Americans live off of refined sugars. It’s a horrible fact of life, I know, and we’re trying to change that.
When insulin, which helps convert sugar to energy, can’t keep up with the amount of sugar you’re consuming, it stops doing what it’s supposed to. That’s a scary little thing called insulin resistance.
The CDC says it not only causes weight gain, but it can also lead to Type 2 diabetes, which can have awful effects on your body, as you well know.
And get this: “Just under half a billion people are living with diabetes worldwide and that number is projected to increase by 51% by 2045.” The World Economic Forum refers to it as, “The silent epidemic that is three times as deadly as COVID.”
That’s terrifying!
Thanks to this projection and our knowledge of nutrition at Aubergine Kitchen, refined sugars are NEVER an option for us. We always sweeten with fruit first (it’s one of our core principles) and use other natural sweeteners like monk fruit and stevia in moderation. Fruit is the best sweetener, hands down, and dates are our favorite.
Did you know that dates are one of the most nutritionally beneficial foods that you can eat? It’s true. They are anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, great for your digestive system, can be beneficial for your heart, and, best of all, they taste amazing!
We use dates to sweeten our house-made dressings, all of our nice cream desserts (yes, we meant to say ‘nice cream’), smoothies, and many other recipes that need a little bump in sweetness.
Dates have a high amount of a naturally occurring sugar called fructose (not to be confused with that nasty high-fructose corn syrup—gross!) but they also have a ton of FIBER.
Ah, fiber. Fiber is pretty cool. When sugar and carbs come from sources of fiber, your body doesn’t have a huge sugar spike because the fiber helps regulate the amount of sugar your body absorbs into the bloodstream.
Okay, enough on our obsession with dates. We also have to mention how much we love all fruits and are highly invested in including as much variety to our menu and recipes as we possibly can!
As mentioned, we use monk fruit and stevia in moderation. What’s up with these two sweeteners, and how are they superior to all other refined sugar replacements? Both are naturally derived from plants and are not artificially synthesized in a lab. (Who wants extra chemicals in their body that cause GI distress and weight gain? Not us. No thanks!)
Monk fruit and stevia also have a low glycemic index which is beneficial for avoiding insulin resistance. Which, if you remember, is definitely a bad thing. We use stevia in our house-made lemonades, which are also sweetened with fruit, to add that extra sweetness that a fun drink needs. And we use monk fruit in some of our baked desserts as well. Mmm. I’m getting hungry just writing about it.
At Aubergine Kitchen, we are committed to creating food that is full of nutrients, whole ingredients, and heals people from the inside out. That’s what we’re all about. Using fruit and naturally-occurring sweeteners in our recipes is a major part of us living up to our pledge to help our customers eat better, feel different.
If you’re as hungry as I am right now, feel free to have some Aubergine Kitchen sent your way, and thanks for reading. Until next time …
eat better, sweeten different