Wish I'd had a V-8...

I love those V-8 commercials on TV, but especially the one where the Mom keeps saying she's going to have a French fry over and over again. She finally gets bopped on the forehead by her little girl sitting  in a stroller, because she "could of had a V-8 instead...! Well today was one of those "Wish I'd had a V-8" days for me...

It's been almost a year and half since I went gluten free, and as you well know by now if you have been following me on the blog, is that I definitely have a sweet tooth. You will find various recipes for brownies, cookies, and sweets on the blog, many of which are loaded with sugar!!!

Yesterday when I finally realized I definitely needed to drink more water for health reasons....da! Who knew...I am not a big fan of water, nor milk, as we were raised on well water when kids, and milk straight from the cow poured into a cooler with lots of cream floating on the top. I guess old habits never die as the saying goes...especially when it comes to my sweets. Every Friday home made rolls, along with pies or cinnamon rolls, awakened our taste buds straight from the oven when arriving home from school.

Today however it hit me like a ton of bricks, or should I say like a V-8 moment, when I was searching the web for a sugar free version of a Angel food cake recipe for my diabetic husband. What the heck am I doing??? I have a diabetic husband, and I have been  baking everything he really needs to avoid! Thank goodness he is not much of a sweet eater...

What really put the icing on the cake (no pun intended) was when I came upon a list of 78 reasons NOT to use sugar...I knew sugar could cause cavities, give you a sugar rush, and can elevate your blood sugar, but 78 reasons....REALLY???

So I started reading the list. Wow! If this didn't make me want to run to the cupboard and throw out everything that contained sugar, I don't know what would. So from now on you will hopefully be seeing more sugar free dessert recipes posted, or recipes with less sugar content, as I engage yet in another way of living... I hope to keep my husband around for awhile longer, and also myself...The old adage, " What you don't know won't hurt you," definitely does not apply here...

As for me, I am still recuperating  from the pinched nerve in my neck, and the occasional numbness it causes in my left arm, but I hope to be back soon posting more healthier recipes for those of us who have a sweet tooth. In the mean time I will be searching the web, and cookbooks, for recipes using less sugars or sugar free substitutes.

So until then, here is the list I mentioned from above...

78 reasons NOT to use sugar:

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
5. Sugar can adversely affect children's school grades.
6. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
7. Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
8. Sugar can cause kidney damage.
9. Sugar can reduce helpful high-density cholesterol.
10. Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol.
11. Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
12. Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
13. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
14. Sugar may lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.
15. Sugar can cause colon cancer, with an increased risk in women.
16. Sugar can be a risk factor in gall bladder cancer.
17. Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
18. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
19. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which can narrow blood vessels.
20. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
21. Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
22. Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
23. Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
24. Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and gray hair.
25. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
26. Sugar can promote tooth decay.
27. Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
28. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
29. Sugar can cause a raw, inflamed intestinal tract in persons with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
30. Sugar can cause arthritis.
31. Sugar can cause asthma.
32. Sugar can cause candidiasis (yeast infection).
33. Sugar can lead to the formation of gallstones.
34. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
35. Sugar can cause ischemic heart disease.
36. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
37. Sugar can exacerbate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
38. Sugar can indirectly cause hemorrhoids.
39. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
40. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraception users.
41. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
42. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
43. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
44. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
45. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
46. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
47. Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
48. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
49. Sugar can change the structure of protein causing interference with protein absorption.
50. Sugar causes food allergies.
51. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
52. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
53. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
54. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
55. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.
56. Sugar can cause cataracts.
57. Sugar can cause emphysema.
58. Sugar can cause arteriosclerosis.
59. Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
60. Sugar lowers the enzymes' ability to function.
61. Sugar can cause loss of tissue elasticity and function.
62. Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar can cause constipation.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can cause hypertension.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
72. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the minds ability to think clearly.
73. Sugar can cause depression.

74. Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
75. Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.
76. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
77. Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots.
78. Sugar can increase the risk of Alzheimer Disease.

 

 

Katz sale going on!!!

