Where Sugar Lurks & Avoiding Sweet Chemical Soup Part 3

What can you eat then?

In our home we like to substitute with honey & stevia.

Some people also like to use agave nectar & pure maple syrup.

These natural sugars ( as well as fruit ) are considered the "good sugars".

Here's the low down on these:

• Honey is sweeter than sugar, meaning you can use less of it to get a sweet taste. Honey also contains vitamins & minerals, and may even help with digestion! Honey is also less processed and is natural.
• Stevia appears to have no effect on blood glucose levels. It is also heat stable. It is natural. It has 0 calories. There are still studies being done on stevia, however it has been used for a long time in Japan and Brazil.
• Agave is derived from a plant in Mexico. Some agave is highly processed and other agave is not, it is best to go with agave that has little processing. There is still ongoing research on agave. 
• Maple Syrup is a good source of Manganese. It can also be a good support to the heart and the immune system. Must be 100% pure maple syrup though.

Whatever you use, whether it be honey or stevia, or any of the other natural sweeteners...it is important to know that even though "good sugar", they are still a form of sugar, and are best used in moderation.

As for white sugar, brown sugar, HFCS, and chemical sugar substitutes, I would like to see these eliminated from your diet. 

It can be hard, but there are alternatives to the sugar laden products.

A conversion chart for sugar & stevia.

Eventually after removing bad sugars from your life, you will slowly stop craving them. It takes time, but our bodies have been conditioned over the years to crave the unhealthy sugars.

Here are some great products that don't contain bad sugar:

• Organic Cucina Antica Low Fat Italiano dressing (GF): sweetened with honey!
• Frank's Red Hot Sauce Original : No sweeteners
• Krema Natural Smooth & Creamy peanut butter: The only ingredient is peanuts!
• Del Grosso Hot Salsa Chunky Style (GF): No sweeteners!
• Dei Fratelli  Petite Diced Tomatoes (GF): All natural and no sweeteners! Be sure to read labels though because a couple of their products do contain sugar.
• OrganicVille Pomegranate Organic Vinaigrette (GF) : sweetened with agave! 
• Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (GF): no sweeteners! Do read labels however because I did see sugar in some of their other broths.
• Organicville Organic Ketchup (GF/VEGAN): sweetened with agave.

Just say NO to sugar.

Want to know more about sugar? Please read the sites below. These are some of the sites I used as resources for the entire series.

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Resources:
http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/how-sugar-affects-your-body.aspx
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073
http://www.everydiet.org/1001/sugar-and-artificial-sugar-facts
http://www.theironyou.com/2012/01/stevia-good-or-bad.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=115
http://bodyecology.com/articles/25_reasons_to_avoid_sugar.php
http://www.alive.com/articles/view/16577/good_sugars_bad_sugars
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all
http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/stevia.aspx
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-effects-of-sugar?page=3
http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/honeyhistory.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/023085_sugar_fat_fats.html
http://rippedfitlife.com/content/6-foods-hidden-sugar
http://dailyrightsweet.blogspot.com/
..and more. I did a lot of reading!

If you would like to watch a video about sugar & why it's bad, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM (Sugar: The Bitter Truth)

( it's 1 hr 37 min long)

Disclaimer here.