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Question on Sugar/Stevia/good sugar substitutes :P
Started
by Caroline Vasquez
on October 21, 2009
So, I am still doing circles about my alternative sugar options, and am very confused on what I should choose as my everyday sweetener substitute (cereal, coffee, fruit etc), and What i should choose as my baking sweetener and how much is what on substitutions. For example:
I want to make Alicia's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and it calls for 1/4 cup of maple sugar or other granulated sweetner....so what can i substitute for the Maple sugar if i cannot find it in my local Whole Foods? I have agave syrup, and I have stevia in my pantry, but I do not have the maple Sugar nor any other alternative granule non-regular white sugar option. So my question is this, Can i substitute Agave or Stevia in this recipe, and if yes, how much would I substitute either or both for the Maple sugar? Also, what is my second and third best option to granulated maple sugar if I cannot find it. I am trying to avoid refined white plain sugar (either organic or not)/HFCS.
Also, Just to be sure....do I have to watch how many calories I eat as a vegan. i do not want to ingest 2000 calories or anything, and i am worried that I may be overanalyzing everything! :P
Also, I just realized that I may never have ordinary bread from restaurants (wheat or whole grain) because usually they have egg, milk, or butter in them...am i right?
Thanks for the time!
Caroline: 3rd day Vegan :)
Thanks SO much, I have the exact same question! Congrats and have a fanstatic veg journey.
Hi there.......I'd stick with the raw org. agave & the stevia (I like sweetleaf b/c it has inulin fiber-a prebiotic)-stevia is 10 times sweeter than sugar & it doesn't affect blood sugar. Both agave & stevia are good for people w/ diabetes as well. Org. maple syrup & org. honey are fab too. Raw unheated unfiltered honey--is great cuz it has the live enzymes etc in it. Sucanat is good too!! Recently in whole foods i started seeing truevia & purevia too. Check those out too.
ohhh-1 more thing-try Food for Life's breads-they are healthier because of the
live grain difference! They have a fab selection of sprouted whole grain breads!! And they're organic!! I also forgot to say earlier that i also use org.cane sugar in moderation. When i have tea or coffee or smoothies.....i put in 2 types of sweeteners. I usually put a tablespoon of agave or honey or org. cane sugar-in & mix it w/ some stevia to balance it out. Also-a good tip from Jordan Rubin from Garden of Life--says to never have carbs (complex carbs) naked. Balance them out w/ some healthy fat to make it a balanced snack/meal. Iread that tip in his perfect weight america book.
You're very very welcome :)))........really raw is a great brand (they have several types of raw honey) and the stevia we use is called sweetleaf stevia plus. The wholesome sweetners org. raw blue agave is one of our fav's too. We love the food for life's ezekial bread-and ohhhh-nature's path manna bread is another great bread!! They both need to be refrigerated. I love going to Whole Foods-every week:)....my hubby gets stressed out when i make the shopping list :)!!!!! I forgot to say earlier that i like molasses too (high in calcium and potassium)-but we don't buy it often....
ohhhh & i 4got to also say that i have baked a few cakes with agave & stevia....they turned out yummy!!
My sweetleaf stevia plus container says: 1/8 teaspoon =1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons = 1 cup sugar! :)
Hi Caroline - I use stevia as a non-calorie sweetner. I'm not quite sure how this would translate in Alicia's recipes though. I would ask her. Yes, you have to be careful with bread there is a lot of hidden milk, eggs, and honey. The closest vegan bread I found was at Henry's, but it still has honey.
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