Sorry, it's me again. I hope you don't get sick of me, but I have a lot to learn! I was just wondering what your opinions are on sugar replacements.
We have been doing 100% raw organic agave, and then I read the debate on whether it's actually much better than High Fructose Corn Syrup, etc. I think it is if it is raw and organic, but maybe I'm just ignorant?
Also, what do you think about Xylitol? It seems like with all the benefits to xylitol, it's a no brainer to use that in place of sugar, but I've heard it's not very good to bake with.
Stevia? Sucanat? Etc? Help!
Also, do any of you use nutritional yeast? I've heard people use it in place of parmesan cheese sprinkled on their pasta, etc.
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Oooh ... nutritional yeast is yummy, and very good for you. I have used it in a few recipes to get a bit of cheesiness, and I thought it was quite a decent substitute... although it really wouldn't be something that could be used in more than a tablespoon I think and be effective... I wouldn't take a normal recipe that calls for 1/3 cup parmesan and substitute nutritional yeast... I wouldn't think that would work... if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the sugar thing... I personally think that agave is better than refined white sugar and certainly high fructose corn syrup. I guess I haven't read the opposing arguments, but everything I have read tells me my body responds differently to agave and you don't get the same kind of blood sugar spike as with normal sugars. I also am a fan of using honey and dates. I used Stevia for a long time to sweeten plain lowfat yogurt, but since I'm trying not to eat yogurt I haven't really found a use for it since. You buy it in a powder or a liquid drop form, and again- it's not something you could substitute for in a baking recipe... the powder form comes in 'sweet n' low' type pouches. I have heard that people who drink tea really like to use it instead of sugar. I'm not a tea drinker so I couldn't really apply it in that way. I have never even heard of xylitol! What is that? Em, I bet you have... And Whit don't you use Sucanat? For me, I have to balance cost in all of this so I stick with honey and agave.
Reading about your success with giving up refined sugars is inspiring! I used to be of the mindset "If I'm going to indulge... then I should just INDULGE..." but lately my mind might be changing on that. In fact it definitely is. I'll let you know if I'm able to have success and share any good recipes. Emily is so good at posting healthy treats!
Here is where I got my information on Xylitol.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.themayfiles.com/2009/01/how-to-make-sense-of-natural-sugar.html
It seems like a no brainer to use it since it seems like it does so much in addition to being a 1:1 sugar substitute, but have any of you used it?