Eat, Taste and Heal" book, look it up, it's rad). Basically, I figured out what would work best for my body- deprivation not being the answer- and I'm sticking to it.
Two days of raw fruits (and some dried), pretty much whatever is appealing and fresh. I have been enjoying pineapple, pears, apples, mangoes, kiwi, pomegranates, bananas, dates and figs. Even dried papaya. It's been wonderful. I feel calm and clean right now, brighter. Out of respect for my body I am not doing the strenuous workouts I normally do, but am taking it easy with yoga only.
The next two days will be eating only rice and mung beans, called Kitchari. I am not cooking the beans as it is called for however; I sprouted them to get the most nutrition out of the beans. Sprouted beans are incredible. So much energy and enzymes! I mean, when a bean is sprouting you are getting all that vigorous "life! life!" energy out of them, fantastic. I was mostly raw all summer and lived on sprouted beans and grains. (This practice is tougher in winter when I want desperately to be warm, and eat warm, all the time.)
The purpose of the cleansing and the fast is to abstain completely from caffeine, additives, preservatives, toxins, white sugar, flour, etc. Just simple foods that are easy for the body to digest and process. Yes, fruit is high in sugar, and not ideal for long term fasts. I seem to be doing ok on this front though, luckily.
On day 5 when regular food is to be introduced, it is done slowly; adding simple soups, steamed veggies, and whole grains, a little at a time with each meal. I may even do some raw fish on day 6 I think.
I encourage everyone to cleanse every now and then. You have to pick the one that is right for you, and if you have physical issues make sure your doctor knows. There is nothing worse than causing damage when you only mean good!
Good luck in the sugar battle, and happy new year!
It's a tough battle to say no all the time, especially to well-meaning family members who get such joy out of feeding others. Or with co-workers who secretly get pleasure out of sabotaging your diet... you know who I mean. It's cruel! Just cruel!
Anyway take a deep breath, the new year is here and there isn't another stuff your face holiday for a while.
I am fasting to celebrate the new year, as a way to re-start my body and mind back into the health I adore so much. Cleansing is good practice, and not a bad idea to do a few times a year, or more if you stress a lot. Giving your body a break from all the things you put into it makes good sense.
The fast I am doing does not involve complete food deprivation. I cannot do that, I've tried. It makes me crazy. Instead, I am doing a fruit fast for two days (today is day two) and then an Ayurvedic type fast for another two days. (I got it from the "Eat, Taste and Heal" book, look it up, it's rad). Basically, I figured out what would work best for my body- deprivation not being the answer- and I'm sticking to it.
Two days of raw fruits (and some dried), pretty much whatever is appealing and fresh. I have been enjoying pineapple, pears, apples, mangoes, kiwi, pomegranates, bananas, dates and figs. Even dried papaya. It's been wonderful. I feel calm and clean right now, brighter. Out of respect for my body I am not doing the strenuous workouts I normally do, but am taking it easy with yoga only.
The next two days will be eating only rice and mung beans, called Kitchari. I am not cooking the beans as it is called for however; I sprouted them to get the most nutrition out of the beans. Sprouted beans are incredible. So much energy and enzymes! I mean, when a bean is sprouting you are getting all that vigorous "life! life!" energy out of them, fantastic. I was mostly raw all summer and lived on sprouted beans and grains. (This practice is tougher in winter when I want desperately to be warm, and eat warm, all the time.)
The purpose of the cleansing and the fast is to abstain completely from caffeine, additives, preservatives, toxins, white sugar, flour, etc. Just simple foods that are easy for the body to digest and process. Yes, fruit is high in sugar, and not ideal for long term fasts. I seem to be doing ok on this front though, luckily.
On day 5 when regular food is to be introduced, it is done slowly; adding simple soups, steamed veggies, and whole grains, a little at a time with each meal. I may even do some raw fish on day 6 I think.
I encourage everyone to cleanse every now and then. You have to pick the one that is right for you, and if you have physical issues make sure your doctor knows. There is nothing worse than causing damage when you only mean good!
Good luck in the sugar battle, and happy new year!
12.05.2008
Allergies and processed foods
This topic is a can of worms... or worse, Pandora's Box. I have a few things to address on this issue.
