Costco had a great deal on a 10lb bag of Organic sugar for $8, so I bought it. I make lots of patries/goodies, so I thought it may be better to use a more natural form of sugar. The organic sugar I bought is sugar cane juice crystalized. From what I've researched, sugar cane juice is much, much better for you and metabolizes easier than the processed stuff.

Before I do my plethura (sp?) of baking today (I love to make homemade cakes, pies, and patries), I would like to hear about your experience with organic sugar. Did you notice in difference in taste? Did it seem to digest better than regular sugar? Did it change the consistency of the foods you cook it in?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

My opinion is... sugar is sugar. I've bought organic sugar before but it tastes the same. One good thing is you won't have pesticide residue.

I'm not an avid baker, but I have used evaporated cane juice in baking before. To me it seemed the same as using processed sugar.

Same taste, baking behavior, etc. Just no pesticide residue stuff in it.

A.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I did go on my "baking spree" and made all my goodies using the organic sugar. I must say, I like the taste alot better...it's a cleaner taste than regular sugar. I also have been eating a bit more sweets and I do feel as if my body is processing these sweets a bit quicker than normal. It could also be my increased metabolism, so....

But at the very least...the one thing I AM sure of is the taste is cleaner, better...crisper....ME LIKEY! It's a keeper! Thanks again all.

That's interesting that you noticed a difference in taste. I eat lots of organic---definitely meats & dairy, many organic fruits & veggies, and organic sugar. I buy it because I have this notion that it's probably better for me, and the meat is raised more humanely. However, I've never been able to tell a real difference in taste. But I think my taste buds are not as fine tuned as others' (which I've always thought is one reason I'm overweight---I have to eat more to get the same taste effect)

Organic sugar has both the water and the fiber of the sugar cane (all the good stuff) removed, so yeah it digests easily and quickly, but for weight loss that's not a plus.


The main PROBLEM with sugars (and junk and processed foods for that matter) is their speedy digestion and metabolism.

Our problem isn't that processed foods are difficult to digest - it's that they're too easy to digest. Much of the "work" is done for us. All the stuff our body normally has to break down, is already broken down before we even put it in our mouths (I think it was David Kessler or Gary Taubes who talks about this in one of their books - about the "predigested" nature of processed foods).


Quicker digestion/metabolism is actually a detriment when you're trying to lose weight. You want to slow your digestion and make your metabolism work harder. Making metabolism/digestion "easier" is counterproductive.

You want foods that digest more slowly, not those that digest more rapidly. You want a less efficient metabolism, not a more efficient one.

Naturally refined sugar is still processed sugar. All (or virtually all) of the fiber is removed (and one of the main benefits of fiber is slowing digestion and metabolism... a good thing where weight loss is concerned).

In my experience sugar is sugar. I've even stalled my weight loss on fruit, especially fruit juices and dried fruit (because taking out the water and fiber makes them easier and faster to digest - which means I'm hungry again that much faster).

Natural, whole foods with all the natural fiber and water content intact, not juiced or dried, gives your digestive system more work to do, which means more calories burned.

The organic sugar I use is evaporated crystalized sugar cane juice. At the very least I'd say it's better for you than regular bleached sugar if only for the lack of cancer causing chemicals.

Additionally, my MIND believes it is better...so it WILL be better for me. You see...I am a FIRM believer that the mind controls all functions of the body...including how we manage weight.

No doubt it is marginally better - but it's a bit like saying hitting myself in the face with a crowbar is better than shooting myself in the head. Do I really want to do either?

And if the conscious mind controlled weight management, we could all be thin just by believing that twinkies are good for us.

I have a bachelors degree and masters degree in psychology, and I understand the power of the brain and the mind, but there are limits. The brain can't change the fabric of reality.

The brain controls every function of the body, but the conscious mind does not. Your brain "knows better." The brain isn't just a conscious organ, it's also a physiological one. And the brainstem holds the most power (the primitive unconscious part of the brain that governs physiology, that controls your breathing and metabolism and all the physiological processes).

You can't decide to change your brain physiology. It's impossible for example to stop breathing, your brain will not let you. Try it, and you'll just pass out (if you're stubborn enough) and will start breathing again.


You can choose to live in your own reality, but it will not change your physiology.

People die every day because what they believed about diet and exercise wasn't the truth.

My uncle believed that scrambled eggs didn't have as much cholesterol as other types of eggs. He believed that red wine was so good for you, that he started drinking four glasses a day (which probably didn't cause his diabetes, but it probably did accelerate the diagnosis - because of all the sugar in the wine he was drinking). He died of pancreatic cancer, but it was his belief that he was living a "healthy lifestyle" when he wasn't that killed him.

I spent many years trying to lose weight on "healthy food." I even had friends and roommates who couldn't believe I could be so fat, eating so
healthfully. I didn't understand how I could be maintaining and sometimes even gaining when I was eating "all-natural," healthy foods, because I firmly believed that I couldn't gain weight on such food.

You have every right to believe anything and live in any reality you want to, but denial is no friend to health.

Glad to know we can both agree...the brain IS an amazing thing. It's more powerful than most even know. As a matter of fact, our knowledge of the brain is so limited that we only use less than 10% of it. Therefore, there is MUCH (as I'm sure you would agree) that we DO NOT KNOW about how the human brain functions and how it controls our body. Albeit we have SOME knowledge...but their is still much to learn.

That said, my mother has been a registered nurse for over 40 yrs. She makes the "worst patient".

Sometimes when we know a little...we forget that we have much to learn....and that a giant alligator can learn from a tiny little ant. I don't speak from "school book" eduction, however, I speak from 44 yrs of actually living, and doing my OWN case study as MYSELF as the lab rat!

If I BELIEVE (within reason...I'm not crazy...well, maybe just a lil'), then my body seems to believe it also. Who knows the scientific reason for this (being that even scientists only know very very little). But what I do know is that I have less STRESS because of my "carefree" way to eating...and what I do know is that my body doesn't pack on fat. Sure...I've learned that moderation in all things is just the most "logical" choice and also that the more exercise I get, the more food I can eat...but I believe totally in the power of LOGICAL positive thinking....Oh yeah....and also being happy...did you know that people who smile alot stay younger looking and live longer?

This is a common and very old myth. We use all of our brains. A quick Googling will turn up many pages debunking this myth. Here is one:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tenper.html

My own opinion is that sugar is sugar, and that some (possibly most) people don't have problems with sugar in moderation (that is, it doesn't induce wild cravings, cause significant blood sugar issues, etc). I don't, and joyful, judging from your posts, I'm guessing that you don't, either. I've seen your posts and know that you've done hard work getting your mind as well as your body in the right place during this journey, and listening to what your body wants & needs and what gets results for you--and that you've not only lost weight, but seen real health improvements in terms of medical tests. Good on you! That's how we all end up succeeding--figuring out what works for each of us.