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Sugar Substitutes

Four weeks ago, David had a blood sugar of 950. Say hello to diabetes. We are now interested in sugar substitutes as never before.

Back when we first got married, we used Equal and Nutrasweet which are both made with Aspartame. These were very popular sweeteners in the 1980s and 1990s, better than saccharin because they do not have a nasty taste. Back then, it was said that saccharin caused cancer in lab rats. Now they say Aspartame is unhealthy and saccharin is okay. Things are constantly changing.

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Sugar Substitutes - 11/21-11/27/2022

Monday, November 21, 2022 - Sugar Substitutes

Good Monday morning. It is cold and dreary again. I have to go to the doctor this morning to see about getting my cast off. It is honestly driving me crazy, especially at night so I hope it comes off. I also hope it did the trick to get my tendons healed up. I still feel pain sometimes so I don't think so...

There is on and off rain and it rained pretty heavily around 4am. Right now, it is 8am and 41°. The high should be 48° so it is another cold, winter day for us here in South Central Texas. I need to go feed the fish and get the store ready to open. It is also payday so there are checks to write and PTO hours to figure. It will be a busy day.

We went into San Antonio in the rain. I got my cast cut off and my tendons are doing so much better. The doctor wrapped the foot up and told me I need to keep it wrapped for a week during the day. Hopefully, I will sleep well tonight without that cast bothering me. Yay! It is still raining and is 46° at 4pm. It is almost time to close down. The three men are out back in the greenhouse working. I was checking on a $500 plus order. Good thing I did because three things were not in it. Angelica is taking vacation this week so she is not here. We haven't had customers all day long in the rain. That is good because everything is a muddy mess.

I have been in my home office most of the afternoon adding new products to David's Garden Seeds® website, namely grain crops and cover crops.

Sugar Substitutes

There are so many sugar substitutes. Some have been around for many years and others are just becoming popular. Today, let's talk about one of the first sugar substitutes.

Sugar Substitutes - Saccharin

When I was little, there was one that I am aware of. Saccharin was sold under the name Sweet 'N Low in a little pink packet. It still is today. That stuff was way too sweet and left a nasty aftertaste. My grandmother used to add it to her coffee. It was in all of the diet sodas back in the 60s and early 70s. I guess it was better than no sweetness at all but it really was not tasty.

For years, containers of saccharin had to have a label saying it causes cancer in lab rats but in the year 2000, the requirement was dropped. It still tastes the same way. This is the oldest sugar substitute, accidentally discovering it in 1879 when chemists found it as a derivative of coal tar. Interesting, huh? It is 300 to 500 times sweeter than sugar.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2022 - Sugar Substitutes

Good morning. It is now Tuesday morning at 6am and it is 46°. Alexa says it should rain at 9am. She also says the high temperature for the day will be 54° so that will be nice.

David has an eye exam today. He just had one in October. Then he started insulin for his newly diagnosed diabetes and now he can't see a thing through those glasses. He says his eyes went blurry over night. We stopped by the eye doctor office last week and talked to the doctor. He tested David and said he would need to come for another exam because it changes your eyes. All that money for glasses wasted. Who knew?

I slept very well without the cast. I woke up once but my foot was comfy. Now I can feel a bit of pain so I need to wrap it well this morning. The doctor said to keep it wrapped for a week. He also said the arthritis and the cold had a lot to do with the tendons inflaming the way they did. Fun times...

I have fed the indoor animals but they would rather go back to sleep after being out doing their business so I am letting them. I am in my office trying to be all quiet.

I need to start baking and getting ready for Thanksgiving. I have never before had to do a sugar substitutes Thanksgiving. It should be interesting to say the least.

Time to make breakfast. I am hungry.

After enjoying eggs for breakfast, I got ready to roll and then opened the store early. At 8:30am, David got Pamela and Sue Ellen ready to go get groomed. It was raining. We loaded up and headed for Jourdanton. First stop, we dropped the girls off to get groomed. Lucy and Ethel stayed home today and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Then on to the bank. I still have not received the debit card supposedly mailed out a while ago. I was supposed to get it last Friday but it never showed up. So I deposited a check for the business and then asked for a new debit card since the bank cut mine off for fraud...

