Title: Fruit Sweet and Sugar Free - Information #2
Categories: Info Diabetic
Yield: 1 Servings

Fruit Sweet and Sugar Free by Janice Feuer 1993 Royal Teton Ranch

My Own Story ************

: For myself, I eat fewer sweet treats and a more balanced grain and vegetable diet, I can cut back the quantity of sweetener even more. I've discovered a whole range of new tastes as my taste buds begin to savor all flavours again, not just sweet. : Fruit sweeteners provide an excellent transition for those seeking to replace refined white sugar with whole foods. Since they can be used in smaller amounts than sugar with comparable results, they help you moderate your intake of sweets. For many people, fruit sweeteners do not produce the pronounced side effects often associated with excess sugar consumption, wide mood swings, uncontrolled emotions, crying spells, increased sleep requirements, headaches, out of control food binges, fidgeting, lack of appetite, and irritability. : I have had all of these symptoms myself. And because I had no idea of their cause, I thought I was going crazy. : In 1973, while working as the pastry chef at one of northern California's finest restaurants, I felt an incredible amount of mental, emotional, and physical stress. I thought I could no longer cope with life. I was concerned, but since I didn't know that there might be a physical cause for my problems, I chose to deal with the mental and emotional symptoms by spending the summer at a healing retreat on a small island in British Columbia. That it was an almost sugar-free summer was a bonus of which I took little notice. Our hosts served delicious vegetarian meals using the vegetables from their large organic garden. By the end of the summer, I had lost weight, grown tan and healthy, and was ready to deal with the world again. : Over the next few years, the symptoms returned. During those years, as I was not specializing exclusively in sweets, but cooking entrees as well, the symptoms were not as severe. However I would notice my head start to swim and my eyes begin to twitch on those mornings when I chose to sample a dessert left over from the evening before instead of eating a good breakfast. : In 1978, while living in a small town on the northern California coast, I heard a lecture on sugar, nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. I was overwhelmed and excited by what I heard, for I had never before realized the extent of sugar's effects. Here was the key to all that I had experienced during the previous six to seven years. : Changes were definitely in order. I did not work with sugar again until 1982, when I moved to Montana and began working as the pastry chef in The Ranch Kitchen restaurant. Since I then had a better understanding of what was wrong with sugar, I was able to begin to stop some of the excessive nibbling. However, just working with sugar eight hours a day (where it came in through the pores of my skin, and I breathed it in through my mouth and nose) was more than enough. : In 1985, wanting to improve my skills I worked in a fine French hotel for almost a year under a very talented French pastry chef. It was a renewed struggle not to eat everything in sight! Everything was absolutely delicious and in such large quantities - 60 quarts of magnificently light and fluffy cake batter and cheesecake and lemon mousse and 20 quarts of raspberry buttercream! : I often found it impossible to resist such overwhelming temptation. Even though I had a strong constitution, I became quite vulnerable to sugar, since products made with sugar had become the greater part of my diet. Many of the symptoms were returning, along with new ones, such as extreme sleepiness, I couldn't even drive the 45 minutes home without pulling off the freeway onto a side stree to take a nap. My doctor was very concerned and had me take all the recommended supplements for hypoglycemia ~ large doses of vitamins B and C, chromium, calcium, magnesium, and protein, to try to stabilize and regulate my blood sugar levels. : Besides taking the supplements, I prayed a lot for strength to resist this addiction to sugar. Even though I knew the effects of sugar and knew what it was doing to me, I was unable to control my eating. I was addicted to sugar, plain and simple. : That winter, I attended another lecture on sugar and its connection with hypoglycemia. I knew it was an accurate lecture because I was experiencing almost every symptom. : It was after this lecture that The Ranch Kitchen bakery began working with fruit juice concentrates. When the mixed fruit concentrate was found, we knew we had discovered a realistic alternative. Its flavour was delicious, and we needed to use only half as much fruit concentrate as sugar to get comparable results. Best of all, its effects on the body and emotions were not as extreme. : Fruit concentrates are not the final answer to health. Moderation in your intake of sweets along with a well balanced diet is the key. You should eat sweets only occasionally and make whole grains, legumes, and vegetables the focus of your diet, with fish or meat as needed. But for those special occasions when you want a sweet treat, you now have a delicious alternative. Isn't it nice to know that you can offer something beautiful and delicious to your friends and family without having to worry about the destructive effects of sugar?

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