What is the difference between organic cane sugar and white sugar. It there any difference? I am finally owning up to the fact that I am sensitive to white sugar. The world of sugar ingredients is confusing.
Mnm

quote:

Originally posted by cate:

You could also sub molasses for brown sugar (most brown sugar, if not all, is created by coating white/processed sugar with molasses now)

Good luck!

The problem with molasses is that it still comes from sugar cane. If Michelle is sensitive to sugar, she probably shouldn't use ANY sugar cane products (which includes raw sugar, turbinado sugar, sucanat, molasses, white sugar, brown sugar and probably a few others that I am not thinking of...oh, and splenda). And Michelle, I seriously would stay away from artificial sweeteners.

After we find a car, and that particular stress is gone from my life, I will be happy to test recipes that I have to make sure MY kids like them I know that I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses date sugar, but I haven't tried it. It comes from a trusted source (a good friend), BUT I want to try it before suggesting it to anyone else

A book that she uses often (she also isn't able to use any kind of sucrose products (Sugar cane derivatives)), is "I can't believe it isn't sugar" or something like that.

quote:

Originally posted by MnM:
I just had a thought. What about chocolate???? This may not work if I have to swear off of chocolate completely.
Mnm

MnM,

You are in luck! You can get great grain sweetened chocolate! Sunspire makes some great M&M type candies that are grain sweetened (they are called Sun Drops), and they also make chocolate chips. You can find Sunspire products at Whole Foods, but if you buy the individual bags, those are sugar cane sweetened, the ones in the bulk bins are the ones that are grain sweetened.

I was doing some more research. While I haven't found anything that says if organic cane sugar is produced differently, I have found that the closest you can get to natural cane sugar (not organic unfortunately) is the sugar in cones sold in Indian/Caribbean stores, called Jaggery sugar.

So if you think you might be allergic to some portion of the sugaring process, try using the jaggery for a while.

You could also sub molasses for brown sugar (most brown sugar, if not all, is created by coating white/processed sugar with molasses now)

Good luck!

could you be sensitive to corn syrup? If its corn syrup, you would have a few more options open to you.

I have an organic chocolate that I love, Green and Blacks which, while it has sugar, it isn't as sweet as a lot of chocolates, but its very milky. I think there are chocolates out there that have been sweetened with other things than sugar, just be careful, since you don't want to use too much artificial stuff either.

You could also use cocoa powder and maybe honey and make some kind of chocolate confection/sweet. There is something I made a few years ago with lots of dried fruit, nuts and a chocolate honey syrup.

I just had a thought. What about chocolate???? This may not work if I have to swear off of chocolate completely.
Mnm

Thank you for the information! I wasn't sure where to find this information. The website looks like it will give me some ratios to work with in altering recipes. I would love to get recipes. It would make this a lot easier if I don't have to use my family for experements. They might not take it to kindly if I do it to much. Esp. mom, she will quit trusting my stuff.
Mnm

P.S. Can I still be Mnm with my not eating sugar? ? Do I have to change my name?

Stevia is good, but it is difficult to work with in cooking/baking.

And raw sugar is made from sugar cane, which is what you want to avoid.

You could look into Stevia. It is an herbal sweetner but I don't know much more than that about it. I don't think you can cook with it.

Also be carefull about "raw sugar". A lot of the time "raw sugar" is just plain white sugar with molasses added for the brown color.

Michelle,
organic cane sugar is the same as white sugar, but it is organically grown, and possibly not bleached like white sugar.

If you are sensitive to white sugar, you should also stay away from splenda...it is chemically altered sugar.

There are LOTS of other sweetening options available to you though.

Honey
Fructose (I would only use this minimally though)
brown rice syrup
barley malt syrup
fruit juice concentrate
date sugar
maple sugar
maple syrup (REAL maple syrup, not pancake syrup)


I would stay away from molasses also, because it is also a sugar cane product.

I know that there is also agave nectar, although i've never used it, and really don't know anything about it.

I would love to share recipes with you, if you are interested. Also, if you go to Real Food Living and click on the tab at the top titled "FAQS" and then scroll to the FAQ about honey and sweeteners, there is some information there as well.