Skinny Bitch_ Ultimate Everyday Cookbook - Kim Barnouin [18]
OLESTRA
Olestra is a synthetic fat that prevents your digestive system from absorbing fat. It also prevents the healthy absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, which reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease and play a role in vision health. Olestra also leads to severe diarrhea or “anal leakage,” abdominal cramps, flatulence, and gas.66
HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS)
High-fructose corn syrup is on my shit list. Sure, it maintains sweetness, but it also increases your risk for Type-2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Your liver doesn’t like it, either. Surprise, surprise!67
I know this is a lot to digest (pun intended), but changes don’t happen overnight. The first step is to pick specific ingredients that are the most important for you to cut down on, and work toward healthier options. You will find plenty of recipes to help you choose the right path in this cookbook.
THE SKINNY: SUGARS
Sweet-Tooth Approved Sugar Alternatives
In America, we’re all on a sugar high. But no matter how many candy bars we snub and Pop Tarts we pity, it’s the most unusual of suspects that inject our veins with liquid crack. From white breads and rice to microwavable meals and even spaghetti sauce, these processed foods are draining our immune systems, raising our insulin levels, making us fat, and pumping us with diseases.
And you thought you were on a diet? How sweet.
The truth is, even when we’re consciously limiting our sugar intake, the average American consumes about two to three pounds of sugar a week. Over the last two decades, food manufacturers have increased sugar consumption in the U.S. from twenty-six to one hundred-thirty-five pounds per person.68 Bummed? Yeah, so was I. Nobody can deny that we need sugar to boost our energy levels and fuel our bodies. But not the kind we’re eating. The sweeteners that are sneaking into our diets—high-fructose corn syrup and refined sugar—cause our blood sugar to dramatically spike and dip. You think that’s what your body needs to survive? Think again.
Nobody in his or her right mind expects you to kiss sugar goodbye. It tastes good. It makes you happy. It keeps you from locking yourself in your bedroom and watching Barbra Streisand classics during that wonderful time of the month. I get it. You just need to know where it’s coming from—whether it’s nature or the assembly line.
The key is to become buddy-buddy with healthier sugars if you need a fix. There are a handful on the market—yes, even at your friendly local grocer—that feed your body the essential minerals it needs to run efficiently, rather than treat it like a chew toy. The raw, unprocessed sugars are the ones that are better for your health, and even better to your taste buds. Use these natural sugars as replacements in recipes and home-cooked meals, where you control what the hell you’re putting into your body.
Five Healthier Sweeteners
EVAPORATED CANE SUGAR
This is the closest sweetener to commercial refined white sugar, but it doesn’t undergo the same degree of processing. As a result, it retains more of the nutrients found in sugar cane due to the retention of molasses.69 The crystals are a bit larger, but they can be used the same way as white sugar in everything from baked goods to iced tea. Gaining in popularity, evaporated cane sugar is available at health food stores and has taken over most major grocery retailers.
STEVIA
Of all the natural sweeteners, this one’s the most likely to sit tableside at your favorite restaurants with the likes of Equal, Sweet’N Low, and Splenda. The healthy restaurants, that is. Extracted from a plant found in China and South America, Stevia is 100 percent natural, and boasts no glycemic index so it won’t mess with your blood-sugar levels. Plus, it has zero calories. Now I have your attention.