I had to go into one of those little rooms. The lady told me one was on its way and I should have received it. I told her I know that the USPS preview showed it but the mailman said he did not see it. So she canceled that card and then issued me a new one. I finally have access to my money again.

On to the butcher shop for some prime rib for Christmas and some beef tenderloin to make a beef wellington with sometime this holiday season.

Then we stopped at Tractor Supply where I picked up the chickens' favorite worm treat and some scratch grain. David came in and we also got a giant blow up rooster and Santa with some baby goats for the front by the main road.

We went to Walmart after that and bought some groceries and such. Then the dog groomer called and said the puppies were ready. We checked out, got the puppies, and then went back to Walmart so David could have another eye exam. His eyes changed a lot when he went on diabetic medication about four weeks ago. I stayed in the truck with the girls.

David got his exam and ordered more new glasses. Then he went to Subway inside of Walmart and got us both some lunch. He brought it out to the truck and we took off for home.

We finally got everything inside and put away. Nacho is here today working on stuff for David. David is taking a nap now in the den. I need to start getting ready for cooking on Thursday but I don't want to wake him up. The kitchen is next to the den.

I also have bills to pay. I cannot believe that it is already the 22nd of November. Isn't that the anniversary of the day President Kennedy was shot back in 1963? So sad.

Sugar Substitutes

These days, it is important to keep it natural. Grow your own. The most natural sugar substitute that is good for diabetics is Stevia. Get the seeds from our Farm Store and grow your own Stevia plants.

Sugar Substitutes - Stevia Sold As Truvia Or Pure Via

Stevia is an actual plant that you can grow. In fact, we have grown it in the past. Its leaves taste sweet. The leaves can be dried and crushed or you can press the oils out of the leaves. David's Garden Seeds® sells the seeds to grow stevia.

You can buy Stevia in the baking aisle in liquid form, in packets, and in big bags for baking. You can also buy bags of crushed stevia leaves to brew in with your tea to sweeten it. It is expensive but the taste is pretty good.

In baking, one teaspoon of white powdered stevia equals one cup of sugar. About a tablespoon of the powdered green leaves of stevia equals one cup of sugar. Do not add a whole cup of stevia when the recipe calls for one cup of sugar. It takes time and experiments in the kitchen to get it down. The problem with using stevia is that your baked goods or jams only last a few days. Somehow, sugar acts like a preservative so you can keep foods made with sugar longer. Not so with stevia so your baked goods won't be good for as long as with sugar.

UPDATE: Hi Everyone! On Saturday evening, 12/10/22, I made a blueberry pie from scratch and it was awful. I used 3/4 cup of Stevia instead of sugar and that pie was sour. Stevia does not stand up to baking. Also, a few weeks ago, I used some Stevia in homemade vanilla ice cream and it was not tasty at all. It was almost like there was no sweetener either in the ice cream or the pie.

My opinion is that Stevia is fine for sweetening coffee or cereal, but if you are going to cook with it, use Erithritol.

Sugar Substitutes - Dextrose

Now some of the sugar substitutes combine with Dextrose and then you can add 1 cup of sweetener for one cup of sugar such as Stevia In The Raw. So what is Dextrose? Another sweetener.

Dextrose is made from corn or wheat and it is chemically identical to glucose, the sugar in your blood. It is used when baking as a sweetener, in processed foods, and is also used in IV fluids.

Splenda also uses Dextrose in it.

Sugar Substitutes - Sucralose Sold As Splenda

Splenda is a popular sugar substitute that uses Sucralose combined with Dextrose in it. Sucralose is about 600 times as sweet as sugar which may be why Splenda is so popular. We have enjoyed it over the years.

Sucralose starts out as regular sugar or sucrose but some portions of the molecule are replaced with three chlorine atoms. (Where do they come up with this stuff?) About 85% of the sucralose we consume is not absorbed by the body. What is absorbed leaves the body by process of urination. None of the sucralose is broken down by our bodies for energy.

