Organic Processing Vo1.5 #3

Low glycemic index and low/no calorie options. Agave nectar, which is revered as a sacred food in Mexico, has recently become popular as an alternative sweetener. Its selling points are its mild honey-like flavor and, most of all, its low glycemic index (GI)—a result of its composition, which ranges fro m about 60 to 90 percent fructose. A lesser known low GI sweetener is coconut palm sugar. This option not only has a lower GI than agave, but is also low in calories and high in nutrients such as potassium, iron and zinc. It is soft, dark and crumbly like brown sugar yet, unlike other options, palm sugars remain dry and free-flow-ing, rarely caking. Another sweet and healthy option that is entering the sweetening scene is yacon, a tuber vegetable from Peru. This exotic ingredient is much lower in calories than sugar and has the added benefit of high levels of fructooligosaccaride (FOS) and inulin, which work in conjunc- _{This healthy Peruvian}tion as prebiotics and help manage blood sugars. veggie can substitute The syrup has a stronger taste, much like molasses, ^{for sugar.}and the powder has a fruity, apple-like flavor.

Organic erythritol, a sugar alcohol, is a zero calorie sweetener that

Sorting Out The Glycemic Index

In 1981, Australian researchers developed a method for evaluating carbohydrates to benefit diabetics. They looked at blood sugar response to eating 50 grams of carbohydrate and compared it to ingesting the same amount of pure glucose solution. The resulting comparison curve became known as the glycemic index (GI). A score of 70, for example, meant that the food in question produced a blood sugar response over a two-hour period that was 70 percent as rapid as ingesting pure glucose.

Many values were surprising, affected not only by the type of carbohydrate in the food, but also by the protein, fat and fiber content, among other variables. Today, nutritionists are split in their opinions regarding the usefulness of the glycemic index because of some of the inconsistencies in the many and varied GI charts. The list of formerly “good foods” now with bad numbers generated so much confusion that an offshoot of the glycemic index, glycemic load (GL), was recruited to settle some of the conflict. To calculate GL, you multiply GI by the grams of carbohydrates in a food, giving more weight to the quantity of carbohydrates ingested.

One of the inconsistencies surfaced with the critique of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) (which has not been developed in organic). Fructose, which has a very low glycemic index, fails to stimulate insulin secretion and enhance leptin production. From this it was speculated that HFCS failed to satisfy our apetite as well as sucrose, leaving us to crave sugar. Mashed potatoes, however, a high glycemic food, are a champ at satisfying hunger when evaluated by a satiety index—a measure of how satisfied you are three hours after eating one food.

Advocates point out that low GI food need only be used about half the time we eat carbohydrates and, further, that athletes need some high GI foods for energy. While the jury is still out on how to best measure the impact of carbohydrates, the best advice, given what we know, is to eat legumes and whole grains, and to consume sugar in moderation from a variety of natural sources. Stay tuned as the area will likely develop more as science evolves.

occurs naturally in very small quantities. Industrially it’s produced by fermentation of glucose with a yeast strain. Erythritol is 60 to 70 percent as sweet as table sugar, yet has only 0.2 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for all sugars. Because it is not sugar, it does not promote tooth decay, stimulate insulin production or affect blood sugar. It’s absorbed in the small intestines, like all sugars, and excreted unchanged in the urine. Large amounts of this very low calorie sweetener can produce a laxative effect though. It also tends to be less soluble than sugar and is said to yield a cooling sensation in the mouth upon immediate dissolution into water. Inulin, however, can be used with erythritol to provide bulk and texture and to offset the cooling sensation.

Brown rice syrup is another healther option believed to help keep blood sugars more balanced. It’s obtained by culturing cooked rice with dried barley sprouts or other sources of enzymes, which hydrolize much of the starch into maltose and glucose. The final composition is about 3 percent glucose, 45 percent maltose, with the remainder more complex carbohydrates. This gives brown rice syrup a reputation of providing sustained energy.

Cane sugar derivatives. Although refined sugar gets a bad rap, there are many options from the same plant that offer significant nutrients and sometimes even fewer calories. Colorado Mountain jams and jellies are sweetened with a minimal amount of organic evaporated cane juice, making them naturally lower in calories and higher in nutrients (especially vitamin B2) than most jams and jellies.