Anyone losing weight should be encouraged to base snacks and meals from whole food, which refers to food that has not been processed or manipulated with preservatives and chemicals. The food on your plate should resemble its source as closely as possible.
Refined white sugar is harmful for any diet simply because it is so devoid of nutritional value of its own, it actually robs your body of nutrients to metabolize it evenly. Just like anything else, a little bit will not hurt too much, but your health will greatly improve with a significant reduction of white sugar in your diets. Too much sugar:
- causes weight gain
- causes hyperactivity, anxiety, tooth decay, difficulty concentrating and irritability
- feeds cancer cells and suppresses immune function
- causes your skin to prematurely age and wrinkle due to a loss of tissue elasticity
- can weaken eyesight, cause diabetes, gallstones and appendicitis
- leave you feeling depressed when you crash after a sugar high
How do you sweeten food safely without it being detrimental to your health and weight loss efforts? By using the following products:
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Honey: Food of the honey bees for their growth and young bees contains many minerals and is considered excellent for removing the phlegm and allergy from the body. Honey is sweeter than white sugar, so use only three-quarters the amount of sugar called for. Honey, due to its moisture content, is best in dishes where moisture content doesn't matter like sauces or beverages. It should be ideally drizzled on top of hot food or mixed with lemon as a dressing. Cooking or using while baking makes honey toxic.
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Figs (Anjeer): Figs were used as a sweetening ingredient well before sugar was ever known. The figs contain over 50% sugar. They are good as natural laxative, rich source of iron and very natural sweetener. It can be cooked in recipes and should be presoaked for better taste.
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Dates (Khajur): Dates can contain up to 60% sugars and that percentage is increased with drying as the water evaporates from the fruit. Date sugar is made by drying dates and pulverizing them to a granular powder. When using date sugar, take care not to use the sugar in dishes that require dissolving sugar in a liquid. Date sugar does not dissolve well. Instead, use it in cooked or baked goods. It lends a pleasant taste specially with Indian dishes. Date sugar tends to be sweeter than white or brown sugars, substituting half the amount of date sugar would yield the appropriate sweetness to the dish.
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Jaggery (Gur): Jaggery is a "natural" sweetener made by the concentration of sugarcane juice. It is a dark, coarse, unrefined sugar. Jaggery, which accounts for 50 percent of the sugar eaten in India, is made from sugar cane and is processed by a method not unlike that used to make maple syrup. It is an excellent source of iron and it also removes toxins from lungs. It may cause sudden spike of blood sugar levels, so diabetics have to be cautious and use this in moderation.
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Raisins (Kishmish): Raisins added to kheer or any dish as a sweetening agent gives both health and taste. It can be cooked gently as a fruit also.
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Dried prunes, apples etc: They are excellent for adding color, texture and taste to desserts and salads.
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Fruits: Fruits can be served as desserts by lightly sautéing them in olive oil and poring over walnuts, almonds hazelnuts and pineapple.
Also, train yourself to eat more vegetables that are bitter in nature. This helps balance your system of taste, in turn making healthy carbohydrate choices taste sweeter.
