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My Top Six Ingredients
by Liz Bygrave
Below is a list of the ingredients I use most often in my sweet recipes. I use them all loads and love them all. Here’s why:
XylitolWith a glycaemic index (GI) of just 7 (for comparison that of sugar is 68), xylitol is, in my opinion, a great alternative to sugar. It’s spelled with either an ‘x’ or a ‘z’. It looks and tastes just like sugar, the only difference being that it tastes slightly more ‘refreshing’ than sugar). But it has only 60% of the calories, and the low glycemic index (GI) means that it is broken down slowly in the body, thus avoiding stress on the pancreas and blood sugar. In addition, its molecular structure means that bacteria can’t grow in it, so it won’t cause tooth decay and most candida sufferers should be able to eat it.
Xylitol is made in our own bodies and is present in a variety of fruit and veg. It was discovered about 100 years ago in Scandinavia when uses for the left over products of the paper industry were being researched. Xylitol was originally made from birch bark, and sometimes still is, though nowadays it is more commonly manufactured from corn husks.
It can be used as a direct replacement for sugar, weight for weight, though some people find it a bit sweeter than sugar so watch out for that when you try it. The only recipes it can’t be used for are bread (as yeast won’t rise in it) and any recipe that requires the sweetener to caramelise.
Xylitol is my one of my favourite sweetener and I really recommend trying it. You can get it from most health food shops nowadays and also from many supermarkets. For UK readers Sainsbury’s, for instance, stock it in their health food section and Waitrose in their sweetener section. It is also available online. If you visit www.perfectsweet.co.uk and send them an email with your postcode, they will tell you your nearest stockists. For more information, read my article on xylitol on this site. (This also tells you more about the glycemic index.)
Warning: xylitol is toxic to dogs so on no account feed it to your pet.
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Agave SyrupThis is a medium GI natural sweetener, made from the same plant as tequila. It is reminiscent of golden syrup in taste and texture and is a versatile sweetener. Agave is a fructose, and fructose is normally only one step up in healthfulness from sugar. However, because agave syrup has a medium glycemic index (40) it is seen as being more healthy than other fructose sweeteners. Agave syrup hails from Mexico and is available from most health food shops (though if you eat raw food you will have to order the raw version specially from the internet).
Recently (in 2010) there has been a lot of negative press about agave. Some people believe, for instance, that it is not good for the liver, whilst others have doubts about the production methods. I am sitting on the fence about this one for now, but want to keep you informed so that you can make your own decision. I will update the website as soon as possible, but in the meantime,sign up to the newsletter (top left of this page) to keep up to date.
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Coconut OilCoconut oil gives a soft silky texture to recipes and is good for binding ingredients together. As a saturated fat, coconut oil has had a bad press over the years, but many nutritional experts now regard it as a very health-
One reason is that is high in something called medium-
When taken internally, coconut oil is also said to have anti-
I use coconut oil extensively in my chocolate truffles, my cheesecakes & mousses, and to bind pie crusts together. (For instance, it’s a vital ingredient in the Lemon Cheesecake recipe you get if you sign up to the newsletter.)
Note: the term ‘coconut oil’ is generally used interchangeably with ‘coconut butter’. At room temperature coconut oil is solid and white. As it warms it quickly becomes liquid and transparent. Some people use the term coconut oil to refer to the liquid and coconut butter to refer to the solid. I just tend to call it coconut oil. (Update 11/08: however, just to confuse things, there is now a new product, available in the US only at present, called ‘coconut butter’, which is made from the whole coconut flesh not just the fat.)
It’s important to get good quality coconut oil. For instance, the oil I sell at my workshops is from a company called Tree Harvest -
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Raw Chocolate PowderThis fine powder is a key and versatile ingredient in most of my chocolate recipes. At least 4 x higher in antioxidants than even the darkest of dark chocolate, it is also high in feel good mood-
I use raw chocolate in preference to processed cocoa powder (even organic cocoa is heavily cooked and processed). However, I do appreciate that not everyone wants to use, or has access to, raw chocolate powder, so most of my chocolate recipes can also be made with normal cocoa powder. If you're going to use cocoa powder, make sure that it's sugar free.
For more information on raw chocolate, read my article on this site: Raw Chocolate: A Beginner’s Guide.
Raw chocolate is available in some health food shops in the UK. It is easier to get it on the internet (and I also sell it at my workshops). Click here to buy from the Sweet Sensations shop.
Raw Cacao ButterThis raw version of cocoa butter is a superior quality, beautifully textured ingredient that I use a lot in my chocolate recipes. It is of course also used in commercial chocolate recipes, and in cosmetics, but the quality is nowhere near that of raw chocolate.
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LucumaThe dried powder of a Peruvian fruit, lucuma is Peru’s most popular flavour of ice cream, and perhaps one of their best kept secrets! It has a rich, warm butterscotch flavour and adds a biscuity shortbread-
You can buy these ingredients from the Sweet Sensations online shop.
Other articles on this site:
A Guide to Natural Sugar Substitutes
Xylitol: Ahealthier Way To SweetenYour Food?
A Beginners’ Guide to Raw Chocolate
Superfoods Part One
Superfoods Part Two
Essential Equipment for a No Cook Sweet Treats Kitchen