The first is a commentary on my own new allergies. I have never been allergic to anything, that I know of. Now, it is apparent that I cannot eat any fake-chemical sugars, and I have a sad, sad feeling that Stevia is becoming something of an issue as well.
A few years ago, when I began my effort to kick sugar, I found some "sugar free" candy by Hershey's. It was a small bag of Peppermint Patties... and I ate them all! Oh, how I paid and paid. My belly swelled up as big and tight as could be. I suffered the most terrible colic pains... horrible, horrible belly ache that made me feel so awful. I lay on the bed in agony until I started tooting it out, and it took hours to get real relief.
After that, I slowly tried other "fakes" and discovered, one by one, that I have the same disasterous symptoms. I didn't really want to be eating them anyway since I don't believe we truly know their effect on our bodies (or water systems, when we pee them out) long term... rumors of cancer and so forth make me hesitate. Still, I hated how I felt when I crashed from sugar so from time to time I tried some things. And now I know I cannot ever eat fake sugars. In any form.
Even now, after using Stevia for a few years, I am starting to discover that it too makes me a little gassy. Not nearly as colicky as the others, but that is how it starts; a little reaction, and then, boom! On to full blown allergy. Damn. I have also noticed how terrible I feel when eating super processed foods too... after eating raw all summer (easy due to so many farmer's markets!) I can see the difference, eating a winter diet of cooked foods. I don't feel well, and gained a little weight... isn't it sad! My body only wants the best of the best to be completely happy. So sensitive!
Which brings me to another point. Allergies. I feel people are suffering from these more now than ever before. Is it because of environmental causes, pollution and lawn chemicals and too many other types of crap in our air and water? Or is it because children aren't playing outside and eating dirt, rolling around with dogs, like they used to? Another favorite theory of mine is diet. Too much sugar weakens your immune system, and processed foods as well... how would we all feel if it just wasn't available, if all you had to eat was good whole foods?
Sometimes I wish that junk food wasn't so readily available. My life would certainly be better, without the endless battle of sugar and all that. Especially now that I am learning that my body simply does not like anything that isn't straight from this earth, direct.
The first is a commentary on my own new allergies. I have never been allergic to anything, that I know of. Now, it is apparent that I cannot eat any fake-chemical sugars, and I have a sad, sad feeling that Stevia is becoming something of an issue as well.
A few years ago, when I began my effort to kick sugar, I found some "sugar free" candy by Hershey's. It was a small bag of Peppermint Patties... and I ate them all! Oh, how I paid and paid. My belly swelled up as big and tight as could be. I suffered the most terrible colic pains... horrible, horrible belly ache that made me feel so awful. I lay on the bed in agony until I started tooting it out, and it took hours to get real relief.
After that, I slowly tried other "fakes" and discovered, one by one, that I have the same disasterous symptoms. I didn't really want to be eating them anyway since I don't believe we truly know their effect on our bodies (or water systems, when we pee them out) long term... rumors of cancer and so forth make me hesitate. Still, I hated how I felt when I crashed from sugar so from time to time I tried some things. And now I know I cannot ever eat fake sugars. In any form.
Even now, after using Stevia for a few years, I am starting to discover that it too makes me a little gassy. Not nearly as colicky as the others, but that is how it starts; a little reaction, and then, boom! On to full blown allergy. Damn. I have also noticed how terrible I feel when eating super processed foods too... after eating raw all summer (easy due to so many farmer's markets!) I can see the difference, eating a winter diet of cooked foods. I don't feel well, and gained a little weight... isn't it sad! My body only wants the best of the best to be completely happy. So sensitive!
Which brings me to another point. Allergies. I feel people are suffering from these more now than ever before. Is it because of environmental causes, pollution and lawn chemicals and too many other types of crap in our air and water? Or is it because children aren't playing outside and eating dirt, rolling around with dogs, like they used to? Another favorite theory of mine is diet. Too much sugar weakens your immune system, and processed foods as well... how would we all feel if it just wasn't available, if all you had to eat was good whole foods?
Sometimes I wish that junk food wasn't so readily available. My life would certainly be better, without the endless battle of sugar and all that. Especially now that I am learning that my body simply does not like anything that isn't straight from this earth, direct.
