How did you stop consuming processed sugar?

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Replies

  • Posts: 1,639 Member

    I have to chime in here... I disagree. I've made homemade marinara sauce loads of times before, if you don't add sugar it's super acidic! I happen to like the acidic flavor, so i choose sugar-free option, but there's no freaking way store bought doesn't add significant sugar to make it taste as mild as it does! Every recipe for marinara sauce calls for sugar.

    That claim raised my eyebrows, as I have a crap-ton of cookbooks and magazines and can't remember ever noting recipes calling for sugar, from Mario Batali to Bon Appetit or Food and Wine to Better Homes and Gardens. From looking online now, I do see that sources like the Pioneer Woman call for a teaspoon of sugar or so of sugar, but I don't think she is particularly noted for her authentic Italian cookery. To me some grocery store tomatoes are so acidic they taste like puke (sorry) and if that was all I had access to I would probably want to put in some sugar too.

    However...the acidity/sweetness profile can just as easily be determined by the kinds of tomatoes you use. I put up many jars of marinara every year and use a mix of homegrown San Marzanos, Brandywines, Black Krims and a family heirloom cherry, which creates a balanced, subtly sweet and smoky profile which is more pronounced if I roast the tomatoes. Recipes made with wine or balsamic vinegar are also going to have a sweeter profile. Obviously one would probably pay much more for a jarred sauce made with a bespoke heirloom tomato mix or more expensive ingredients, but that's the trade-off. The best option in my book is to make your own.

    To tie this back into the OP's question, there are a lot of tricks and techniques for different foods where you can play with the flavor profiles to bring out the natural sweetness. I think you just have to be really disciplined at first and muscle through it, but over a couple of weeks your palate will adjust and the cravings should get less, and really something like an apple or banana has so much sugar in it, those become a dessert in themselves. When I was actively cutting, I would use a little honey on my greek yogurt, or have a small square or two of chocolate, and those really helped with the cravings.
  • Posts: 338 Member
    That claim raised my eyebrows, as I have a crap-ton of cookbooks and magazines and can't remember ever noting recipes calling for sugar, from Mario Batali to Bon Appetit or Food and Wine to Better Homes and Gardens.

    Ok I stand corrected. I should have said "every receive I've ever seen." Obviously I haven't seen all recipes. Haha! Also I know nothing of the tomato language you speak. It's cool! But I buy tomatoes at the grocery store. Hopefully I can someday be exposed to other tomatoes!
  • Posts: 30,886 Member

    I have to chime in here... I disagree. I've made homemade marinara sauce loads of times before, if you don't add sugar it's super acidic! I happen to like the acidic flavor, so i choose sugar-free option, but there's no freaking way store bought doesn't add significant sugar to make it taste as mild as it does! Every recipe for marinara sauce calls for sugar.

    This isn't true. I make marinara sauce often and never add sugar, and it's not acidic (to my taste) at all.

    It also can have a decent amount of sugar, especially if I add a variety of other vegetables.

    Store bought (which I have not purchased for about 20 years, but started looking at occasionally when this became something people talked about) various a LOT in the amount of added sugar. Some, I expect, are ridiculously sweet, whereas others have little added sugar.
  • Posts: 30,886 Member

    That claim raised my eyebrows, as I have a crap-ton of cookbooks and magazines and can't remember ever noting recipes calling for sugar, from Mario Batali to Bon Appetit or Food and Wine to Better Homes and Gardens. From looking online now, I do see that sources like the Pioneer Woman call for a teaspoon of sugar or so of sugar, but I don't think she is particularly noted for her authentic Italian cookery.

    Fundamentals of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazen, which is a book I'd recommend, does suggest a little sugar in marinara, but it's just a bit, nothing significant. (She also recommends good quality canned san marzano tomatoes out of season vs. trying to use supermarket, if memory serves. I agree with that recommendation although maybe someday I will can my own.)
  • Posts: 30,886 Member
    Anyway, unless OP says otherwise, I seriously doubt her issue is about marinara sauce.
  • Posts: 1,639 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »

    Fundamentals of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazen, which is a book I'd recommend, does suggest a little sugar in marinara, but it's just a bit, nothing significant. (She also recommends good quality canned san marzano tomatoes out of season vs. trying to use supermarket, if memory serves. I agree with that recommendation although maybe someday I will can my own.)

    San Marzanos are awesome and are the backbone of my sauce mix, but yes a little acid; here is an interesting article saying Indiana grown Red Gold are the best due to a very pleasant balance of sweetness. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/best-canned-tomatoes-san-marzano-italian-taste-test-article If I buy from the store as a Hoosier, I’m buying local. ;)
  • Posts: 1,639 Member

    Ok I stand corrected. I should have said "every receive I've ever seen." Obviously I haven't seen all recipes. Haha! Also I know nothing of the tomato language you speak. It's cool! But I buy tomatoes at the grocery store. Hopefully I can someday be exposed to other tomatoes!

    Check out the farmers markets in the later summer—they might have a lot of fun things to try. I especially love any black tomato. Yellows I have for the most part found to be insipid. Also Whole Foods type stores will have different heirlooms but the prices can be obnoxious.

  • Posts: 1,377 Member
    I haven't quit sugar but I use sucralose when it works for me...typically in coffee and other drinks. I am in the camp of table sugar isn't evil.
  • Posts: 7 Member
    Up your fat intake which helps to curb cravings and add fruit to your meals. I have learned to really love fruit and I don’t crave processed sugar the way I used to.
  • Posts: 5,132 Member
    kimhski1 wrote: »
    I've done a couple Whole30's and found there is sugar added to just about EVERYTHING! It's absurd. I always read the ingredients. Just because the label says 0g of sugar doesn't mean there hasn't been some added. For me, I'm a total candy/sweet junky. I have to reduce carbs and really cut back/remove added sugars to lose weight. If I'm really in a funk, one square of high quality dark chocolate (75% or higher) does the trick. I discovered organic tisano cacao tea and that is my go to every time first. It's cacao pods that you brew like tea. I don't use any creamer/milk/sweetener and it smells/tastes like hot chocolate cake. I've purchased on Amazon and that brand was good but my favorite is from Capital Teas.

    If the label says 0g sugar, there is no sugar in it. If there is added sugar, it will be reflected in the total grams of sugar listed in the nutritional information.
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