I need help and thought I would come to the field of experts. You all seem to know so much more than I and are health-conscious. I am looking for alternatives to using processed white sugar in everyday cooking and baking. I am also doing research about growing Stevia. Can anyone help me?
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January 23, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Lauren
I’ll take no accolades, because I am health-conscious only from necessity. I have heard absolutely nothing negative about Stevia and have tasted it in tea someone made for me, and I thought it was wonderful. It is very sweet, and it takes very little, so you can’t use it measure for measure to make up for lost sugar volume in a recipe. I’ve had very bad experience with Splenda-sweetened ice cream, and a little research showed that I am not the only one. A huge number of people report horrific diarrhea from it. Maybe some people can use it without this effect.
Is it just processed white sugar you find objectionable? If you are not glucose intolerant, why not use molasses or honey? Certainly I would if I could. As for using a liquid sweetener instead of a dry, I think you can easily google the necessary cooking adjustments for this, and also there should be plenty of info on the Internet about substituting honey for sugar volume for volume in a recipe.
January 24, 2010 at 10:03 pm
mengmom
We also use honey and molasses to sweeten certain things. We also use stevia in tea sometimes. I know that a lot of people use sucanant as a white sugar alternative. It has a bit of a molasses flavor to it. It took me a little while to get used to the sucanant, but now I think it tastes great and I actually prefer it to white sugar. Also, there don’t seem to be any of the nasty sugar spikes connected with the sucanant since it is minimally processed.
Like Lauren, I’m no expert either. But, there you have my two cents. I think that the old rule of ‘all things in moderation’ especially applies to sweeteners.
January 24, 2010 at 10:46 pm
countrylane
Mengmom, do you use the sucanant in baking? And where do you find this?
January 25, 2010 at 1:53 pm
mengmom
Yes, I do use the sucanant in baking. I order it through Mary’s co-op. You can get it in five pound bags. The price seems a little outlandish at first, but once you start using it you will realize that you don’t have to use as much of it at one time as you would of the white sugar. I usually cut the amount of sugar that a recipe calls for in half when I substitute it with sucanant.
If you get on the co-op’s website, you will find out that they actually have a large selection of alternative sweetners. Such as, agave nectar and Rapadura. Some say that Rapadura is actually less processed than the sucanant while others say that it’s the other way around. I would guess that they are both sufficient substitutes for white table sugar. The web address is http://www.somethingbetternaturalfoods.com
January 25, 2010 at 9:43 pm
countrylane
Thanks soooo much for the info and the website’s address :) You have been very helpful!
January 26, 2010 at 3:21 am
Laura
Not a shadow of expertise here, but I have had good experiences with agave nectar, though I’ve never bought it/cooked with it myself. There’s this flavored water we like that uses it, and it tastes very “natural,” no pun intended. They sell it at every Trader Joe’s I’ve ever been to; don’t know if you have those where you are? I forget if you live in IN near Heidi too.