Cut Back on Sugar Without Sacrificing Flavor

This summer the American Heart Association (AHA) released guidelines recommending that women consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day and men consume no more than nine teaspoons a day. Eating too much “added” sugar (sugar that is added to food during processing or cooking), according to the AHA, can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and other conditions that increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. You can find more information about these recommendations at www.americanheart.org.

Nancy McCaffrey, a registered dietician with the Oregon Heart and Vascular Institute’s Cardiovascular Wellness and Rehabilitation Department, says the recommendation “seems very appropriate in this day and age with the obesity epidemic we have.” The average American eats over 22 teaspoons of sugar every day, meaning most of us need to cut back on sugar – way back. Here are some ideas on how to do it without feeling like you’re sacrificing.

Know your sugars and where they might be hiding. Words that end in “ose”, such as fructose or dextrose, signify sugar. Syrups, molasses, and honey are all sweeteners. Sugars often show up in unexpected places, so be sure and read the labels on products so you know what and how much you’re eating. Don’t forget to check the labels on your drinks as well. A 12-ounce can of soda can contain as much as 8 teaspoons of sugar.

Instead of eating a sugary snack, eat fruit. The natural sugar in fruit can be a satisfying substitute for added sweeteners, and fruit has all kinds of things in it that are good for you. You can also cook with fruit. Banana Bread Pudding uses bananas, apple juice and raisins to create a delicious treat with only two tablespoons of brown sugar.

Try cutting back on sugar rather than eliminating it all together. If you put sugar in your cereal or coffee, try putting in half as much. You can cut back on sugar in baked goods too. According to Nancy you can reduce the sugar by one-third to one-half in most baked goods and still get good results. That’s the case with Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. This recipe contains one-third less sugar than most chocolate chip cookie recipes. The cookies also feature miniature chocolate chips, which is a great trick to give your treats a hint of chocolate flavor without all the sugar and fat in regular chips. These cookies are a good way to meet what Nancy calls the “three bite rule.” “I tell people, you can have three bites of anything,” Nancy says. “That’s all most people need to deal with a food craving.”

Spices and extracts can be a great way to “beat the sweet.” Try eating foods spiked with cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg, or prominently featuring peppermint, vanilla, or almond flavoring. Spices and extracts are flavor enhancers, according to Nancy. Like sugar, they make whatever you’re eating taste even better.

With sweet apples and pears in season and the holidays coming up, now is a great time to start consuming less added sugar. If you think about it in terms of “cutting back” rather than “giving up”, it should make the idea more palatable. When you think about the benefits to your health, cutting back on sugar sounds even sweeter.

Banana Bread Pudding
Makes 16 servings
1 c. golden raisins
¼ c. rum (optional)
2 T. butter
2 T. brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, cut into chunks
1 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk
1/3 c. apple juice
2 eggs
4 egg whites
2 t. vanilla
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg
¼ t. salt
4 c. cubed stale white bread
2/3 c. shredded coconut
2/3 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If desired, soak raisins in rum for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir to combine. Add bananas and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Mash banana mixture.

In a large bowl combine coconut milk, apple juice, eggs, egg whites, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Drain raisins. Place bread cubes in an 8” square ungreased pan. Add raisins, coconut and walnuts and toss to combine. Carefully spread banana mixture over the bread. Pour coconut milk mixture over banana mixture, making sure all bread cubes are submerged in liquid. Let sit for 15 minutes. Bake bread pudding for 45 minutes or until set.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about two dozen cookies
2 c. flour
½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
½ c. white sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. natural peanut butter
½ c. soft tub margarine
½ c. roughly chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1 c. mini-chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, egg, and vanilla extract, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the peanut butter and margarine; beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat until all the flour is combined. Add the chopped peanuts and mini-chocolate chips; stir until thoroughly combined.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, then press the balls flat with the tines of a fork, making a criss-cross pattern on the top of each cookie. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are barely browned. Remove from the sheet to cool.