So far, all of the sugar substitutes listed on this page have zero to four calories per serving and currently are fine for use in diabetics, children, and pregnant women per the FDA.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2022 - Sugar Substitutes

Good Wednesday morning! It is wet again outside and is 52° so we are experiencing a slight heat wave! The high will be 54° so it is just slight. David made me a nice breakfast of fancy eggs with veggies in them, sausage, and whole wheat toast. I have a hair appointment this morning. It was the only thing they had so instead of starting my pies, I will sit in a chair for a few hours. My foot hurts this morning because of the cold, I think.

I got my hair done and it looks pretty nice, but they charged me $50 more than the last time I went about nine weeks ago. I asked why and they could not really answer me. They said they did not raise their rates but then why did I spend $50 more getting the same service? They only accept cash so I am glad I had $120 on me plus a tip. Well, in this slow garden time of year, I sure can't afford that anymore right now.

So today, we were supposed to have one staff member off and one here working. The one who was supposed to work called in sick. David had some other people come out to help us today since it was just the three of us. The help left at 2pm and David sent Matt home at 3pm.

Before Matt left, the garbage disposal would not work. Normally, there is a reset on the bottom. Not on this Moen. It is on the side. Not a big deal if it were installed correctly. The person David hired to install it three years ago installed it backwards. We had to put our phone in and take a photo to even find out the brand. So we finally got it located and pushed but there were some things inside jamming it up. Got those things out and then it worked.

I made two pies and prepped stuff for the big day tomorrow which is just going to be a relaxing day.

Sugar Substitutes - Aspartame AKA Nutrasweet And Equal

Aspartame is the most often included sugar substitute in diet sodas and teas that you buy in the store. It tastes pretty good. When you buy the sweetener in the store, it is sold under the brand names of Nutrasweet and Equal, both of which we have consumed many times in our home over the years, especially in diet sodas.

Aspartame is about 200 times as sweet as sugar. It is made from are aspartic acid and phenylalanine, both of which are amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Aspartic acid is made naturally in your body and the phenylalanine is an amino acid that comes from foods.

The controversy that Aspartame has spawned is during the breakdown in the body, part of it turns into methanol. Methanol breaks down into Formaldehyde which is a cancer causing agent as well as a neurotoxin in our bodies. What is a neurotoxin? A neurotoxin is something that can alter the function or structure of our nervous system so it is probably not a good thing to consume. I may have to rethink that whole diet soda thing. Scientists say it is safe to consume for the general public. Personally, I don't think chemicals are meant to be consumed but I have consumed a lot of these sweeteners.

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Thursday, November 24, 2022 - Sugar Substitutes

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! What sugar substitutes (if any) are you using on your Thanksgiving table today? We normally don't use any but this year, since David now has diabetes, we will be using some Swerve brown sugar and some Stevia.

I just got done feeding all of the animals. It is warm, humid, and foggy outside. Then we had eggs. Now it is time to do some serious cooking.

There were ten large spider webs on the store porch and on the gazebo. I had to take them all down. If it had not rained, I would have walked into some of them.

Matt got here early and picked all of the green beans out front. We actually had green, yellow, and purple pole beans in our green bean casserole.

We made a large turkey breast, a new mashed potato recipe with cream cheese, gravy with mushrooms, Hawaiian rolls, green bean casserole, corn bread stuffing, and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Then for dessert, apple pie and pumpkin pie. Everything came out really delicious.

Matt came over and we watched Top Gun I and Top Gun II, Maverick. After that, we started on the first of the six Jurassic Park movies. By then, it was almost 9pm so Matt left.It was a wonderful Thanksgiving, so different from the last five or six where the house was filled and constant carrying on. It was lovely and quiet and we actually got to hear what was going on in the movies instead of having to hear people drone on and on about whatever in the middle of a movie.

Sugar Substitutes - Allulose

Allulose used to be considered as an added sweetener. Now the FDA has approved it to be used in diet sodas and other food items because it is not metabolized by the human body in the same way as other sugar substitutes. Allulose comes from small amounts of naturally occuring sweetness in brown sugar, molasses, raisins, wheat, and dried figs. I have never before heard of it. It is sold as Dolcia Prima and has 90% less calories than sucrose and is 70% as sweet.

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Friday, November 25, 2022 - Sugar Substitutes

We always take this day off but our store was open since we live here.

