Sugar is something we love to eat, but it needs to be given up. It's true that avoiding added sugars is a health priority these days. Here are some ways to cut back on sugar without giving up that sweet, comforting flavor forever.
The good deal? Swap sugar for a healthier alternative. Here are a few spoonfuls of these replacements that are more in line with theClean Eating trend.
We swallow way too much sugar!
The figures are overwhelming, because to this day we still consume too much sugar. About four times more than the recommended amount. If we assume, of course, that it is recommended to eat it! In reality, sugar is naturally present in food - plants contain it - and these are so-called natural sugars, as opposed to added sugars.
But are they so different?
Added sugar, called sucrose, in pieces - small or large -, in powder, slips into all industrial preparations , sweet AND salty (often in too large quantities) most often in the form of glucose syrup. This is without counting the one that we add generously in homemade dessert recipes, on fruit salads or even in certain salty recipes (tagines, stews, etc.). We could be satisfied with natural sugar (it is not better, because it looks very much like added sugar, it is just natural). This natural sugar is born in plants under the action of the sun, thanks to photosynthesis. Its only notable difference? In a plant, natural sugar is accompanied by fibers, minerals, which makes it more assimilable. In industrial preparations, the sugar ends up immediately in the blood and triggers a rise in insulin... Which, later, gives the famous hypoglycemic attack. As for color, white or brown, it's the same. From beetroot, it is white, from sugar cane, it is naturally brown. In both cases, this sugar only provides empty calories so don't see any benefit in it.
A pinch anyway
On the other hand, sugar in everyone's education is the sweetness of childhood, birthday snacks, toast lovingly prepared by mom or grandparents, "reward" candies. Moreover, in the collective unconscious, sugar means reward. In maternity wards, some give sweetened water for its analgesic properties to infants before performing painful medical procedures. Furthermore, sugar activates the neurological circuit of reward and motivation in the brain thanks to the secretion of endogenous dopamine and morphine (the one that the body naturally produces to soothe pain). We really need sugar and feeling pleasure when eating something sweet does not make you an addict.
Warning, risk of addiction
The little laboratory mice that are the guinea pigs of this totally addictive ingredient and many studies prove that sugar is a drug as alienating (if not more so!) as real drugs. A study carried out in 2007 by the CNRD, proved that refined sugar had, on rats, a stronger attractive power than that of cocaine.
Sugar, now considered a real addiction, affects millions of people worldwide according to the same study and causes obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers. Moreover, sugar consumption has increased from two kilos per person per year at the beginning of the 19th century to 35 kilos per person per year today. Sugar, which was synonymous with elite and wealth, obtaining it was a kind of injunction to success, has become a kind of unconscious addiction, because it is too often ingested without our knowledge. Since the 2000s, science has been concerned about this and has tried to raise public awareness of the risks of becoming diabetic due to excess sugar in the diet. And this abuse of sugar is the opposite of Clean Eating .
Sweet? Yes, but hidden
We can't see sugars, but they are there and think they can circulate incognito behind their barbaric names. Here are their little spy names that will allow you to flush them out: saccharose, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, galactose, dextrin, maltodextrin, glucose syrup, rucola, isoglucose, corn syrup, invert sugar, molasses, caramel. Even if they are more interesting, these sugars often have no place in savory dishes: date syrup, barley malt, cornstarch, potato starch, corn or wheat starch, rice starch. Some boast in most freeze-dried vegetables, and even in culinary bouillon cubes! Also remember to limit your consumption of (very) sweet soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, cold cuts and industrial steaks, including veggie steaks, breakfast cereals, even so-called “healthy” granolas when they are industrial.
Reduce all raw vegetables in trays, tabbouleh and salads (often full of sugar and salt, the works!), sandwich bread which is a real-false friend all sugar (and not all honey) without fiber, full of gluten and super sweet. Tomato sauces also hide their game well, not to mention many salty products which are nevertheless among the most beautiful organic shelves.
Sugar is powerful, it imposes itself, we have loved it for so long that it is hard not to give in to its little game of seduction. It is not surprising that manufacturers cannot resist it either, even if they know very well that sugar (just like salt) is extremely addictive.
Replacing sugar is trendy!
