This is the continuation of my post, "Called To Nourish." This continuation will be a mini series entitled "Nourishing Choices." I will be sharing the changes I have made in our home in regards to the food I choose, buy and prepare for my family.
Sweetners
Over the years I've purchased and experimented with many forms of sweetners. These sweetners have included, white pure cane sugar, honey, Splenda, molasses, organic unprocessed cane sugar, brown sugar, aguave, maple syrup and stevia. I've now made the choice to not purchase white sugar and I've chosen honey to be our primary sweetner. (Please note that if you offered me a moist piece of chocolate cake or a fresh slice of lemon meringue pie, both made with white sugar, I would not refuse it!) My decision, however, is a conscious effort to assure that the majority of sweetners my family consumes be as natural as possible and not be detrimental to their health. Of course, also natural sweetners must not be consumed in excess for that wouldn't be healthy or good for us either.
Raw, unprocessed local honey is my absolute first choice for a sweetner, but it is VERY expensive. I've reconciled myself to the reality that I cannot make raw local honey the primary source of sweetner in my home until I find a more affordable source. For now I make do with processed honey for baking and everyday use. I do buy small quantities of raw honey at our local farmers market which I use for medicinal purposes in cases of colds and allergies.
Secondary sweetners in my kitchen include, organic maple syrup for pancakes and stevia once in a while for baked goods. I have a small bottle in my pantry that I've had for two years now and it's halfway full! This tells you how much I like it! Stevia has a light licorice taste that can interfere with the overall taste of the food you are preparing. However, it is still a good choice and I use it occasionally.
Now, we all know how bad processed white sugar is especially in regards to tooth decay, but I was really convicted after reading over and over in different books and website the detrimental effects of sugar in our bodies.
Consider these facts:
Sugar suppresses the immune system by causing the pancreas to secrete abnormally large quantities of insulin, which is required to break it down.
Insulin remains in circulation in the bloodstream long after sugar has been metabolized, and one of its main side effects is to suppress the release of growth hormone in the pituitary gland.
Growth hormone is a primary regulator of the immune system, so anyone who eats a lot of sugar every day is going to experience critical growth hormone deficiency and consequent immune deficiency caused by the constant presence of insulin in the bloodstream.
Furthermore, refined white sugar is treated as a toxic foreign agent by the immune system, owing to its unnatural chemical structure as well as the industrial contaminants it retains from the refining process.
Sugar thus triggers an unnecessary immune response while simultaneously suppressing immune function, thereby debilitating the immune system with a double edged sword.
Sugar is the chief culprit in many diseases and degenerative conditions.
It can easily cause diabetes and is a major factor in candidacies, both of which are epidemic in the industrialized Western world.
Since sugar is 'nutritionally naked', the body must 'borrow' the missing vitamins, minerals and other synergistic nutrients required to metabolize sugar from its own tissues.
Heavy sugar consumption therefore causes a constant siphoning of nutrients from the body. Recent evidence suggests that sugar causes dental problems not so much by contact with the teeth but rather by leaching the teeth of calcium from within.
Sugar also depletes the body of potassium and magnesium, which are required for proper cardiac function, and is therefore a major factor in heart disease. (To learn more click: Sugar )
Laura at Heavenly Homemakers has a wonderful post about the most nutritious sweetners. Read her post by clicking HERE. At the bottom of her post Laura lists other sites to further educate ourselves on sweetners.
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