SUGAR AND SWEETENERS

The silent pandemic

Recently, my neighbor came over to me and brought a fruit soda, which she had gotten a few cans of from her son and asked if I wanted to try it. She pointed out, as it said in capital letters on the front of the soda, there is no sugar and calories. She knew I did not drink "regular soda."

I immediately thought that when it says without sugar, there are artificial sweeteners instead. Calories are "old school," it is now known that a calorie changes in diverse ways when it enters the body. It is not the calorie count that is important but the table of contents of an item. This raspberry and strawberry fruit soda contains, water carbonic acid, acid: citric acid, natural aroma, sweeteners: aspartame.

Sweeteners are the silent killer

Aspartame is a sweetener that is in many different soft drinks, such as the popular Zero Sugar Coca Cola, however, there is less aspartame than in Diet Cola. Be mindful about aspartame and other sweeteners in soda and soft drinks, as there is a link to illness and other disorders, such as cancer, depression, ADHD, diabetes 2, liver and heart disease.

Aspartame is poison for the brain, in the way that the drug sends signals to the brain that it wants more of this product, therefore you can easily become addicted. In addition, aspartame is also used in rat poison, so what is the difference?

The sweetener aspartame is found in over 4000 products worldwide

Artificial sweeteners, also known as non-nutritional sweeteners, are chemical additives that are sweeter than sugar but contain zero calories. The most common ones to notice are, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, neotame and sucralose. Aspartame is found in over 4000 products worldwide. Manufacturers maintain that aspartame is not a danger to health, but scientific studies do not necessarily agree.

Fructose is another sweetener that can "tease." Fructose is found naturally in all fruits in different quantities, but when it is extracted, it is no longer natural sugar, but an artificial sweetener. There are hundreds of names for sugar and sweeteners, both the natural nutritional and artificial sweeteners, so it may well be a jungle to find out. But first, think about avoiding the above sweeteners and adding more of the natural nutritional sugar species into your diet.

There is an abundance of sugar added in the western world's food system. It is especially in soft drinks, fruit juices, pastries, flavored yogurt and other dairy products, cereals, and sweets. There is also hidden sugar in bread, pasta and other sauces, ketchup and spice mix.

It is not the case that we should do without or completely exclude sugar. Having the desire or need for something sweet is only natural for us humans. If the sweet tooth comes out, reach for dates, add them to a smoothie or some bliss balls, maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar or raw cocoa, which is anti-inflammation.

Eat fruit every day it makes you happier

The best natural sweetener is that found in fruit, so eat fresh fruit in the afternoon and as a dessert and let the cakes wait for the festive occasions. It is scientifically proven that eating fruit daily makes you happier.

Sweet recipes

Bliss Balls

I mixed these bliss balls yesterday afternoon with, what I just had available in the kitchen cupboard. What is first is the ingredient that I used, but you can try the other ingredients, the possibilities are many, try it out.

1.             8-10 dates

2.             2 tbsp. blended almonds - cashews

3.             1 tbsp. raw cocoa

4.             1 tbsp. hemp seeds - sesame seeds

5.             1 tbsp. coconut oil - almond butter or other nutbutter

6.             1 tbsp. date syrup - maple syrup

7.             Coconut flour

Blend everything in a blender or stir/mass with a spoon. Roll small balls and then roll them in coconut flour. Refrigerate them for an hour. Durable for three days refrigerated, if you can leave them that long. Enjoy a healthy and sweet treat.

Smoothie

If the sweet tooth arrives, then a smoothie is a quick and healthy solution.

1.             1 banana cold or frozen

2.             1 tbsp. raw cocoa

3.             1 tbsp. nut butter or tahini

4.             1 tbsp. good honey

5.             Almond milk, adjust yourself according to how thick you want your smoothie

Put it all in the blender. You can leave the smoothie thick and put it in a bowl and cool it in the freezer until it has set. Enjoy a small dessert decorated with fresh berries and grated dark chocolate.

We are approaching Thanksgiving, so the next blog post will deal with gratitude.

Feel free to send an email to shenoncoaching@gmail.com or on the contact page and tell me what you thought about the recipes.

In Health and happiness

Merethe Shenon