Cooking with sugar substitutes

[littlemissh]

Does anyone have any recipes for biscuits or cakes with no sugar or honey etc and are low residue. I have tried a couple of recipes and they were a disaster. Either tasted of sweetener or were flat as farts!

I can't have sugar right now as the steroids have given me temporary (I hope) diabetes and am also on a low residue diet.

I don't really like the taste of the artificial sweeteners ( but they are better than nothing) and I know they aren't particularly good for me but I just fancy something sweet and scrummy.

 

[Fog Ducker]

Try using Stevia. Its like 300 times sweeter than sugar and is a natural plant. There are a bunch of health benefits for it over sugar. Artificial sweeteners are terrible for you!!
Ive used it in Banana bread and its great!!
1 Cup of sugar = 1 Teaspoon of stevia!!
If you are baking with it you will need to make up for the loss in volume. I take unsweetened apple sauce and strain it through cheese cloth, over night in the fridge. Use the fiber that is left in the cloth. 1 cup of apple sauce for 1 cup of sugar.

You can buy stevia at most grocery stores now, its in the little packets for coffee, but I get it at a health food store in a little bottle, its expensive but you use so little that its not really that expensive.

 

[JetWhite]

I'm afraid I don't have a link but I know, a few years ago, a friend of mine made biscuits for her young boys with no sugar, or sweeteners, using apple juice to make the biscuits sweet to eat.

I never did find a recipe but it might be worth searching the web and you can let us know if you find it

 

[Domsmom]

Applesauce
Xyletol
Natural fruit sweeteners
Maple syrup

 

[littlemissh]

Thanks for the replies!
I just did a search on where i can buy in the uk and unfortunately stevia has been banned for sale in the uk. This is due to potential risks of cancer etc. It looks like it's effects are similar to other sweeteners. Shame, it looks as if it would have been a good alternative.
I'll do some searching on apple juice as a sweetener, I'm not sure what effect itcwould have on blood sugars though as it contains natural sugars. If I find a recipe I'll give it a go and see what happens!

 

[Miss Spencer]

Date paste is a great sweetener. You can buy it. But it is very simple to make at home. Chop up some dried preservative-free dates and slowly heat in a saucepan with a touch of water or freshly squeezed orange juice. Once soft, buzz up or mash to make a paste.

Or you could try something like Agave Nectar.

Information copied from http://www.detoxyourworld.com

"Agave Nectar is an exciting new sweetener naturally extracted from the inner core of the agave plant. This is a cactus-like plant native to Mexico. It's the same plant as Tequila comes from. Agave Nectar absorbs slowly into the bloodstream, decreasing the highs and lows associated with sugar intake. It has a very low low glycemic index (GI), between 11 and 19. This means it does not significantly raise blood sugar levels. This makes it particularly suitable for those with sensitivites to sugar. Its gentle method of processing ensures the presence of vitamins and minerals, which are not found in processed sweeteners. Agave nectar dissolves easily and its taste is natural and delicious, making it the perfect sweetener to naturally enhance any food or beverage. It tastes like a cross between honey and maple syrup! Use as a replacement for dates, honey, sugar, maple syrup, and other sweeteners.

Premium agave nectars such as this are produced from only the Weber Azul or Blue Agave plant (Agave tequilana). Other, cheaper, agave nectars are made from 3-6 different agave species, but primarily from Agave salmiana. To make our nectar, juice is extracted naturally from the core of living agave cactus plants. Then it’s cleverly processed without even reaching 40 degrees celcius. The complex sugars in fresh agave juice get converted into simple sugars, resulting in 100% raw agave nectar. The nectar is then finely filtered. This minimal heating and processing ensures that vitamins, minerals and enzymes are left intact for your bodies to absorb and use. Dark agave nectar has a slightly denser flavour to amber agave nectar. It's got more of the good stuff still in, and works a treat in raw chocolate recipes"

I use dark organic agave nectar in and on everything imaginable.

But be careful, there are lots of inferior brands on the market. Only buy the authentic good quality stuff.

 

[Lydia]

If you are having diabetes issues, stevia is the way to go because it wont cause a spike in blood sugar. Its natural too.

 

[Fog Ducker]

Yeah that sucks you can't get stevia in the UK. The studies that are against it are under extreme scrutiny. The amount you would have to inject to see the same results would be equivalent to half your body weight!! Not the tiny amount that would actually be used.

 

[littlemissh]

I'm wondering if I should buy some stevia on line from abroad but the postage would be quite high. The problem with a lot of the fruit products like dates us that although very natural they still cause blood sugar rises and I want to look after my pancreas! I'm going to give them a go in small quantities and see if my sugars go up. If they do I'll get some stevia.
Or perhaps I should just retrain my palate to non sugary stuff. Problem with that is you can get a bit cheesed off with the dietary restrictions we chronies already have.
Thanks a lot for your ideas . This forums great!

 

[Domsmom]

Try xylitol
http://www.xylitoluk.co.uk
It can be used at a 1:1 ratio with sugar, and it's only a 7 on the glycemic index!

 

[Fog Ducker]

Xylitol is still a sugar alcohol, which cause gas bloating and diarrhea. I dont even chew gum anymore because I found that the sugar alcohols were hurting my stomach.

Littlemiss- shipping might not be as bad as you think since it comes in such small containers due to its high potency.