Phew, the key opinion leaders of healthy nutrition (naturopaths, chefs, dieticians, etc.) are crazy about all the natural substitutes that push sugar out of the kitchen. The good news is that the list of our sweet cravings is getting longer and longer. On the menu:
Whole sugar (or whole sugar)
Its seductive asset? Derived from sugar cane, it is unrefined and therefore less processed than its white counterpart and therefore retains its nutritional benefits (especially potassium and magnesium). Be careful, brown sugar is not whole sugar, it can even be white sugar with coloring.
Maple syrup
Obtained from maple sap, it is collected in the spring by a boiling process. Rich in antioxidants and terpene, an acid that plays a role in sugar metabolism, it also has anti-inflammatory properties. It has more character than agave syrup and therefore, we use less of it, because it has a very distinctive flavor.
Honey
It is the number one competitor of the small white rectangle. So much more interesting, the nectar of the hives contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, vitamins B and C, antioxidants and as a bonus, it takes much less to obtain the same sweetening power as sugar (about half as much). Choose it organic, from a safe source (European Union), and avoid honey blends (the name "honey blends outside the EU") whose origin is dubious as is its composition (it is sometimes cut with sugar or water.). If it is rich in fructose, it is still sugar which has the same drawbacks (rapid absorption, less interesting than when you bite into a whole fruit with the same quantity of fructose).
Coconut sugar
Do you see the coconut flowers? It's their sap, heated from which we collect the nectar once the water has evaporated. Rich in vitamin B, minerals and antioxidants, it has a slightly lower glycemic index than white sugar, but the difference is in the match of interesting nutrients against empty calories. And there, coconut sugar wins.
Agave syrup
It looks just like honey! Coming from a Mexican cactus, it is very sweet with a fairly low glycemic index if this agave syrup is of good quality. Like all sweetening ingredients, its fructose content is high and it is stored as fat if you overdo it.
Birch sugar
Coming from birch bark, this fake sugar has almost the same flavor, but with a lower glycemic index, so it is more interesting. Be careful with the quantities, it has laxative properties.
Stevia
With its low glycemic index, low in calories, it is much sweeter than sugar (nearly 200 times!). It is therefore easy to consume very little of it. Coming from a South American plant, its slight liquorice taste is not always pleasing.
Cereal and fruit sugars
Less well-known, natural derivatives of rice or barley for the former, they are used a lot in savory stews. Fruit sugars, from dates, pears or apples are interesting because they provide some of the nutrients of the plant from which they are extracted.
What about aspartame?
He was the very first to try to replace sugar to the point of no longer having anything sweet except a similar flavor. However, he manages to fool our body so much that it leads it to secrete insulin to metabolize it… While there is no sugar. Hats off! As a result, everything is unbalanced. This little game has been going on since the 60s when aspartame was developed in a completely artificial way and obviously without any nutritional interest.
They have some really sweet tips
Angèle Ferreux-Maeght, naturopath and chef of "Guingette d'Angèle", replaces sugar with certain dried fruits reduced to powder (like apple) or medjoul dates. Lili Barbery-Coulon, kundalini yoga teacher and author of Pimp My Breakfast published by Marabout, replaces sugar with banana (When she prepares her famous super simple pancakes: mashed banana + beaten egg + oatmeal with a touch of salted butter!).
Angela's recipe
Chocolate zucchini cake
A lovely birthday cake for children (or adults!) without sugar, salt, gluten or lactose
Take 3 mussels
Recipe for 10 to 15 people
- 70 g cocoa powder
- 100 g of cornstarch such as cornstarch
- 250 g dark chocolate
- 12 eggs
- 600 g of zucchini, choose the firm zucchini and grate them very finely
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Melt the chocolate over very low heat.
Save 5 to 10 tablespoons of melted chocolate for frosting the cake
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Mix the starch with the egg yolks and the cocoa powder.
When the mixture is smooth, add the grated zucchini and gently add the egg whites.
Oil the molds, pour in the batter and put in the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove the smallest cake 10 minutes before
Leave to cool then unmold
Stack the cakes
Pour the melted chocolate over it
For an even creamier icing: mix the melted chocolate with a very ripe avocado, it's very creamy and really delicious...according to Angèle!
