Guilt-Free Desserts

By: Rachel DuQuette

The Holiday season is approaching, and with it comes the family-famous desserts! It can be especially hard to maintain a healthy diet and stay on track this time of year. There are healthier alternatives to sugar that provide lifelong benefits to those seeking a sweet treat, but still wanting to stay healthy. Health is not always about a trend, dieting or weight loss. Being healthy is important for core health issues that develop over time such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

Follow with us as we dig into the negative outcomes of sugar consumption, as well as dive into the most common sweet tooth cravings, offering a healthier sugar substitutes (including recipes) and list potential benefits of using sugar alternatives!

Sugar, it is fulfilling to our sweet tooth. Satisfying a craving is the only thing it is good for. However, there are natural sugar substitutes, containing absolutely no sugar, which make for scrumptious, “guilt-free” desserts.

For starters, there are no health benefits for the body when consuming added sugars. There is no protein, no vitamins or minerals, and no healthy fats to add to your diet. The only impact sugar may have on the body is negative. Weight gain is, of course, an outcome of too much sugar intake. And it can also lead to diabetes and heart disease as well.

One of the main reasons for obesity in America is the average daily diet of many people, which includes added sugars. Everyday foods and drinks contain more sugar than most people are aware of. Sodas, for example, are one of the highest sugar-containing drinks. Even drinking one soda per day can increase the risk of heart disease and cancer substantially.

Everything we put into our bodies is broken down. Sugar and starches (carbohydrates) are broken down into another type of sugar, called glucose. Glucose is used to produce energy which can be used immediately or stored for later use. Without insulin in the body, glucose stays in the blood stream and then causes high blood pressure. This is how a disease, like diabetes, can develop. An excessive amount of sugar is not good for any person’s body.

While it is not clinically proven yet, some studies do suggest that sugar helps cancerous cells grow and develop quicker. Cancer cells grow off glucose (sugar). Therefore, a higher sugar intake makes for a more comfortable and livable environment for those cells to grow.

Luckily, there are substitutes to use in place of sugar, allowing you to eliminate it completely.

There is a way to enjoy homemade desserts with a healthier approach! There are all-natural sugar substitutes that surprisingly offer health benefits, instead of risks. Take a look at these all-natural sugar substitutes that Healthline.com has named the top four alternatives. You can try these this holiday season, giving your favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies and apple pie a healthy improvement.

Stevia

The first most used and highly recommended alternative is Stevia. Stevia is derived from a shrub found in South America, called Stevia Rebaudiana.

Stevia has been studied on humans with no found health risks, and no results of weight gain. In fact, Stevia offers health benefits instead of damage to the body. The benefits of Stevia lie within a component called Stevioside. This sweet component can lower high blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and insulin. These factors of Stevia may actually help fight Diabetes and is overall the best sweetener to choose if you are looking for a healthier choice.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that has a sweetness similar to sugar. However, it does not contain any fructose. This provides a great alternative to High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is what makes sugar such a risk for humans. Xylitol is made from corn or birch wood and is, surprisingly, found in many of our everyday fruits and vegetables.

This sweetener contains forty percent less calories than sugar and does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels, providing another great option for those at risk of Diabetes or looking to prevent the disease.

Xylitol, like Stevia, offers health benefits and can help improve your health in certain ways. Studies show that Xylitol helps reduce the risk of teeth decay and cavities. The sweetener increases the absorption rate of calcium, which increases bone density and in the long run can fight against osteoporosis.

Be aware that Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, so it should be kept away from them completely.

Just like any sweetener, Xylitol should be used in moderation, due to digestive side effects, such as gas, diarrhea, and stomach bloating. These negative side effects are only a result of over consumption.

Erythritol

Erythritol, like Xylitol, is also a sugar alcohol, but it contains less calories. It tastes very similar to sugar, so the substitute won’t be much of a dramatic change.

The body does not have the enzymes to break down Erythritol, so it is directed right into the bloodstream and flushed out of the body directly.

This sugar substitute does not raise blood sugar, insulin, or cholesterol. There are no shown side effects from the consumption of Erythritol, besides over consumption resulting in digestive issues. Like anything we consume, these sweeteners should be used in moderation.

Yacon Syrup

Yacon Syrup is all natural, from the Yacon plant found in South America. This syrup can be used in coffee, tea, or oatmeal, but it can not be used to cook because of the consistency. Cooking this sweetener will cause the syrup to break up.

