Sugar replacement
Okay, and yet still more questions.
I just realized that I have a pretty serious sugar addiction! I have now gained 15 lbs from it and can't seem to stop eating sweets, chocolates and cookies are the worst.
So, how do I get over this addiction?
I think that I may start by gradually weaning out chocolates and cookies, but I also think I need to change other things such as white flour to whole wheat flour.
So, how to replace white flour with whole wheat flour? Are there any guidelines, I am afraid that if I use 100% WW for everything (bread, pancakes, etc) everything will be too dense.
And then there is replacing sugar. Any suggestions for replacing sugar in recipies that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?
Any advice is appreciated. I am trying to change my diet, less sugar, more vegan...that is why I have sooooooo many questions.
Also, can sugar cause depression? I find that at times I am horribly depressed and wonder if the sugar contributes to it? I think the addiction started due to depression, but I wonder if it is made even worse by the sugar?
And the answers you all give to my other questions are awesome by the way, I tried the one tofu recipe with the orange sauce, and that was SOOOOO good. My son also loved it. I will have to try some of your suggestions for the mac n cheese recipes too, but there are so many recipes, so little time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With bread, if you need to keep it from going flat you can add some extra wheat gluten. I have baked bread with a cup of soy flour or a cup of chickpea flour in place of one of the cups of white flour. Both add protein and reduce the carbs in the final product. I will then add a 1/2 cup of wheat gluten in place of some white flour. This increases the elasticity of the dough so the Co2 bubbles are not lost.
It's hard to replace sugar inexpensively. I use agave nectar. It is sweeter that sugar so you need less and it has a low glycemic index so it does not cause spike in your blood sugar and the following "come down" which causes depression.
I find that the best way to beat sugar addiction is to add in healthy components to your diet. If your body is running "clean," you won't crave sugars. Try upping your veggie intake, and maybe add a green drink to your day.
Thank you for your comments!
rswhitaker: As for adding the 1/2 cup of wheat gluten, does this also help it to be more fluffy? Everytime I make bread it is alwasy so dense and I have no idea how to make it light and fluffy like the bread in the store. And also, when you make bread, as well as doing the soy flour or chickpea flour, do you use whole wheat flour or white flour or a 50/50 blend for the rest of it? For instance, a recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, so you do 1/2 cup wheat gluten, 1 cup soy flour, and then 3/4 cup white and 3/4 cup whole wheat, or just 1&1/2 cups of white flour?
What about using stevia to replace sugar, does that work?
quintess:
Could you give me a recipe for a green drink? I don't have a juicer, but I have a blender (magic bullet). I do make fruit "smoothies" where I take several types of fruit and blend them up sometimes. Is there a way to add veggies?
If you want healthy and sweet, snack on dried fruits like dates, apricots, raisins, etc. Upping your intake of citrus (oranges, grapefruits, tangerines etc) will help because it is sweet and sour, and the Vitamin C gives you an energy boost without the "sugar crash."
Dates are nature's candy. One or two is enough to fix my sweet tooth.
For breakfast, this Blueberry Greens Smoothie is a favorite of mine.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=14236.0
I use a pre-made mixture, which includes spirulena, wheatgrass, nettles, etc. It's made by my friend, an herbalist, and she may let me use her recipe in my next book!
You could also try adding some kale to your smoothies. The main thing is getting in greens & veggies.
Instead of finding a substitute, try to wean yourself off it. If you're eating homemade sweets, you can reduce the sugar by quite a lot without sacrificing flavor. I hardly ever use the full amount of sugar in cookies, muffins, cakes, etc. Try using about 2/3 of what the recipe calls for (so if it calls for 1 1/2 cups, just use 1 cup). Also, avoid making things with frosting since that's pretty much pure sugar.
If you're buying sweets, stop. Stock up on healthy sweet snacks like fruit instead. That way when a sugar craving hits, you'll be forced to eat something healthy instead of some overly processed cookies.
I think sugar could definitely contribute to depression, or at least mood swings. All those spikes and drops in your blood sugar can't be good for you.
Actually, WW flour is higher in gluten than AP.... here's a chart
Have you tried maple syrup as a sweetener? I like it in some of my darker teas, I'd imagine it would go well in coffee as well...
Here are some links with more info on stevia:
sweetleaf website
steviacooking.com
dates are great! you cant eat too many of them.. i think upto 10 and after that you wont feel good.. or i dont.
When i had the same problem i stopped drinking soda and starting drinking juice.. thats expensive so i also drank some teas elderflower, roobios tea is quite good and sweet i think. I ate bananas and apples and ph if you like pears they are grea too.
Aslo i make milkshakes with ricemilk, oat milk or almond milk with cocoa posder (its just coca not drinking chocolate) with either vanilla powder, lucuma (a awesome powder from peru) or maca powder which is a "superfood" I lLOVE CHOCOLATE so this really helps- best in a blender. Or you can make raw brownies.. they are rich and lovely! http://www.wvd.org.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1273&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 I used raisians and not dates because they are too expensive here.
Stevia i never likes... hard to use for simple things, xylitol, agrave or molasses i used to use a little.
When i didnt have sugar for 6 months i felt great, really hard to do. But now when i have sugary things i get so tired... andi feel quite sick easily... Suagr changes your blood sugar so when you eat sugar you on a high and when you dont have it you get low and sometimes depressed... relaly common i think, if you eat or drink sugar a lot... or often.
I dont understand whole wheat.. is that wholemeal? I never had a problem with that...
you can eat rice or corn cakes sometimes they are great!
Best thing is to not buy sugary things... its hard with others in the house...
What types of things do you like to eat.. they maybe we can suggest some easy recipes :)