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the raw chef | Introduction To Sugars
Home Study Courses
Hi Maria,
Your membership currently covers the following courses:
Chef Homestudy, Desserts Homestudy, Christmas, Cheese, Mexican, Chocolate, No Dehydrator, Thai
Week 01
Module: Ingredients
Video: Introduction
Module: Ingredients
Video: Nuts & Seeds
Module: Ingredients
Video: Nut Milks
Module: Ingredients
Video: Nut Flours
Module: Ingredients
Video: Buckwheat Flour
Module: Ingredients
Video: Oat & Coconut Flour
Module: Ingredients
Video: Fresh Coconut Flour
Module: Ingredients
Video: Introduction To Sugars
Module: Ingredients
Video: Date Sweetener
Module: Ingredients
Video: Sugar Substituting
Module: Ingredients
Video: Coconut Butter & Oil
Module: Ingredients
Video: Young Coconuts
Module: Ingredients
Video: Irish Moss
Module: Ingredients
Video: Psyllium
Module: Ingredients
Video: Panna Cotta
Module: Ingredients
Video: Emulsifiers
Module: Ingredients
Video: Extracts & Superfoods
Desserts Homestudy
Sugars
Date paste
I love this sweetener because it's a whole food option and feels more natural than any of the other sweeteners.
Ideally you want to use soft dates such as Medjool, but if you only have a harder, drier date then soak them for
a couple of hours first. Remember dates also have a lot of sugar in them so if you're sensitive go sparingly.
Xylitol
Xylitol is a little bit of a strange one; the name just seems so synthetic so it puts some people off. There's a
couple of things to look out for here. One is that it's very toxic to dogs and will kill them if they eat any. It's also
not something you'd want to go too heavy on because it can cause diarrhoea. The other thing you want to look
for in your Xylitol is that comes from birch trees and not corn; think of it as dried and granulated birch sap. The
great thing about Xylitol is that it's not even processed by the body as a sugar and has little to no effect on blood
sugar levels. It's also said to fight candida and tooth cavities.
Coconut nectar
Coconut nectar is another favourite of mine. It's very low glycemic, raw and has vitamins, minerals and amino
acids still intact, and is still in its raw state. It's also very low in fructose and can be used as a direct replacement
for agave nectar.
Clear agave nectar
I still like to use a little agave nectar, usually in combination with another sweetener. The Ojio Clear Agave
from Ultimate Superfoods is the only one I'll use now because it's of such high quality in every area, including
being raw. In this case it's a great low glycemic sweetener with a very neutral taste.
Coconut sugar
Just like coconut nectar this sugar is produced from the coconut palm sugar blossoms. It's not raw but is low
glycemic again, plus it has a lot of minerals and B vitamins. It's good for the planet in terms of its yield
too, producing around 50% more sugar per acre than sugar cane.
Maple syrup
Maple syrup has fewer calories and more minerals than honey. You'll want to get grade B maple syrup to
ensure maximum mineralisation; generally the darker the syrup, the richer the flavour and the higher the
minerals. Grades are affected by time of year, methods of collection and what part of the world it is collected
from. It doesn't have the low glycemic index of some of the other sugars, which is definitely something to bear
in mind. Maple syrup is not raw and due to the way that some maple syrups are collected, if you require truly
vegan maple syrup then it must be organic.
Maple sugar
This is a dried version of maple syrup without the water, but from a lighter grade of maple syrup.
Yacon syrup
I do love yacon syrup as a sweetener but it can be a little expensive. It's really worth having some around
though, even if you combine with other sweeteners to make it go further. Yacon has a molasses kind of flavour
and is raw, low calorie, low glycemic and is a pre-biotic.
Honey
Local organic raw honey is said to be a natural way to fight allergies from pollen just a little every day should
see you be less affected by seasonal pollen counts. I love honey for its antibacterial, antibiotic and antiviral
qualities, plus its vitamins, minerals, enzymes and carbohydrate. Local honey is a preference but unprocessed
and unheatreated is absolutely essential, as processed honey has no beneficial qualities at all and is no better
than white refined sugar in my opinion. If you have a apiary near you, I strongly urge you to go and speak to
the beekeeper, get educated about raw honey and pick yourself up some straight from the hive if you can. Even
with raw honey you want to use it in moderation though as it can elevate blood sugars levels if too much is
used.
Stevia
Stevia (not actually a sugar) has a glycemic index of zero so on face value it seems it's the perfect sweetener.
The only issue that most find with it is that there's a bitter, chemical aftertaste. Getting a fresh stevia leaf is a
different experience though not many people have access to them. If I'm using stevia, I'll use a small amount and
round it out with another sweetener for flavour. You only need a small amount as it's 200-300 times sweeter
than sugar.