About sugar and its substitute

[satimis]

Hi all,

Sugar is an essential ingredient in bread and cake baking on account of its component, carbohydrate. However its too much intake may cause problem especially for persons of sedentary lifestyle.

Is Sugar Really So Bad?
http://ehealthforum.com/blogs/ehealthguide/daily-bite-is-sugar-really-so-bad-b25145.html

The Harmful Effects of Sugar and Choosing Healthy Alternatives
http://naturalnews.com/022692.html
Most sugar comes from sugar cane which is NOT an healthy ingredient. 'Sugar is to be avoided'? Definitely!
* Sugar can decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean)
* Sugar feeds cancer
....

Stevia and Xylitol, Artificial Sweeteners etc. are the substitute of sugar for sweetness but may not be suitable for bread/cake baking. Google didn't help me to find a sugar substitute which can be easily found on market at low cost, approx similar to sugar, for bread and cake baking, without causing health hazard.

Any suggestion/comment would be appreciated. TIA

satimis

[duonyte]

My mother used to cut sugar in half in practically any recipe she made, because she thought they were all too sweet. And this was 50 years ago. Almost no failures.

Unless sugar is a necessary component for structure - as in a meringue - I always cut down at least 1/3 and often 1/2 in cakes and other things, and people are always saying how good things taste - yes, you don't have sugar masking the natural flavors of other products.

I myself am not a fan of artificial sugar products. I do know that Splenda or Splenda for Baking can be used and their website, www.splenda.com, has both recipes and suggestions. There are a number of lower-cost copycat products available in the US, but I don't know how many might be available to you.

I would experiment with simply cutting down the amount of sugar you use in various recipes to see what works out best. Unless the sugar is structurally necessary, you can safely reduce the amount by 1/3 and probably by more. I think starting with a 1/3 reduction would be safe. I would still rather use real sugar than artificial sweeteners. Of course, I do not have diabetes or any other condition that might force a different approach.

[Dee514]

The amount of sugar used in breads is minimal (unless you are making sweet breads/babkas, etc.. The sugar in bread dough is there for the yeast, it is what the yeast needs to grow. Being such a small amount, it should not cause any health issues. For people who are diabetic, it is the "carbohydrates" which are the problem. Note that most of the carbohydrates in bread comes from the flour.

As for the sugar in cakes: yes, cakes, cookies and other "sweets" contain much more sugar (than bread), which can have an impact on health issues. As mentioned above, the amount in many cake recipes can usually be cut by 1/2 to 1 cup.
Since most people do not eat cake on a frequent or daily basis, the occasional piece of cake shouldn't cause an issue (unless the person already has health problems).

Keep in mind that some sugar substitutes are not suitable/do not work for baking, changing the texture and/or giving the finished product an awful aftertaste.

If you are going to bake with sugar substitutes, then you will get the best results if you use recipes made for the sugar substitutes.

[duonyte]

Actually yeast does not need any sugar at all. In France the baguette can contain only water, flour, salt and yeast. Sugar helps the crust brown better, of course adds a sweetness but it actually is not necessary. As Dee notes, most savory breads have only a small amount of sugar. I think the question is more about cakes and quick breads, as that what satimis has been experimenting with lately.

[satimis]

Neither I have health problem NOR obesity. I'm a person of sedentary lifestyle sitting in front of computer many hours daily. However I won't worry the increase of my body weight because I visit gyn 2/3 days per week doing weight training.

However in baking Genoise it needs large quantity of sugar for whipping egg foam. The cake is used for tasting as food NOT for taking pictures. Then I'll accumulate sugar day by day. After googling around for several days I couldn't find an absolute health reliable substitute for sugar.

Stevia
======
- The lethal dose is very high (15-20 g/kg body weight).
- Only low amounts are needed for sweetening purposes.
- Stevioside is NOT CARCINOGENIC. On the contrary, it has been proved that stevioside reduces breast cancer in rats as well as skin cancers in animals models.
....

From:
STEVIA (STEVIOSIDE) IS SAFE
http://www.wnho.net/stevia_is_safe.htm

It has cons.


Splenda
=======
"Splenda/sucralose is simply chlorinated sugar; a chlorocarbon. Common chlorocarbons include carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethelene and methylene chloride, all deadly
......

"Unlike sodium chloride, chlorocarbons are never nutritionally compatible with our metabolic processes and are wholly incompatible with normal human metabolic functioning.
......

"By this process chlorocarbons such as sucralose deliver chlorine directly into our cells through normal metabolization. This makes them effective insecticides and preservatives. Preservatives must kill anything alive to prevent bacterial decomposition."
.....

From:
"The Lethal Science Of Splenda - A Poisonous Chlorocarbon"
http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=587801


I think either to stop baking Genoise OR to find a mechanical method to whip egg foam without sugar.

satimis

[duonyte]

The sugar is providing structure and I don't know what could substitute for it.

[Chocolatl]

Most bread doesn't use much sugar, if any.

I don't like all those "Splenda is poison" scare tactics. I don't use the stuff--I don't like the aftertaste--but we should apply common sense. I don't buy the "sugar will kill you" scare tactics, either. I don't see artificial sweeteners as providing any benefit at all in bread; I use sugar or honey when baking.