UPDATED ON 10/14/2016 with my husband’s position on Sugar, a manifesto of sorts (click here)!
...same as it ever was, and of course, Cuisinicity is right in line with him!
Put sugar in its place! …and I mean that quite literally! One of the key governing principles for good cooking and healthy eating is the idea of a place for everything and everything in its place.
For centuries, there has long been a place for sugar in the human diet and there wasn’t a problem with obesity or diabetes. Added sugar occupied a very specific place: It was in “sweets” and it was in “treats” and it was in limited quantities.
Nowadays, sugar is ubiquitous in our food supply and it really is the dose that makes the poison! Sugar does not need to be a “poison” to be toxic to health at the high doses that prevail these days. There is nothing intrinsically toxic or poisonous about sugar but, in excess, it is indeed harmful to us.
So, if you drink sugar all day long from soda, and if you eat sugar in foods that are not even supposed to be sweet, like salad dressings and pasta sauces, and chips and crackers where you don’t even know it’s hiding (for example, I talk about choosing a marinara sauce without added sugar on my Cooking class video here)
AND…
if, even when you DO expect a product to be a little sweet, like a cereal, for example, there is an inordinately high amount of sugar in it, then, you wind up getting way too much sugar in your overall diet.
Let me show you what I mean with that cereal example: You expect some sugar in that product but you certainly wouldn’t expect sugar to be the main ingredient in that cereal, right ?
First, let me digress for a moment and give you an easy clue to remember about the rules for the order in which ingredients are listed on a food label:
THE FIRST INGREDIENT ON A FOOD LABEL IS THE MOST ABUNDANT!
This slide was taken from our Nutrition Detectives Program teaching kids that the Mama duck in the front who leads all her ducklings is always the BIGGEST, much in the same way that the first ingredient in a food label is always THE BIGGEST!
So, would you expect this food label, where sugar is listed as the first ingredient, hence the most abundant, to be in the back of a box of cereal or….. in the back of a candy bar?
I would say… Candy bar, right? After all, we all know that sugar is mostly what you get and expect in candy, no surprise there….
BUT, in fact, it appears in the back of a cereal box, masquerading as part of a complete breakfast for our kids!
So, leave it, there are much better choices of cereal out there!
I highly recommend you read an exposé by Pulitzer prize winner journalist Michael Moss, entitled: “The extraordinary science of addictive junk food” that will give you a reality check on how the food industry willfully engineers its products to be cravable, a euphemism for addictive!
Take this little test (click HERE) designed by www.healthyfoodamerica.org to estimate how much stealth sugar you could be consuming each day!
BUT…..
if your entire diet is pure and wholesome;
if, when you are thirsty, you drink mostly water;
if, when you are eating bread, crackers and chips, and salad dressings and pasta sauces and entrees, you choose the ones that are not made with added sugar which DOES NOT NEED TO BE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE;
if, even when you choose products you expect to be sweet, you choose carefully to “screen” them for an inordinately high amount of sugar like in the example above;
then, you have left the opportunity to put a bit of sugar where it does belong and where it can confer the greatest pleasure: in desserts! Check my Cookie Makeover!
Mind you, this is NOT to say you should have dessert every night, unless it is in the form of simple fresh fruit! Dessert is a treat, so keep that in mind!
I show you just what I mean, in this cooking class video, albeit in a little more babbling lengthy way than I could have (I have gotten better at talking in front of the camera since I filmed this, but I think I get my point across nonetheless). I did cringe a little watching it again, so if you don’t have 7 minutes to spare, by all means, skip it (HAHAHA!)
Moreover, as you trade up your choices and cut out all that superfluous sugar, you will find that you actually also put your taste buds through rehab (my husband has written about it extensively!) and those desserts you used to crave become almost sickeningly too sweet for your taste!
That really is part of the intent with good cooking. YES- we want food to be good for us but an EMPHATIC YES- we also want food to BE good!
Cuisinicity puts all ingredients in their proper place and, in so doing, it leaves a place for sugar, salt and cooking oils. I have written about these in other posts here, here and here! Because the emphasis is on the most wholesome foods in always sensible combinations, the place for these things tends to be a small place, so that we get maximal benefit and pleasure with minimal dose: a scientific-minded “equation” of sorts–oh, my Princeton neuroscientist days do come back to haunt me!
