Sugar - Rapadura? Muscovado? Sucanat?

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I recently bought some rapadura from a new organic supplier and it was labelled as both rapadura and panela.  After emailing Quirky Jo and discussing it with her we decided to do a bit more research.  It appears that all of the rapadura that enters Australia (under a variety brand names and packaging) comes from the same overseas supplier - Daabon.  It is neither traditional sundried/evaporated rapadura (which may not even exist anymore) or panela (heated above 200^o).

I guess you could call it an "in-between" product as it has been heating in the following way:
First heating 96 deg C
Second heating 98 deg C for 10 minutes
Third heating 123-125 deg C for 30 minutes.

Regardless of what it officially is, we know that it is still a great deal better for us than sugar. 

[Nay-nay]

Well that really threw a spanner in the works!!! 

[quirkycooking]

Yeah!  Apparently the above is considered 'low heats' for processing cane juice - I read somewhere that panela and jaggery are heated at over 200 degrees C, which I know from Daabon that Rapadura isn't... but they also use the name Panela, which is a traditional name...  All very confusing, but I thought maybe there are different producers that do things slightly differently but use the same traditional names.  Anyway, Rapadura's still the best I've found (and I guess Panella too), because it's not crystallised therefore not processed at as high heats as the others.

I think I'll just have to go to South America and check it all out for myself!!!  (I wish!) 

Anyone on here from South America???

[Nay-nay]

I wonder if you could ask Cindy O?? 

[Thermomixer]

I think I'll just have to go to South America and check it all out for myself!!!  (I wish!) 

If you get a study grant i can make myself available as a technical assistant.

Had a dinner by a Sth American chef last night.  Could have asked him ! 

[quirkycooking]

I think I'll just have to go to South America and check it all out for myself!!!  (I wish!) 

If you get a study grant i can make myself available as a technical assistant.

Had a dinner by a Sth American chef last night.  Could have asked him ! 

Hey, good idea T'mixer!!!  My dh is getting quite good at Spanish - we could take him along too! 
Oh well, if you see that chef again, ask him!

[Nay-nay]

The packet I have has 'Rapdura' as the main name then 'Panela Muscovado' written under it. in the ingredients list it has written 100% evaporated cane sugar - It's all very confusing.  I have asked Cindy on her FB page and will await her reply.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Changing-Habits/94250273441?v=wall#!

[quirkycooking]

I did have a look at Cyndi's website but couldn't find hardly any info on it - not sure how much she's researched it.

[Nay-nay]

This might give her a reason to. 

[Russell]

Just following up on this thread as I'm interested in sugars for our upcoming FAILSAFE diet, and didn't see an answer to the earlier question. It seems anything with Molasses in is not strictly safe. It is listed as moderate in salicylates on this site http://www.salicylatesensitivity.com/food-guide so would depend on your Salicylate tolerance.

Russell.

[quirkycooking]

How about agave nectar/syrup?  I use that a bit, and I know it's safe for diabetics too (very low gi).

[Russell]

How about agave nectar/syrup?  I use that a bit, and I know it's safe for diabetics too (very low gi).

Hmm not sure. One post here http://www.salicylatesensitivity.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=516 says it's sometimes diluted with corn syrup. Another says it's OK in small quantities. I'd say not enough research has been done.

I'm sticking to Maple Syrup for my stuff when I can - once again expensive stuff - $40/l , of course. Simple white sugar is FAILSAFE, but being failsafe doesn't mean it's healthy, just that most people won't have any adverse reactions to it

Russell.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I must admit until recently I haven't used agave syrup for that same reason Russell.  From some of the research that I found it seemed that many manufacturers were refining it to the point where it was not much better than corn syrup (and yes corn syrup was also being added).  I have found one brand that I am happy with at the moment though - Loving Earth. There is still some refinement going on and an enzyme being added (as fructose doesn't appear in this form naturally), but from what I can gather it isn't to the same level as most brands of maple syrup.  Boy I wish my boys liked honey!!! Anyway here is some info from the Bio-Distributors website on agave:

Loving Earth's agave syrup which we supply is grown by the Aztecs in the Ixmiquilpan region of Mexico. Agave is central to their culture and they have been cultivating it for thousands of years. Our certified organic, wild-crafted agave syrup is a delicious, low glycemic index (GI) sweetener that tastes somewhere between honey and maple syrup. The dark, unrefined agave has a rich vanilla-like aroma and deep wild flavour.

The agave nectar is derived from the Wild Maguey (Agave Salminae). The Ixmiquilpan indigenous growers association hand harvest the nectar. One cactus can produce as much as 2 litres of juice a day. Juice is collected twice daily, and one cactus can continue producing juice for up to three months! The juice is concentrated into syrup through vacuum evaporation. This lowers moisture content, preventing fermentation. Low temperature evaporation, no higher than 40 degrees celsius, maintains the agave's nutritive qualities. The juice is then treated with a vegan-friendly enzyme that converts complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. Our agave is a raw product.

[Moonmobile]

This article http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/43926.aspx argues thaat agave nectar can't be produced without being heated to at least 140 to 160 degress Fahrenheit and therefore cannot be classified as a raw food. I also read that enzymes have to be added to it to make it digestible.

I was initially really keen about xylitol - but this is highly processed - definitely not a whole food - and it doesn't seem to work very well in baked goods (at least I haven't succeeded with it yet!) - it's fantastic in icecream and cold things tho'. I'd love to hear what other people think about xylitol.

This whole sweetener issue is such a frustrating minefield of misinformation. I have come to the personal conclusion from the conflicting research I have read so far that that the only really viable solutions appear to be honey (and the less heated the better) and fruit in its natural form (either fresh or dried - preferably fresh) and even these in moderation. I know at least that I don't have a bad reaction to honey and fruit!

[Russell]

I was initially really keen about xylitol - but this is highly processed - definitely not a whole food - and it doesn't seem to work very well in baked goods (at least I haven't succeeded with it yet!) - it's fantastic in icecream and cold things tho'. I'd love to hear what other people think about xylitol.

I have no opinion on Xylitol, but here's Sue Dengate's opinion

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Factsugarfree.htm

Witht all this stuff, I'm sure there is no "perfect" option. We're all individuals and all react differently. So what's perfectly fine for most people, is probably the worst thing in the world for others. I love peanuts. Not everyone can say that.

Russell.