Herb Thyme Market, Inc.

DON'T USE PLASTIC WHEN PREPARING FOODS WITH FAT

The chemicals in plastic are fat-soluble, which means that foods containing fat absorb the plastic chemicals, especially when exposed to heat. These chemicals, which are endocrine disruptors, further disturb metabolism.

 DO NOT EAT TRANS, OVERHEATED, OR RANCID FATS OR CHARBROILED MEATS

Cooking meat over an open flame causes many fats to spoil because of the high heat.  There is also a second problem: the fat from the meat drips onto coals, creating smoke that contains chemicals strongly associated with increased colon cancer risk and also correlated with diabetes.

CARBOHYDRATES & YEASTS!

Sugar feeds yeast.  It is as simple as that.  If you are trying to deprive yeast of its food source, you need to keep the sugars and carbohydrates away from it.  Feeding the yeast with sugars allows it to flourish.

Which carbohydrates are good and which are not so good?  While all carbohydrates ultimately breakdown to simple sugars, there are good choices you can make.  Simple sugars, such as refined white sugar in cakes and cookies, are about the worst.  Those foods have very little nutritional content and are also a source of saturated fats and gluten.  More complex carbohydrates such as cereals and flours can still feed yeast, as the body breaks them down to simple sugars.  Fruits, while considered healthy by virtue of their vitamin and mineral content, can still feed yeast and should be restricted in those with known yeast overgrowth, and those on antibiotics.

The carbohydrates you eat should come from vegetables such as broccoli, leafy greens, and salads.  These foods are health-giving, come directly from nature, and are full of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.  They also are high in fiber, which slows their transit through the intestines, and provide roughage to ensure healthy bowel movements.

Sugars

The thing that many people do not realize is the impact of sugar consumption on the immune system.  One teaspoon of sugar has been found to suppress immunity for up to 16 hours.  So, if a person eats a high-sugar diet, his immune system is never working at full steam.

 SWEETENERS 101...

STEVIA

Stevia ia a plant leaf, crunched up into a nice powder or added to a liquid extract, that is naturally sweet.  Stevia is popular because it doesn't bump your blood sugar levels and it's non-caloric.

SUGAR ALCOHOLS

Sugar alcohols, including xylitol, sorbitol and erythritol, are high in sweetness but low on the glycemic index, which ranks foods on a scale from 1 to 100 by how they affect blood glucose levels.  The lower the ranking, the more beneficial the food is for blood-sugar management.

MAPLE SUGAR CRYSTALS

Maple syrup crystals are dehydrated pure maple syrup--nothing more, nothing less.  Maple syrup crystals are the true meaning of a natural product and have trace amounts of calcium, manganese, potassium and zinc.

MOLASSES

A thick syrup, molasses is produced during the refining of sugar or sorghum and varies from light to dark brown in color.  Molasses is the most nutritious sweetener someone can select.  Molasses ranks lower on the glycemic index than table sugar and many other natural sweeteners.

SUCANAT

Dried cane syrup and evaporated cane juice are generally used interchangeably.  They are, essentially, a dried form of sucanat, which is raw cane syrup that has not been fully refined.

Sucanat is very low in nutrients, but slightly better than sugar because it has been less processed.  White sugar has had the nutrient-rich molasses removed.  Sucanat retains trace amounts of molasses' nutrients.

BROWN RICE SYRUP

Brown rice syrup is simply cultured rice and enzymes.  Mostly a complex carbohydrate, brown rice syrup breaks down slower in the body than sugar and thus provides a steadier supply of energy.  It's only 20 percent as sweet as sugar, and has a better effect on your body.

HONEY

Like maple syrup, honey is a pure product, generally with no additives or preservatives.

Honey contains antioxidants and phytonutrients.  Recent research shows that honey may ease children's coughs better than over-the-counter medicines.

A tablespoon of honey has more calories than a tablespoon of sugar, but because honey is sweeter, you actually use less honey.

AGAVE

Agave, derived from the plant of the same name, is the celebrity of sweeteners.  Agave is mostly fructose [fruit sugar], so it's lower than sugar and honey on the glycemic index.  It is higher in calories than table sugar, has no nutritional value, but lends itself to interesting culinary applications.

Agave can score 39 (on a scale of 1 to 100) or even lower on the glycemic index, but not all agaves are created equal.  Different brands of agave contain different amounts of fructose versus glucose. 

Just because agave is lower on the glycemic index, don't think you have the green-light to eat as much as you'd like!  Too much of ANY sweetener, can lead to sugar-based health problems, such as cavities, joint issues and over-growth of candida.