Today Katz is having a one day sale on bread crumbs...Be sure to stock up for the coming Autumn & Winter months....Orders can be placed on their site to the right of this post.
Have a great gluten free day!!!  Sharon

Getting egg whites to room temperature for recipes...

Many recipes call for your egg whites to be at room temperature, such as Angel food cakes. Although refrigeration keeps eggs fresher for a much longer period of time than storing them at room temperature, they will blend into recipes much more easily if you take the time to take the chill off of them before using them.

Egg whites at room temperature will have become more “relaxed” and the whites will take on more volume when beaten, and break up more easily when whisked into a batter. When making Angel food cakes this is a must, as its the volume that forms the cake.

To bring the whites, to room temperature, you can take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to use them and leave them on the counter top. If the eggs sit out longer than that, it won’t hurt them in terms of how they act in the recipe, but they will have “aged” compared to eggs that have been kept only in the refrigerator.

Recipes that call for egg whites alone, such as the Angel food cake I will be making today, most often call for them to be at room temperature to insure the proper volume when beating.  Eggs are however, much easier to separate when they are cold. To warm up just your egg whites, separate the eggs when cold and place the whites in a small bowl. Place the bowl into a slightly larger bowl full of warm water and allow them to sit for 5-10 minutes. Or simply let them sit, covered, at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before using.

The leftover part of the egg that you are not using  can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Hope this info gives you new insight into baking gluten-free.
Sharon

Being in control...

 Today  is one of those days after a long week that just seems to set my mind on whirl with thoughts...Thoughts about the course of my life, family, health.. You know what I'm talking about, I am sure you have all been there at one time or other.. Its that state of mind that reminds you about the things in life we actually do have control over.

We can't control the weather. We can't control the price of gas, or even the price of the food that we eat. We can't always control unruly children, or sometimes the course of our marriage, or whether we have brown eyes, or blue. We can't control the fact that an inexperienced driver will ram the back of your car, as I had happen to me just last week. These, and many other things, are out of our control.

The one thing I "AM" sure of, is that I can control what goes into my body with what I choose to eat. I have to say first off that I am not a "Expert" when it comes to knowing everything there is to know about being gluten intolerant. I don't know every product by name to live a gluten free lifestyle, nor am I am proficient in reading labels when it comes to finding products available to live a gluten free lifestyle. If it states that it is gluten free,  I'm in! For this reason I trust the advice and knowledge of the experts along the way. I'm still very much a newbie in some areas...

There is much information available out there on this subject via the web. There are also many great blogs on the web with which to visit and gather information from. I just read the other day that someone who had gone gluten free decided to not start a blog on the subject because he was not a "expert' on the subject of living a gluten free lifestyle.

If a surgeon never performed that much needed first surgery he would never have become a great surgeon. If Christopher Columbus would never have sailed the "oceans blue" we would not be the great United States that we are today! We all have to start somewhere!

This blog might not contain all the information that one who is living a gluten free lifestyle might need, (you would need a set of gluten free encyclopedia's just for this subject alone)  but it can be a starting ground...The recipes are all delicious, or they wouldn't be posted here. The tips and information all come from great gluten free and Celiac Disease sites, or books, from which I have gathered information. Even from my own personal experiences of trial and error :-)  Everything posted here is to help you in your gluten free adventure...

Product reviews are done with all readers in mind. Gluten free products can be costly, and it is always nice to have the honest opinion of someone to help save a few bucks here and there...

As I mentioned in the beginning of the post...There are things in life that we just can't control. Living gluten free is often not a decision many of us would have made on our own, but is often dictated by our bodies for health reasons. We are all just trying to live our lives to its fullest.

If this blog has helped you on your journey then I am blessed. If my research  has helped you in any way I hope you will take the time to leave a comment or become a follower so as to let me know I have been a asset in some way.

Last weeks accident was a eye opener to the fact that life is ever changing. Nothing stays the same forever. In the gluten free world recipes change and can be altered. Flours can be substituted, and different spices are used to make a whole difference in taste and texture. However one thing will always stay the same with each end product...it will remain... gluten free!

Until next post....
Sharon