It turns out there is a way for nature's natural ingredients to remain mouth watering without all the excess hip-hugging sugar fillers.
If you love chocolate as much as I do, then you have likely developed the same love-hate relationship when it comes to rich, creamy, and personally my favourite, nut-filled chocolate.
Unfortunately, millions of us are unwittingly addicted to this potent extract we think of as “food.”
Sugar-fillers have been tactfully added to our foods, weakening millions of people around the globe now battling with blood sugar disorders, even as young as 2 years old.
Why so addictive?
In an MRI brain scan, sugar lights up the same regions of the brain as cocaine, giving you a temporary and euphoric feeling of bliss.
Sugar stresses our liver, pancreas, and adrenals, and in a chronic state, it can lead to serious complications in our nervous system.
Unfortunately weaning off sugar is not as easy as it sounds. Have you noticed the exaggerated spikes in your mood and when you eat sugary foods, taking you through an energy roller coater all day?
Nowadays, you will rarely see the word sugar in labels and instead this sneaky ingredient is hidden under an umbrella of terms.
Sugar is addictive with too many nicknames to remember.
Are you ready for the list?
barley malt
beet sugar
brown sugar
buttered syrup
cane-juice crystals
cane sugar
caramel
carob syrup
corn syrup
corn syrup solids
That's just a taste of it.
dextran
dextrose
diatase
diastatic malt
ethyl maltol
fructose
fruit juice
fruit juice concentrate
glucose
glucose solids
golden sugar
golden syrup
grape sugar
high-fructose corn syrup
honey
invert sugar
lactose
malt syrup
maltodextrin
maltose
mannitol
molasses
raw sugar
refiner's syrup
sorbitol
sorghum syrup
sucrose
sugar
turbinado sugar
yellow sugar
Staggering, isn't it?
There are several health conscious alternatives you can include in your diet.
Green leaf stevia, manuka honey and unpasteurized maple syrup are a few I like to recommend. However, even these should be eaten with careful moderation.
Remember that carbohydrates are either fast-releasing or slow-releasing. The latter are the type of carbohydrates we want to consumer more of in our diet. Fast-releasing sugars are metabolized quickly by the body and give us a sudden release of energy.
Slow-releasing carbohydrates contain fibre and provide a much more sustained release of energy.
To get you started on healthier sugar alternatives, here is a slow-releasing and nut-filled chocolate delicacy loaded with fibre. These goodies, in moderate consumption, will nourish you with healthy fats and fibre to slow down the spike of your blood sugar.
Raw, vegan, flour-less and gluten free never tasted so good!
Get the recipe here.
Much love and lady flow care,
Elaine Clark, nutritionist, trauma informed educator, women's health pioneer, and founder of LADYFLOW. Elaine works with health conscious women to feel at home in their body and awaken to their creative potential. She offers a variety of tools to support women with her classes, trainings, retreats, and wellness products.
