Sweetener ?

[yankeebikachic]

OK, so I have known for the longest time about sugar, and why we need to avoid it...but I am noticing in more and more foods that they are finding clever ways to 'disguise' it. Pretty much anything that ends in 'ose' makes me raise my eyebrows. And I avoid honey.
But for goodness sake, what about 'evaporated cane juice'. It is in all the 'healthy'/smart choice foods, I love cereals, granola, etc but it seems as if everything has sugar or something sugary-sounding.
Anyone have a list of what to avoid, what is ok? I do use agave nectar sometimes, or cinnamon, but that is about it.
Thanks in advance!!
Beth

[Rich66]

Stevia. Zero glycemic index and research suggesting it has anticancer properties. Health food stores and online. Even Walmart has a variant. Somehow, too much actually makes things bitter.

[chrisy]

Stevia is on the list NOT to avoid...and yes, it is VERY sweet so you need very little.

The main thing you want to avoid is added sugar in products - I always check the labels for sugar grams. I also avoid the artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth with less impact on glycemic index, go with real fruit - you can actually eat it in it's natural state and not as an additive. I've heard it's really good and plus has all kinds of anticancer properties:)

(That was for me, to remind myself!)

[yankeebikachic]

Thanks, I'll also look into that.
Do you know anything about the cane juice?? I'm assuming that is not a good thing to eat either but can't find anything concrete...
Thank you! Beth

[yankeebikachic]

Good brain training there! Yes, I do eat lots of fruit with cinnamon sprinkled on it, but lately my mornings have been so busy that it is getting harder and harder for me to make good food choices. I would love to just open up a box of say, pumpkin flax granola cereal, but the cane sugar is there. I have been trying to just eat oatmeal or similar grains, with fruit added, but it takes so long for grains to cook.
I have found the sugar label to be misleading too, as fruit etc in products will raise the grams when there isn't necessarily 'sugar' added to it. So yes, like you say, reading the ingredient list is key.
Beth

[Rich66]

http://www.southbeach-diet.info/low-carb-fruit.php

[BMW2]

I prepare my weekly breakfast cereal every Sunday using a crockpot or you can use a rice cooker. I use a variety of whole grains using 1/4 cup each(millet, red and white quinoa, buckwheat, barley or anything else you like) in two cups of water. Cook until tender (by the way, some grains cook faster than others so you need to take that into consideration). After they are tender I add cut cup dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, apricots, mangos, figs, blueberries and organic if possible). I'm set for the week. I heat each portion in microwave for 30 seconds, add rice milk and cinnamon (no sweeter--you really don't need it). It lasts approximately from Monday till Friday. It's delicious. Hope I've helped someone out there.

[Karen Wheel]

Like the rice cooker idea! Hummm..... might have to try that for my snacks...

I don't eat really anything in the mornings ... I juice --- apple, veg and a bit of apple - but like 5 or so glasses worth (here its a half litre as there are no cups in Europe) and since I read the book Cancer Battle Plan Sourcebook - and Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor they both say that its better to not eat bulk in the mornings as it is better to eat fruit and let the body work on getting rid of the food you ate the day before.

;-)
Karen

[ElaineM]

I like the idea of cooking mixed grains in the rice cooker and then dividing up the portions and added dried fruit for daily use. If you only want oats you can get baby oats from the health food store. They take about one minute to cook up on the stove in the morning. If I am in a rush I put some water in a pot and add a little fresh ginger and dried fruit and turn on the stove. I mix in the baby oats when that starts to boil. I turn the stove off in a minute and sprinkle some cinamon on top. Result: Nice hot quick oats !! I eat it with plain or vanilla yoghurt instead of milk, almond milk or rice milk.

[yankeebikachic]

I have also been toying with oats/mixed grains soaking overnight then adding fruit...that seems to be working ok, not as yummy as 'fresh' but good for these warmer days for sure!

[lkc Gumby]

Hi all, I do healthy muffins. Really super easy: Whole wheat flour, milled flax, rolled oats, I use Stevia, Cinnamon, eggwhites, lots of nuts, raisins, and fat free milk.
for apple muffins: I add applesauce and chopped apple and dried cranberry
for carrot muffins I use pureed carrots and crushed pineapple, walnuts
and for Banana I use mashed bananas and walnuts
For Blueberry, I use fresh or frozen blueberries. and substitute milk for OJ
I play around alot with the different recipes, sometimes adding mango juice , plain fat free yoghurt or different flours.
I also always add 2 tbls EVOO I make one batch for 2 weeks and freeze one weeks worth.

[PatriceH]

Why do we need to avoid sugar? We, meaning bc survivors or meaning people in general.??

[TanyaRD]

There is a theory that sugar feeds cancer, however, it is not one with a lot of scientific backing. Sugar feeds every cell of our bodies. Cancer needs an energy source to grow and even if we don't feed it sugar it can still grow. As a dietitian, I certainly don't promote a diet high in sugar as it offers no benefits to anyone. However, I don't think one has to be afraid to enjoy a piece of birthday cake or a treat once in a while. The website, www.caring4cancer.com (http://www.caring4cancer.com) does a good job at explaining the theory.

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/sugar-and-cancer-is-there-a-connection.htm