8.09.2008
Raw and Sugar Free
Ahh, the neglect! I have neglected this poor old blog as my life has become very full and busy. What's new? Well, I have this very summer become inspired to further enhance my nutrition by experimenting with eating more raw/ vegan, and especially local foods. This has been a fantastic experiement, and easy to do with the summer being so abundant with fruits and veggies. I've found that I have more energy, feel even better than before!
What has been modified, then? I don't cook. I have a few wonderful Raw transition books and have been experimenting with a dehydrator to make sprouted "bread" and "cookies". In fact, I have been sprouting quite a lot which is becoming my favorite way to eat legumes and grains. It's amazing! All the while I am still eating things that make me happy, such as ice cream, but I am using recipes from a book called Vice Creams, which are based on almond milks or coconut meat.
It hasn't been easy. It's never easy to change your mindset. The main reason I am doing this is to consume less packaging, waste less resources. Eating raw means less processing, which is better for your body and the environment- eating foods with intact enzymes means more is available nutritionally for your body. Less packaging means less petroleum used, and we all know that this idea can only be for the good of our planet (and our society!)
You have to be careful when eating this way to be balanced and to eat a well rounded diet, lots of sprouted beans and grains for complete proteins. Adult humans do not need nearly the protein we advocate for ourselves (via the beef council); in fact only 10% for a normal adult or MAYBE 20-30% for a body builder. The rest should be balanced... none of this crazy "carb fear" or any of that bunk. Keep the sugar out, eat your grains and veggies, fruits and legumes and relax! I look great and feel even better.
What has been modified, then? I don't cook. I have a few wonderful Raw transition books and have been experimenting with a dehydrator to make sprouted "bread" and "cookies". In fact, I have been sprouting quite a lot which is becoming my favorite way to eat legumes and grains. It's amazing! All the while I am still eating things that make me happy, such as ice cream, but I am using recipes from a book called Vice Creams, which are based on almond milks or coconut meat.
It hasn't been easy. It's never easy to change your mindset. The main reason I am doing this is to consume less packaging, waste less resources. Eating raw means less processing, which is better for your body and the environment- eating foods with intact enzymes means more is available nutritionally for your body. Less packaging means less petroleum used, and we all know that this idea can only be for the good of our planet (and our society!)
You have to be careful when eating this way to be balanced and to eat a well rounded diet, lots of sprouted beans and grains for complete proteins. Adult humans do not need nearly the protein we advocate for ourselves (via the beef council); in fact only 10% for a normal adult or MAYBE 20-30% for a body builder. The rest should be balanced... none of this crazy "carb fear" or any of that bunk. Keep the sugar out, eat your grains and veggies, fruits and legumes and relax! I look great and feel even better.
7.12.2007
I'm back!
I'm back in town, just got a new apartment... looking forward to refurnishing my kitchen. My dear friend Anna is getting me a new ice cream maker; last summer when we shared a place doing research together, I made lots and lots of Stevia ice cream that she enjoyed greatly. So now when I make ice cream I can think fondly of her (and invite her over to eat as much as she likes!)
Things are looking up. It was tough, traveling and living out of my car, finding things to eat that worked well with me to keep my energy up. I even had to stoop to using a microwave to make nut butter cups while I was on my various externships. Hey, whatever works. What a giant relief to have a home base, a place to work from again.
The challenge now is restoring my kitchen. I am not going to have nearly what I did before, but that's ok. I bake less since giving up sugar, so some of it I don't need. Good thing! There's no oven where I live now, just a stove top. I know I eat a lot of flour, so it isn't a bad thing to adjust to. I baked maybe 4 times a year anyway- mostly in the fall and winter; and I have friends with ovens...
So. I'm back, and cookbook-less, and so I will become more creative in my endeavors. I hope you will continue to be inspired, there's more to come!
Things are looking up. It was tough, traveling and living out of my car, finding things to eat that worked well with me to keep my energy up. I even had to stoop to using a microwave to make nut butter cups while I was on my various externships. Hey, whatever works. What a giant relief to have a home base, a place to work from again.
