Healthy ways to sweeten your food
Candies, gumdrops, sweet icing on the cake...sweet and sugar infused delights are always a temptation for all of us.But with growing health concerns such as strokes, diabetes and obesity, sugar cravings need to be controlled. Fret not. Endless home recipes exist for naturally sweetening food the healthy way. Here are a few ways in which you can enjoy that sugar craving without worrying about hospital visits and increasing waistlines.
Honey is an excellent way to do away with the phlegm and allergies from the body. Not only this, honey is much sweeter than white sugar and acts as a healthy substitute to it. Therefore, if you use only one-third amount of honey as compared to white sugar, your desserts are bound to taste much richer and creamier. Add it homemade sauces and salads and you can add texture and varied consistency to any dish. Drizzle it as a dressing on piping hot vegetables or mix it with a bit of chilli sauce and lemon, it is an ideal natural sweetener.
Raisins or Kishmish can be added to any sweet dish as the sweetening agent present in them gives ample amount of taste.
Dates (also known as khajur) have around 60% sugar content and the more you dry them, the more water evaporates from them, increasing the sugar content in them. However, make sure that when you use dates, you don't use them in dishes which require liquefying sugar in a liquid. This is because date sugar does not dissolve well. They are best when used along with baked dishes. So, ditch the white sugar this festive season and sweeten your desserts and baked dishes with khajur instead.
Figs (also known as anjeer) were used instead of sugar even when the concept of sugar was unknown to man. They contain fifty per cent sugar content and are a rich source of iron too. Pre-soak them for adding a better and richer taste to your food.
Fruits: Fruits such as apples, strawberries, blueberries, mangos and pineapple can be served as desserts. All you need to do is lightly saute them in a bit of olive oil, add the said fruit and a bit of water. Let the fruit cook in its own juices and relish it as a dessert or as an evening/mid-morning snack.
Jaggery (also known as gur) is prepared by the extract of sugarcane juice, gur is dark, unrefined sugar and is one of the most available ingredients in Indian households. An excellent source of iron, gur is also full of many medicinal properties. However, one needs to be careful when eating gur as it can lead to a sudden hike in the blood sugar levels. Diabetics, watch out for the quantity of gur you eat!
While these are healthy natural food sweeteners, it's important to remember that an overdose of any kind of sugar (no matter how healthy) is not good for you in the long run. These natural sweeteners have a definite advantage over white sugar, as they are sweeter, and also contain many nutrients. Therefore, use these natural sweeteners, but use them in the right quantities.
User Comments:
- First T-20 match without shakib and tamim india loss
- At the age of 85, goodbye to cricket
- Shakib Ranking position change
- Bangladesh ended the first day of the unbeaten century
- Saif Hassan disappointed the chosen in the first roles
- Proteas defeats the Lankan in 2nd ODI
- IDB expresses concern over changes in Islami Bank
- 20 potential ECS names nominated
- Could not believe that Sunny Leone wanted him in 'Laila Main Laila' Shah Rukh Khan
- India beat England in the 1st T20 match
- Look your best on Valentine's Day
- Priyanka said that India will always be identified
- Global banking rules agreement 'once the dust settles in the United States
- May trumpet as host of the first foreign leader
- Do not interfere in the Bangladesh case, Qadir says foreign
- Turkey's ambassador to Dhaka
- 'Ice Age: New trailer collision: the threat of global asteroids
- Bale hits real winner
- Woman found dead in a city hotel
- Withdrawal of unemployed nurses strike
- Tangail filed on Hindu murder case
- Foreign Minister meets King Abdullah Foundation trip in Saudi Arabia, Prince Turkey
- Hasina praised Bangladesh bowling sensation Mustafizur
- Rains in Sylhet, the heat wave plays extra time in the rest of Bangladesh
- BNP chief Khaleda sees more danger than ever before in Bangladesh
- I do not want it, I want to win: Dunga
- Asks the Bangladesh government to take a strong position against killer:Denmark
- My mom is not here to meet Neetu Kapoor, Katrina Kaif clear
- ICC World T20: England Qualify For Final
- Tonu murder sad every part of the army, says ISPR
- ADB Bangladesh sees FY GDP growing at 6.7% in 2015-16
- Court orders arrest of Khaleda's deadly bus firebombing in Dhaka
- Standard Chartered cards stop working due to a down server
- Corruption can progress obstruction of a country: President
- The uncertainty of the cloud cleared, Hero 420, released Friday
- To suggest pollution to protect your skin
- Trouble in Parliament to answer questions on the delay Interior Minister
- Hasina urges teachers to promote sports
- 5D can record human history!
- I'm still a child, says Kareena
- Saudi, Russia agreed oil production freeze
- Twenty20 World Cup announced
- The death of former chief Boutros-ghali UN
- Arrest warrant issued against Daily Star editor
- Per capita income of Bangladesh 2014-15, increasing to $ 1.316 in fiscal year
- Khaleda Zia subcommittees for BNP
- BSMMU Abdul Hannan appointed new Register
- Citizens can update fingerprints for the ceremony at the office
- Executes N Korea army chief
- Twenty20 Women World Cup team announced
- Star Journo concern over the threat to the leader, its editor
- US 'Intel warning of the details of the terrorist group in Bangladesh
- To be tried Padma bridge 'conspirators': Prime Minister
- Road crashes: High Court order on all hospital emergency service
- muslin and fund research: analyst
- Chief Justice appeal eats division into three judges
- Keraniganj prime murder suspect killed in shootout school Abdullah: RAB
- Bangladesh lost a High Court for staff accommodation
- ICT sentence Taher, Noni Netrokona death
- Ghazipur knife 2 DB
- French minister at the UN sends carbon pricing
- '' Now it Rabby no bar
- Khulna JCD President Kamran held
- Police want Bank Medical College
- Fakhrul went to Singapore for treatment
- Apple warns iPhone sales to fall
- Kristen Stewart speaks up on gender inequality
- China to increase JVs in Bangladesh
- Konta 33-year British drought to break beats Zhang
- India waives visa fees Bangladesh
- Patient's death: 2 CTG doctors get bail
- Specialised police to combat terrorism: PM
- The school forced students to buy additional books
- Romance to change you as a person does
- AL betrayed the spirit of liberation war: khalida
- World Cup 2015: Dhoni's men will be wary of Bangladesh
- An eve teasing incident scarred my life
- Man allegedly kill wife
- 44 years later widows receive justice: sajib wazed joy
- Employee bonuses decline at Cognizant
- Happy loses Lawyer
- Shamsul Hoque Khan School top....... in Dhaka broad
- BNP leader Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pinto dies
- Proteas defeats the Lankan in 2nd ODI
- Dr. Yunus...................Three Zero Theory
- Turkey's ambassador to Dhaka
- 20 potential ECS names nominated
- Mashrafe-Rubel broke the English lineup
- Think different! Try sex in storeroom
- Khaleda Zia subcommittees for BNP
- IDB expresses concern over changes in Islami Bank
- High Court says : Why not second time in DU
- Woman found dead in a city hotel
- Kim Kardashian to strip nude again
- Tangail filed on Hindu murder case
- Refused bail petition of ..... Ruhul Kabir Rizvi
- Could not believe that Sunny Leone wanted him in 'Laila Main Laila' Shah Rukh Khan
- Romance to change you as a person does
- Finance Minister AMA Muhith to place budget for seventh time... Budget
- Look your best on Valentine's Day