So, it is with that “equation” in mind that I create all my desserts:
I use regular sugar–I never use artifical sweeteners— my husband explains why in a great article he wrote entitled “too sweet for the sweet spot” here— and I always titrate it to the least amount that I can “get away” with so that my dessert is perfectly sweet, but not too much.
Amazingly enough, another way that I am able to cut down on the amount of sugar in my baked goods is by taking out the salt or baking soda that all such recipes usually call for (I elaborate more on this in my Cookie Makeover post here).
I sometimes use the natural lactose found in fat-free powdered milk as a sweetener to replace some of the sugar content, when it doesn’t affect the texture of the cookie or the cake. This little trick applies to my older recipes as my baking has become more vegan.
I also often replace the sugar altogether with ripe fruit such as bananas, apple sauce or pureed pumpkin, or unsweetened dried fruit such as dates, figs, raisins, or even nuts as a natural source of sweetness. Here are some delicious examples of perfectly sweet desserts and smoothies with NO ADDED SUGAR–NO HONEY, NO SYRUP, NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS…N-O-N-E!
So, with this prelude, I invite you to explore my desserts, starting with the ones that I featured on my home page today, so you can see first-hand how I am able to titrate down the sugar to a minimal amount for a perfectly sweet-tasting result! Try some and you be the judge of that and let me know, OK?!
It never ceases to amaze me how much less sugar I end up using when I compare my dessert recipes to the “norms” out there. Who needs all that extra sugar? I certainly don’t, and I think your tastebuds will agree too!
That really is the sweet spot: maximal pleasure from minimal sugar in your diet, because that sugar is kept strictly…in its place!
Enjoy!
Oh my goodness Catherine, your new post about sugar appeared in my inbox at just the right time!! Two days ago I had the best baklava (a greek, honey SOAKED phyllo-nut pastry) I’ve ever tasted!! (Definitely “hyper-palatable”).
As a result, I have been thinking about it ever since and how I would love to go back to the restaurant and pick up some more :((( Thankfully, I resisted doing that yesterday, and feel a little more in control today. ( I am not proud that I ate something that I know is so bad for my body, but typically I’m ok with “splurging” every once in a while on ‘homemade” sweets).
Well, this indulgence went way beyond enjoying some “homemade” sweets!! The intensity of the sugar and taste of the baklava obviously effected my brain’s reward center big time!!
This dining experience reminded me that even “homemade” delicacies can be highly addictive! But NOT if they come from your recipe file on Cuisinicity!!
I made your scrumptious vegan banana cake several months ago and my husband and I enjoyed every bit of it!! What was so amazing about it, was how absolutely delectable it was, without being overly sweet!!! I did not crave sugar the next morning, like I did after eating the highly sweetened baklava!!
As part of my “tastebud rehab”, I’ll be making your banana cake again today (my husband and I will have it over the next several days). I will also be adding beans to my dinner menu tonight as your Cuisinicity site always seems to remind me that I need to be eating more beans and lentils!!
Thanks, once again, for all of your wonderful recipes and for keeping people like me, on track!!
All the best,
Caroline
Well said, Catherine! I appreciate you wholesome and realistic approach to sugar. I think your point about the added salt and sugar to compensate is a good one! You always seem to find a delicate balance in your recipes. I love the video! Your terrace makes me want to cozy up with a cup of coffee and breathe in the fresh air of forest! Thanks for inviting us!
Aw Thank you Denine! Come on over!!! 🙂
You KNOW how much I love that Flourless Choco Cake, Catherine! It’s gonna be even more yummy with the medjool dates, imho. Wait lemme get the recipe link for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet…http://cuisinicity.com/flourless-chocolate-cake/ I think it’s a fave among many of us 😉
Hahaha yes it is indeed Donna!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Many years ago, my doc put me on a no-yeast diet. That’s actually a great diet and includes abstinence from sugar, which she said is yeast-producing in the body. I started reading food labels of all the foods I bought. Boy did I find out just how much sugar goes into processed foods! Thanks for this reminder to eliminate or at least significantly reduce the amount of processed foods in our diets.