The challenge now is restoring my kitchen. I am not going to have nearly what I did before, but that's ok. I bake less since giving up sugar, so some of it I don't need. Good thing! There's no oven where I live now, just a stove top. I know I eat a lot of flour, so it isn't a bad thing to adjust to. I baked maybe 4 times a year anyway- mostly in the fall and winter; and I have friends with ovens...
So. I'm back, and cookbook-less, and so I will become more creative in my endeavors. I hope you will continue to be inspired, there's more to come!
5.22.2007
Changes
Dear friends,
My life has taken some sad crazy changes lately and I have been working pretty hard to maintain an even keel. The house I was living in burned down 3 weeks ago, taking all I owned (except for a few pieces of jewelry) with it. It has been a surreal and pretty unimaginable few weeks, full of changes and challenges. The amount of support and outpouring of love and help has been incredible, and I can stand before you now saying yes, I'm ok, I'm surviving. My kitties did not. None of what I have worked my whole life to build has survived. When you come from nothing and build from nothing, it hurts to lose it all.
So three weeks later, I am traveling on my externships in my last year of veterinary school and am faced with a spectacular set of issues. Not only am I adjusting to living with an entirely new wardrobe and set of belongings (only, by choice and design, the bare minimum of what I require to get by!) but I am also meeting a lot of new people and traveling to unfamiliar places AND trying to maintain the lifestyle I have crafted for myself. Including eating well despite stress, strife and unfamiliar environments.
The first three weeks after the fire were pretty easy. I simply did not want to eat. For the first time in my life I experienced grief anorexia. I have never ever had a problem eating before. Never. When stress rolls along, I would usually seek comfort and be in danger of relapsing to my old sugar habits. Well, folks, surprise surprise... three weeks in unfamiliar digs, totally displaced, out of sorts, sleep deprived... I was barely getting what calories I needed and not even noticing.
That has come to ease of late but I am faced with the new challenge of living in a hotel that has fridges, just not one in my room. So I am adjusting to eating in a whole new way, still sticking to my guns of not eating sugar- tempted though I may be by the ease of prepared foods. And free hotel breakfast (I allow you to guess what that might entail). Not to mention life on the road with busy horse vets. Yeah- recipe for disaster, but I'm doing ok. My appetite is returning, and I am starting to wonder what the hell I'm going to eat for the next 10 weeks, while surviving in the way I know best.
I'm sleep deprived. I'm not getting enough veggies. I have no place to put them! I don't have the money to eat out all the time... so peanut butter and fruit spread are my options. Now, fruit spread is not ideal, I know- it's pretty much sugar, but I do get the 100% fruit kind and use very little. I am at a loss. No way to cook, nothing to really cook in. Bought a camp stove and fancy camp pot (and this neato swiss army fork/spoon thingie, wowie!) I am making do with having nothing except my car and the kindness of strangers.
So. Traveling... no sugar... this is not so much a challenge here, but I imagine the deeper south I go the more interesting it will get. We shall see, that's what I know.
My life has taken some sad crazy changes lately and I have been working pretty hard to maintain an even keel. The house I was living in burned down 3 weeks ago, taking all I owned (except for a few pieces of jewelry) with it. It has been a surreal and pretty unimaginable few weeks, full of changes and challenges. The amount of support and outpouring of love and help has been incredible, and I can stand before you now saying yes, I'm ok, I'm surviving. My kitties did not. None of what I have worked my whole life to build has survived. When you come from nothing and build from nothing, it hurts to lose it all.
So three weeks later, I am traveling on my externships in my last year of veterinary school and am faced with a spectacular set of issues. Not only am I adjusting to living with an entirely new wardrobe and set of belongings (only, by choice and design, the bare minimum of what I require to get by!) but I am also meeting a lot of new people and traveling to unfamiliar places AND trying to maintain the lifestyle I have crafted for myself. Including eating well despite stress, strife and unfamiliar environments.
The first three weeks after the fire were pretty easy. I simply did not want to eat. For the first time in my life I experienced grief anorexia. I have never ever had a problem eating before. Never. When stress rolls along, I would usually seek comfort and be in danger of relapsing to my old sugar habits. Well, folks, surprise surprise... three weeks in unfamiliar digs, totally displaced, out of sorts, sleep deprived... I was barely getting what calories I needed and not even noticing.