Good Friday afternoon! I cleaned up most of the kitchen yesterday and I finished up this morning. Our store is open today and for most of the morning, I have been over there taking off unnecessary price tags and helping David move things around. I also refilled the pond. I am getting things done around the house now, including laundry, paying bills, and computer work.

Someone came this afternoon and bought a bunch of plastic bins that David had on Facebook Marketplace but other than that, we had no customers. It is almost time to collect eggs and close up the store.

It started really raining around 6pm and I think it rained all night long.

Sugar Substitutes - Sugar Alcohols

Sugar alcohols come from fibers in fruits and vegetables. They include Erithritol, Xylitol, Isomalt, Sorbitol, and Mannitol. You can normally find them in sugar free gums, mints, and candies. Sometimes, these sugar substitutes act like laxatives and can cause bloating and diarrhea. Fun times. I have consumed these many times by chewing sugar free gums and eating sugar free mints. All but the Erithritol can affect blood sugars so if you are diabetic, you do not want to over consume.

Erithritol is sold under the brand name of Swerve. It does not affect your blood sugar. If you are using it to bake, use one cup of Swerve if your recipe calls for one cup of sugar.

UPDATE: I made some homemade ice cream on 12/09/22 and I used Erithritol in it. It was delicious and sweet and stayed sweet a few days later. I think Erithritol is the way to go for baking and freezing.

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Saturday, November 26, 2022 - Sugar Substitutes

Everything is really wet outside this morning but the clouds are gone. It is 48° at 6am and cold. I do not want to go out and feed everyone. Too bad for me. David says he is now done with the holiday food so the chickens are going to enjoy some good food.

The Farm Store will be open at 10am until 1pm if you would like to stop by for your holiday seeds or for your spring seeds.

We ended up having just one set of customers stop by. I spent the day cleaning the pond, refilling it, and then pricing things until 1pm. After that, Matt showed up and we pulled hundreds of orders until about 6pm. We brought all of the pulled orders into our house and closed them until just after 9pm. Then I put my feet up and went to sleep on the couch for a couple of hours. My legs and feet were hurting a lot.

Matt went to get Taco Bell around 4pm so that is what we had for an early dinner. Then we started closing the orders in the den as above. At 7pm, Svengoolie came on and we had already seen the movie twice before and not too long ago so we watched Jurassic Park II instead. At the end of that movie, we were still closing orders.

We made several mistakes this year. First, no more taking off on the Friday after Thanksgiving. There were so many orders to pull and we just did about 300 of them from Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, Friday, and part of today. I cannot be on my feet for more than eight hours in a day and I shouldn't have to be while our employees are enjoying time off.

Second, one of our employees was out all of this week using up her PTO time before she loses it. Next week, the other one will be off all week before he loses his time off. From now on, you have to take your PTO by Halloween or lose it. I cannot cover everyone scrambling to take time off in November and December. It is too much on me. We will be implementing a lot of new policies starting on January 1 for sure!

Sugar Substitutes - Monk Fruit Sweetener

Monk Fruit Sweetener actually comes from a plant that is native to China. It is 150 to 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is sold as Monk Fruit In The Raw and Lakanto. So far, they say it is safe to use with zero calories. I have never tried it. 

I just bought some monk fruit sugar substitute this week but I have not yet tried it.

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Sunday, November 27, 2022 - Sugar Substitutes

Good morning. I woke up to 39° weather. The sun  came up and the cold, wet grass got my bare ankles as I went out back to feed and water our animals.

I went out front to feed the fish and to take all of the orders back to Fulfillment. They are ready for the mailman to take them away tomorrow. There are many more orders to be pulled. I don't know if I will pull them this afternoon or not. It seems this always happens when there is a holiday.

I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast and now it is time to get ready for church. At least the rain is gone and we have a cheerful, bright sun shining.

After church, I pulled a bunch of orders until my legs were really hurting again. I made turkey bone broth and worked on adding product to the website.

Sugar Substitutes - Ace-K AKA Acesulfame Potassium

Ace-K is now being added to some of your favorite diet sodas like Coke Zero and Diet Mountain Dew. It is sold under the brand name of Sweet One. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is usually combined with other sweeteners. I do drink Coke Zero a lot so I really like it. I have never had a diet Mountain Dew.

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Return from Sugar Substitutes to Our Fourth Year

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