Absolutely right, Donna and you are so very welcome!
As is, even as low in added sugar as my desserts are, I continuously try to titrate it down, by replacing it with the natural sugar found in fruit. In fact, I am currently working on my popular flourless chocolate cake to see if I could replace some or all of the sugar with medjool dates, just as I do in my Crème au Chocolat. So it’s always a work in progress for me, pushing the line as far back toward healthy nutrition but making sure it still stays delicious. So, stay tuned!!! 🙂
Hi Catherine,
I just read you post on sugar!!! It was a good reminder for me to be more careful about checking labels for sugar!! Unfortunately, I do eat more than I should (it seems after I turned 50, I began craving it so much more??). I did however make your banana bread and it came out perfect!!
My husband and our neighbors loved it!! I’m glad I had them to share it with or I’m afraid I would have eaten all of it myself-ha!! (actually I don’t think I would have eaten all of it but definitely at least halve!! (but only small pieces at a time-ha!!
Thanks again for all of your spectacular recipes!!!- I wish I had a piece of your apple cake right this very minute :))
Take care,
Caroline
HAHAHA! I always LOVE your comments!!! I missed you!!Thank you so much! 🙂
Thank you Catherine ! I am batteling the “healthy” cereal front @ day care, where other parents bring this as healthy weekly snack for everyone. I also do not forbid my girl to have class snack with everybody else …
Hi Sibylle,
I am so with you on this! I remember those days too, but maybe the best way to confront it is by bringing in some better cereal(high fiber, low sugar, low salt, no transfat) that kids will love and back yourself up by sharing this post, perhaps. That may be a nice start to the conversation.
Excellent article Catherine with such an important message
Thank you Barbara! 🙂
Your recipes are what the doctor ordered (literally!) and I am most grateful for your website and passion for teaching others about preparing wholesome meals.
I popped some white popcorn in scent-free coconut oil last night and sprinkled it sparingly with melted Irish butter and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. As you mentioned, my taste buds have been overhauled and now I taste sweetness in places I used to miss (milk, celery, nutmeg). So while eating my “healthy” snack I sensed an extra sweetness (beyond what I’d expect from the corn and butter) and was dumbfounded because I made this myself and was sure I had not sprinkled it with sugar. I suspected there was possible nutmeg (there wasn’t) in the seasoned salt and went to read the label. Lo and behold the second ingredient was sugar! It was listed ahead of the spices, onion and garlic.
You are correct – it is everywhere it shouldn’t be.
Thank you again. I will be trying some of your amazing recipes – even an occasional dessert!
Teresa
Thank you so much Teresa for such great feedback! I know exactly what you mean! Even when we are well-intentioned we find surprises in these ingredients lists! They can be so sneaky but forewarned is our best protection!
I am so happy you love my recipes and YAY for putting sugar back where it really belongs–our yummy desserts!
The pleasure is mine! Hoping to really meet you!! Have you ever been in Italy??
Yes! I love Italy! I have been there many times! Anche a me, mi piaccerebbe molto di conescerla!
Really interesting Catherine…I hope to find an italian version of your Cuisinicity before or after!!!
Grazie, Frederica! Da dove e Lei?
Dear Catherine…I’m an Italian Nutritionist. I was born in Rome and I’m living in Civitanova Marche (little place on the beach between Ancona and Pescara). I’m a follower of your husband theories…and from few months I’m approaching at “the web”. I’ve got a personal website (but I’m going to renew it) http://www.federicasanges.it and a blog http://www.nutrizioniste.net!!! Anyway…I’m even an ex basketball player and, above all, a mum and a wife!!
Such a pleasure to “meet” you Frederica!
thanks! very interesting! put the ingrédients in their proper place , that”s the question! have a good day !
Indeed Martine! A leur place!!
Dear Catherine, Thank you for writing about the detrimental effects of too much sugar. One of the main problems with having too much sugar in our diet is the increase in the diagnosis of “Fatty Liver” in this country. Fatty Liver over time can lead to Cirrhosis of the Liver and eventually death.