That has come to ease of late but I am faced with the new challenge of living in a hotel that has fridges, just not one in my room. So I am adjusting to eating in a whole new way, still sticking to my guns of not eating sugar- tempted though I may be by the ease of prepared foods. And free hotel breakfast (I allow you to guess what that might entail). Not to mention life on the road with busy horse vets. Yeah- recipe for disaster, but I'm doing ok. My appetite is returning, and I am starting to wonder what the hell I'm going to eat for the next 10 weeks, while surviving in the way I know best.
I'm sleep deprived. I'm not getting enough veggies. I have no place to put them! I don't have the money to eat out all the time... so peanut butter and fruit spread are my options. Now, fruit spread is not ideal, I know- it's pretty much sugar, but I do get the 100% fruit kind and use very little. I am at a loss. No way to cook, nothing to really cook in. Bought a camp stove and fancy camp pot (and this neato swiss army fork/spoon thingie, wowie!) I am making do with having nothing except my car and the kindness of strangers.
So. Traveling... no sugar... this is not so much a challenge here, but I imagine the deeper south I go the more interesting it will get. We shall see, that's what I know.
4.16.2007
The argument about Agave
I have to say that I am very excited that more and more people want to talk about giving up sugar, or at least cutting down on it and finding alternatives. Recently I've had the pleasure of talking shop with a well known Vegan baker from the western part of the state. She's been getting requests for all sorts of dietary discretions- like gluten free, for example- and has also been asked to make 'sugar free' delights, or at least sugar alternative.
So we chatted in the kitchen at a friend's party about alternatives. My own journey to this point began many years ago with a conversion over to 'alternative sugar'. These consist of barley malt, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, sucanat (the stuff they strip off the white sugar), maple syrup, date sugar, and honey. There are even several cookbooks out there devoted to "naturally sweet" desserts, focused entirely on using these products. I definitely encourage people who want to break away from white sugar slowly to go down this path; it's still sugar, yes, but there are merits to the method. It worked for me to help me wean off and become more aware of what I was taking into my body.
Of course, it is easy to trade one addiction for another- you can overindulge on 'alternative' sugar as easily as the white stuff. All things in moderation. However, many alternatives are whole foods (like date sugar, for example) and take a little longer to break down, with the added bonus of some minerals thrown in. I mean, if you are eating dessert you are consciously making the choice to eat something that isn't 'food' in the sustenance sense; but you can still do it as wisely as possible. I even use whole wheat flour every time I bake something (which is rare these days) in the hopes that even though I'm indulging, I'm not completely abusing my body.
Not all 'alternatives' are equal, and not all are benign either. The thing to consider when experimenting with these where on the glycemic index they fall. What is the glycemic index? You can try this website (http://www.glycemicindex.com/); here's my description: basically, most foods have some effect on the body in terms of insulin release. The simpler the carbohydrate (or in our case, the sweetener), the faster the insulin response, the faster the body breaks it down and the higher you 'spike' in terms of reaction. Some people are exquisitely sensitive to the ensuing reaction (like me). How this fits into the sweetner scheme goes a little like this: white table sugar is at the top. It is stripped down of anything other than pure sucrose, and the body recognizes it as a raw instant energy. Insulin is released quickly, the body deals with the influx very very fast and the sugar is used up or stored away, depending on your body's needs.
So if white table sugar is at the top, something like Stevia is at the very bottom. Or, say, certain meats, or if you decided to eat clay. Honey and maple syrup are very nearly pure sucrose, and so are essentially the same as white sugar in terms of body response. Brown rice syrup falls below that, along with barley malt; and agave is lower still. I can feel the effect of agave, but not nearly as much.
Anyway, we got to talking about Agave. This is a clever sweetner, derived from the agave cactus. Lots of people are turning to agave instead of honey or maple syrup- especially those vegan folks- as an alternative to sugar. It is sweet, but not overly so; still, it would be a mistake to say "I don't eat sugar" and then go and consume a bottle full of agave. If you want to be a purist, that is. Yes, it is definitely lower on the index, no question (some bottles advertise this fact on the label).
