This year you can have your cake and eat it too!
The holidays are fantastic time of year filled with friends, family, and the nostalgic food that bring us together. And when I say food, what I mean is dessert! Everyone has a soft spot for holiday desserts which we tend to eat at all hours of the day between Thanksgiving and New Years. (Pumpkin pie for breakfast, anyone?)
The problem with all the excess sugar during the holidays, besides unwanted weight gain, is that come January 1st we are all in a total sugar coma. We feel tired, lethargic and completely burnt out. Luckily there are a few options when it comes to dealing with too much sugar during the holidays. One is that you can just say NO, though this can be difficult if you have less than stellar willpower. The second, and more delicious option, is to use healthier sweeteners in your holiday baking. Though natural sweeteners still contain sugar they are much less processed, which allows for higher amounts of trace vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. They also have a deeper flavor than white sugar which adds a lovely well-rounded sweetness to any dessert.
Here is a small list of my favorite sweeteners that you can easily substitute in your holiday baking:
Honey
One of the oldest natural sweeteners, honey is sweeter than sugar. Depending on the plant source, honey can have a range of flavors, from dark and strongly flavored to light and mildly flavored. Raw honey contains small amounts of enzymes, minerals, and vitamins.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is made from boiled down maple tree sap and contains many minerals. Just be sure to buy 100% organic pure maple syrup, and not maple-flavored corn syrup. It may seem pricy but a little goes a LONG way.
Brown Rice Syrup
This product consists of brown rice that has been ground and cooked, converting the starches to maltose. Brown rice syrup tastes like moderately sweet butterscotch and is quite delicious.
Unrefined/Unbleached Cane Juice (Not the same as evaporated cane juice)
Unrefined/unbleached cane juice is derived from a process of extracting juice from the sugarcane plant, evaporating the water from the juice, and then grinding the results into a fine powdery texture. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and easy to use in a variety of baked good. The company Rapunzel is a good brand to look for when purchasing unrefined/unbleached cane juice.
| Sweetener |
Amount equal to 1 cup of sugar |
| Honey | 1/2-2/3 cup |
| Maple syrup | 1/2-3/4 cup |
| Brown rice syrup | 1-1 1/3 cups |
|
Unrefined, unbleached cane sugar |
3/4 cup |
Make it a goal to try one of these new sweeteners. I promise you will love their complexity and flavor and you won’t even miss the bad stuff. Think of it as a culinary adventure! Making changes is not about doing everything on one fell swoop. It’s about making small adjustments over time that culminated into a whole new way of living. Have a great holiday season and enjoy!
Are you already over-tired, over-consumed, or just plain over it?!? If so, contact Jamie at 510-393-0437 to take advantage of her special JAMIE|LIVING Power Pack! This 4-session health intensive is just what you need to start eating better and feeling better for 2011!
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This post was written for the CRAVE company by Jamie G. Dougherty. Jamie is the owner and founder of JAMIE|LIVING, Health and Lifestyle Counseling. She is an AADP certified Holistic Nutrition Coach with a private and corporate practice that offers assistance nationwide. She is passionate about deliciously healthy food and specializes in helping her clients transform their lives through the power of nutrition and self-care.
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December 19th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Heya,
I love cake but I don’t EVER buy eggs. Your post reminded me about how I’ve been successfully making cakes with that ENER-G egg replacer as a way to cut out unnecessary calories on my favorite desserts. I have to ask, have you ever tried a blend of sugar and stevia or splenda in a cake to add the right amount of sweetness (with natural sugar and a “boost” from sweetener)?
Thanks for the advice about sugar-replacer and ESPECIALLY the amounts.
February 25th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Madeline,
I would simply recommend playing around with the natural sweeteners above (maple syrup works beautifully in cakes) and avoiding splenda or any other artificial sweetener due to poor their processing as well as their tendency to increase sugar cravings. I hope that helps!