Jul 22 2008
Sweet(ener) Low Down
If, when you think of sweeteners, immediately you start humming “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, you’re not alone.
Generally speaking, there are two types of sweeteners, nutritive and non-nutritive. Among the nutritive are sugar alcohols, honey, fruits, and syrups (including maple, sugar beet, corn, cane, golden, barley malt, Molasses, brown rice, and agave).
Non-nutritive sweeteners include Acesulfame potassium (also known as Sunett), Alitame (also known as Aclame), Aspartame (also known as Equal or Nutrasweet), Saccharin (also known as Sweet ‘n’ Low), and Sucralose (also known as SucraPlus and Splenda).
The rule of thumb is that natural is always better than synthetic sugar, however, white refined sugar has been linked to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
Over the years, I’ve gone from using the blue packet, to the yellow, and, finally, I’ve landed on Stevia, or “sweetleaf,” an herb that has no calories and provides a natural sweetener that’s concentrated (It’s about 30 times sweeter than sugar!).
I get mine at my local Co-Op, where it’s sold in a tincture bottle. It’s convenient enough that I bring it with me when I’m dining out to sweeten tea and coffee. I’ve even used a drop or two in recipes in the past, but I don’t recommend baking with it, as baking recipes need the bulk granulated sugar provides.
Green Festival™ hits Washington, D.C., November 8 & 9 at the Washington Convention Center, and San Francisco, Calif., November 14, 15 & 16 at the Concourse Exhibition Center.
Green Festival is a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America, is akin to a walk through a sustainable community.
The festival features more than 125 renowned authors, leaders [...]
If you’ve ever contemplated going vegan, now’s the time during World Go Vegan Days, which started October 25 and run through October 31.
Created by In Defense of Animals (IDA), World Go Vegan Days is an annual event to educate people about the vegan lifestyle. During World Go Vegan Days, IDA encourages people to become conscious of what [...]
Fall is my favorite time of year for many reasons (my wedding anniversary is in October, I love Halloween–scary movies in particular, we adopted our dog in October, the trees are pretty, the air is crisp and clean, etc.).
Plus, I start seeing one of my favorite types of produce in the stores this time of [...]
Don’t know beans about beans? Never fear!
Here’s a quick lesson on beans, which pack quite a powerful healthy punch (they are high in protein, and may also help protect against heart disease, diabetes, and obesity).
Kidney Beans (pictured above)
These red beans are often found in chili and contain almost as much antioxidant power as wild blueberries.
Navy [...]
Leave it to New York City to not only host one of the coolest foodie events ever, but also provide the backdrop for the ever-addictive “Top Chef” on Bravo.
But before we talk boob tube, let’s talk festival.
Thursday, October 9, through Sunday, October 12, The Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival takes a [...]