What is the argument then? Well it goes something like this. If you are the sort that likes to wean slowly off sugar, I encourage you to explore alternatives. Give agave and brown rice syrup a try. They can be cumbersome to figure out if you are not accustomed to baking; they are wet sweetners and you need to account for that. Plus they have a flavor all their own, and it takes determination to change a palate preference. It can be done, however. Barley malt is even more powerful in terms of lending its own peculiar flavor; I liked using it with recipes that have a strong flavor already, to drown it out. Use them wisely is all I am saying, and be clear that you are still evoking an insulin response from your body- perhaps not as extreme, but it is there nonetheless. It worked for me; I doubt I could have kicked sugar instantly without knowing how to make 'alternative' stuff for myself. There are cookbooks out there that can help you if you are curious.
So we chatted in the kitchen at a friend's party about alternatives. My own journey to this point began many years ago with a conversion over to 'alternative sugar'. These consist of barley malt, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, sucanat (the stuff they strip off the white sugar), maple syrup, date sugar, and honey. There are even several cookbooks out there devoted to "naturally sweet" desserts, focused entirely on using these products. I definitely encourage people who want to break away from white sugar slowly to go down this path; it's still sugar, yes, but there are merits to the method. It worked for me to help me wean off and become more aware of what I was taking into my body.
Of course, it is easy to trade one addiction for another- you can overindulge on 'alternative' sugar as easily as the white stuff. All things in moderation. However, many alternatives are whole foods (like date sugar, for example) and take a little longer to break down, with the added bonus of some minerals thrown in. I mean, if you are eating dessert you are consciously making the choice to eat something that isn't 'food' in the sustenance sense; but you can still do it as wisely as possible. I even use whole wheat flour every time I bake something (which is rare these days) in the hopes that even though I'm indulging, I'm not completely abusing my body.
Not all 'alternatives' are equal, and not all are benign either. The thing to consider when experimenting with these where on the glycemic index they fall. What is the glycemic index? You can try this website (http://www.glycemicindex.com/); here's my description: basically, most foods have some effect on the body in terms of insulin release. The simpler the carbohydrate (or in our case, the sweetener), the faster the insulin response, the faster the body breaks it down and the higher you 'spike' in terms of reaction. Some people are exquisitely sensitive to the ensuing reaction (like me). How this fits into the sweetner scheme goes a little like this: white table sugar is at the top. It is stripped down of anything other than pure sucrose, and the body recognizes it as a raw instant energy. Insulin is released quickly, the body deals with the influx very very fast and the sugar is used up or stored away, depending on your body's needs.
So if white table sugar is at the top, something like Stevia is at the very bottom. Or, say, certain meats, or if you decided to eat clay. Honey and maple syrup are very nearly pure sucrose, and so are essentially the same as white sugar in terms of body response. Brown rice syrup falls below that, along with barley malt; and agave is lower still. I can feel the effect of agave, but not nearly as much.
Anyway, we got to talking about Agave. This is a clever sweetner, derived from the agave cactus. Lots of people are turning to agave instead of honey or maple syrup- especially those vegan folks- as an alternative to sugar. It is sweet, but not overly so; still, it would be a mistake to say "I don't eat sugar" and then go and consume a bottle full of agave. If you want to be a purist, that is. Yes, it is definitely lower on the index, no question (some bottles advertise this fact on the label).
What is the argument then? Well it goes something like this. If you are the sort that likes to wean slowly off sugar, I encourage you to explore alternatives. Give agave and brown rice syrup a try. They can be cumbersome to figure out if you are not accustomed to baking; they are wet sweetners and you need to account for that. Plus they have a flavor all their own, and it takes determination to change a palate preference. It can be done, however. Barley malt is even more powerful in terms of lending its own peculiar flavor; I liked using it with recipes that have a strong flavor already, to drown it out. Use them wisely is all I am saying, and be clear that you are still evoking an insulin response from your body- perhaps not as extreme, but it is there nonetheless. It worked for me; I doubt I could have kicked sugar instantly without knowing how to make 'alternative' stuff for myself. There are cookbooks out there that can help you if you are curious.
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