There is a special sugar molecule (fructooligosaccharides) that the body cannot digest, but the molecule reduces the hunger hormone, causing humans to actually eat less and suppress the hungry feeling.

There have not been enough studies conducted yet, but as seen on the Dr. Oz show, one case was shown to prove weight loss in those who use Yacon Syrup. An important benefit from Yacon Syrup is the impact it provides to maintain a healthy gut. A healthy gut has been linked to a decreased risk of diabetes, obesity, and an improvement to brain function and immunity.

This sweetener is especially beneficial to those who may want to lose weight. There are other sugar substitutes available, but these top four alternatives are all-natural and offer the most health benefits.

Trim Healthy Mama is an outstanding source to check out for some guilt-free desserts, that contain these healthy sugar substitutes and will provide health benefits to the body.

Blueberry Muffins

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a medium size bowl, assemble and whisk together the following dry ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups almond flour/meal, measured from 2 ½ cups blended, sprouted almonds • ½ cup flax seed meal

• 2 T. coconut flour

• ½ t. sea salt

• ½ t. cinnamon •

½ t. baking soda*, (not GAPS-friendly, optional) •

1/16-1/8 t. powdered stevia, or less (NuNaturals brand preferred; use “to taste”)

Assemble and blend together, in a large bowl or food processor, the following wet ingredients:

• 1/3 cup packed dates

• ½ cup extra-virgin coconut oil, softened slightly

• ½ cup sprouted, homemade almond butter

• ½ cup finely chopped fresh apple or applesauce

• 3 eggs, pastured preferred

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Fold in the following:

Drop the batter into a lined muffin pan; or spray your muffin pan with coconut oil spray to prevent sticking.

• 1 cup blueberries

• ½ cup optional sprouted walnuts

Bake until muffins are puffed, browned on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Yields 1 dozen muffins.

VARIATIONS

1) Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Banana~ Use peanut butter in place of the almond butter, use banana in place of the apples, one portion mashed and one portion diced and folded in, add ½ cup chocolate chips (Lily’s makes a stevia-sweetened chocolate chip or here’s a new unsweetened chocolate chip that I love) or nibs.

2) Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip~ Replace the pureed fresh apple with ½ cup cooked, mashed pumpkin (BPA-free, canned, organic pumpkin is fine), add ½ cup chocolate chips or nibs.

3) If allergic to almonds, use any other sprouted nut you can tolerate, to create homemade “flour” and butter, so cashew flour and cashew butter, for instance would replace the almond flour and almond butter.

4) Substitute the blueberries for ½ cup finely chopped fresh apple or applesauce

Chocolate Chip Cookies of course! These cookies are sugar free and contain Stevia, as well as sugar free chocolate chips.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups Flour

• 1 tsp Baking Soda

• 17 tbsp Butter softened to room temp

• 1 cup Stevia

• 1/2 cup Surkin Gold

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 8 ounces Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS

Start by preheating your oven to 350 and prepping a cookie sheet for nonstick (I use parchment paper for an easy clean up).

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set this bowl aside.

Next, in a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. I use a paddle attachment and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

For the next step we are going to add the dry ingredients from the first bowl to the ingredients in the second bowl. To do so, add half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, stir gently and then add the remaining ingredients and stir gently again.

Then add the eggs and the vanilla extract.

Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake your cookies for 10- 12 minutes or until they begin to brown.

Larger cookies will most likely take longer than smaller cookies to bake. Also, some folks prefer their cookies baked longer than others.

VARIATIONS

There are several alternatives to use in place of sugar and several of them can actually boost your health overall.

Don’t miss out this holiday season trying to steer away from sugars. Bake these sugarless Chocolate Chip Cookies for a family or work holiday party and help everyone make some healthy changes.

Keep in mind the alternatives provided when making your next apple pie or batch of brownies. Look into Trim Healthy Mama for recipes and testimonials or browse around in cook books and online for other mouth-watering, but sugar-free, desserts!

Read more at: https://thesugarfreediva.com/sugar-free-chocolatechip-cookies/ © https://thesugarfreediva.com

Healthline.com https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/natural-sugarsubstitutes#section5

Coming up this month!

11/7 Who has the Best Dessert in Cabarrus County?

11/14 How to Survive Thanksgiving

11/21 Meet Your New Representatives Part 1

11/28 Meet your New Representatives Part 2

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