Latest posts by Michael Shaw (see all)
- Healthy Pancake Recipes for Celiac’s Disease or Gluten Intolerants - September 17, 2011
- Get Healthier Now by Switching to Unrefined Sugars - August 7, 2011
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Raw, pure honey
Giving Up Sugar for its Healthier, Unrefined Sugar cousin
Let’s be realistic: giving up sugar is a noble goal, but (unlike unrefined sugar) far beyond the bounds of likelihood for most of us. Having a taste for sweet things is part of our human makeup. Some will tell you that eating refined sugars of any kind are bad for you, not only for your teeth, but also for your weight; sugar has a pretty solid reputation for being addictive, and that means it’s hard for us to be satisfied with just a little taste.
But others, meanwhile, will tell you to be wary of any dogma that is so extreme. They’ll also point out that we as a culture have been eating sugar for generations, and that sugar naysayers have come and gone over the years, based on trends. I like to think that I come out in the thoughtful middle, between these two sides: sugar is clearly not good for us, based on both numerous studies, and anecdotal evidence that we can all observe in friends and acquaintances, through their eating habits and the body types and health issues that go with them.
But giving up sugar completely is unrealistic not just because of our will power, or lack thereof; it’s more a case of sugar being so omnipresent in our food that it’s very tricky to avoid, especially whenever we eat out or over at friends’ or relatives’ houses.
Unrefined Sugar = Healthier Alternative
But that said, we can control our own options-what we choose to buy for ourselves and our family to have at home; we can reduce the amounts of refined sugar we keep at the ready where we live, and the less of it we buy, the less of it we’ll eat. The easiest way to transition away from consuming refined sugars is to opt instead for unrefined sugar. The top three options in this category, in my opinion, are stevia, raw honey, and maple syrup.
Think about how much sweetener you use in your coffee or tea, or your cereal. If you’re a “”¦with two sugars” kind of guy or gal, your sugar consumption will add up quickly, and that’s not a great foundation to work from. Experiment with unrefined sugar options as a substitute. Notice that I didn’t include agave nectar, aka agave sweetener, in my list; that’s because several very solid sources have recently proclaimed that agave is no better than high-fructose corn syrup, and that in some cases, agave-makers even add HFCS itself to agave as a filler. Either way, agave is a substantially-processed product, and so even though it may have a glycemic index that’s lower than table sugar, I can’t recommend it.
So instead, try these unrefined sugar options:
Stevia, the natural sweetener that comes from a plant, has an incredibly high sweetness density, so start with just a tiny pinch in whatever you’re sweetening; you can always add another pinch if one’s not enough.
Check for raw honey’s authenticity on its label; look for “100% raw,” “unpasteurized,” etc. Make sure it comes from a legitimate source (if you buy it in a health food store, you can ask). Raw honey often comes in a whitish, creamed form, which is much denser and thicker than the flowing, golden kind that we’re used to; but it’s a clear sign that it is raw, and unpasteurized. Because honey is so heavy, try to limit yourself to smaller portions, like half a teaspoon, say, so you don’t overdo it on sugars/calories (even though it’s not a refined sugar, it’s still a sugar, and that = calories).
Maple syrup can’t avoid some level of processing (they don’t sell what comes straight from the tree), but we know, for the most part, that it comes from a basic source, and is additive-free if it is in fact 100% maple syrup, the only kind you should buy, even if it is more expensive. The more common product you’ll find on grocery store aisles, usually called “pancake syrup” or similar, is mostly corn syrup, and that’s not what you want. Besides, as any refined palette will tell you: maple syrup tastes better.
By switching to unrefined sugar with these basic foundation changes, you’ll have a huge leg up on reaching much healthier standards for sugar in your diet, which, in the long run, will really pay off.
