When CAN I Have Sugar?
Stand back–I’m going to try being 1/2 serious in this post and somebody might lose an eye.
Raw Vegan Mint Coconut Macaroon, Coconut Oil Chocolate
Last night presented one of the silliest dilemmas yet: I wanted an Emmy’s Organic mint chip macaroon AND I want a coconut oil chocolate bar; which one should I put on top of the chocolate avocado pudding I couldn’t have cared less for? Doy! I nixed the pudding and went ahead and had both. I forgot how quick these bars are to make! Just 3 minutes prep and popped it in the freezer while I washed the dishes and good to go! A little later, another chocolaty snack:
So Delicious Soy Yogurt With Milk Chocolate Sunspires
Hello, sweets! I was wiped out after writing the draft for a paper by 9:50 and needed the agave syrup/cane juice whatever here to stay up a little longer. Ice skating was not helping with that either; is that really a “sport” or more of an “art”? And how disturbing are the relationships of half of those teams? Yuck! That was not what I needed for sweet dreams, but thankfully I was too tired to care mostly.
Jay Robb Fudge Brownie Protein Bar
When I woke up, I was having a major chocolate almond craving. I could have gone for a bowl of oatmeal right then and there, but I wasn’t sure how that’d sit with my stomach running, so I grabbed this Jay Robb chocolate bar with almond butter as the first ingredient.
Ingredients
Overall, I liked this bar, but wouldn’t get it again most likely; I’ve never been one for protein bars to begin with. The flavor was almost more “milk” than “fudge” from all the whey, although the almond chunks were really flavorful. The xylitol had me scratching my head, but I was comforted to read that it’s naturally derived from kosher, non-GMO corn and used here to keep the protein and fats high but the net carbs low.
Running Part 1
Looking at my day, I could tell 2 things: I’m going to be studying a lot of Greek, and it’s going to pour buckets. At that, I knew I wanted to leave everything I had on the gym floor and go for my long run of 11 miles today. I broke my run into 2 halves so that, during the break, I could go to the bathroom, change treadmills, and swap the television channel(I know, I’m a needy person).
Running Part 2
I finished in 98:30 and got a lot of quality television time in. While I was running, I couldn’t help but notice the new Splenda commercial and find myself arguing with it. If you haven’t seen it, the families in the commercial are using Splenda EVERYWHERE. I don’t mean taking a packet and pouring it in their coffee; they take a pound bag and advertise it for use in everything from sweets like cookies, lemonades, and pies to savory things like dip and chicken marinade an. Basically, the message was to put Splenda anywhere and everywhere there would otherwise be sugar–no excuses. And it really didn’t seem like this was being marketed towards diabetics(I don’t even remember if this is mentioned at all) but just the general population.
Of course, after my initial disgust, this got me thinking; I believe my actual thoughts were” Jesus, when can I have sugar?”. What’s ever wrong with something like good ol’ agave nectar in coconut oil chocolate? And then the hypocrisy started to hit me: I put NuNaturals‘ stevia in my coffee that morning, sweetened my soy yogurt with vanilla extract stevia, and the Jay Robb bar had xylitol in it. Naturally sourced or not, this all seemed like quite a contradiction to me, which is the thought I had going in to breakfast…
Oatmeal With Coconut Milk And Chocolate Almond Butter, 2% Yogurt With Banana Rum Jam
Oatmeal With Coconut Milk And Almond Butter
Finally, some real chocolate almond butter ala Justin’s to hit my sweet tooth along with rich coconut milk. I’ve put the coconut milk in a bag to try to keep odors out but it still doesn’t taste quite as magical as those first few days; is there anyway to keep coconut milk tasting fresh? On the side was some yogurt sweetened with a little stevia and topped with this magical jam. I think rum should be at every breakfast table–just sayin’.
This gave me more time to think and ask myself if my disdain for this particular commercial contradicted the way I life my life? My answer: Yes and no(Ha! Not only am I wholly a contradiction but I’m good at it too ;-)). I get not wanting to drink 40g of sugar, and I get the delicious appeal of a frothy Coke Zero. Trust me–I have those cravings even after giving that stuff up and Zevia can only help so much. And I just don’t think I could have plain greek yogurt if I tried–it’s too tangy for me. But that’s where I draw the line; 99% of the 0-cal sweeteners I use are in beverages or yogurt/pudding, and that’s where I draw my line. Almost any other time I’d rather have agave nectar, maple syrup, or good ol’ sugar. The thought of basting chicken in Splenda or stevia is just a little revolting.
Have you seen this commercial? Do you have any thoughts on Splenda or sweeteners? Did anybody lose an eye from my seriousness? Why did I not crack open my Greek text all weekend?
Food Makes Fun Fuel 
Yeah I’ve seen those commercials. Disgusting! I detest all artificial sweeteners and am even cautious with using too much stevia. I’d rather go for some raw honey, agave, maple syrup or plain ol’ sugar. I do enjoy my Zevia though but I don’t add any extra sweeteners to my avo puddings, coffee, teas, etc. I guess I don’t have much of a sweet tooth anymore 😛
Ashlei
February 23, 2010
Ugh – hate that commercial, too! I am pretty much against sweeteners, unless it is some kind of emergency and I can only find splenda. Otherwise, I am not a fan! 😉
Jessica @ How Sweet
February 23, 2010
I actually HATE that commercial. I don’t believe we should be baking whole cakes and pies with Splenda. Cakes and pies are treats and it’s ok to HAVE SOME REAL SUGAR! Everything in moderation 🙂
eaternotarunner
February 23, 2010
Amen to this and everything else that’s been said 🙂 Things don’t bake quite right without the white stuff!
Evan Thomas
February 23, 2010
Great post! I think that moderation is key here. Yes, use stevia when it’s not really necessary to use sugar (sweetening a little cup of tea, for example). But don’t use it all over the place — jsut because it’s not real sugar, that doesn’t mean it can’t prompt sweet cravings or give you an unnecessary predilection for sweet foods. As for dates, agave, and yacon, use them sparingly and wisely, and enjoy them when they’re worth it!
Gena
February 23, 2010
i love the way you eat, i dont want it to change!
your dad is my new best friend! hahahaha
kbwood
February 23, 2010
I agree with you! There are times when Splenda makes it into my diet (ie, at my diabetic grandmother’s house) but if I need to sweeten something I’d much rather use raw sugar or some other natural sweetener. In moderation, sugar/sweeteners are FINE. I don’t drink soda and if I am CRAVING a diet soda, I’ll deal with the aspartame, but I prefer to put more natural things in my body. The Splenda commercials bother me, too. Splenda shouldn’t be a necessity if you’re already living a balanced lifestyle!
Meredith @ Sweat Every Day
February 23, 2010
The only artificial sweetener I will eat is Stevia. Plain and simple. Is it “artificial” though? It wasn’t made in a lab…
Matt
February 23, 2010
Stevia is a natural sweetener. I was thinking about going on a separate rant about that but then thought I’d save all that for another post.
Evan Thomas
February 23, 2010
i LOVE splenda. but i don’t think it should be put in everything. the chemical composition of it isn’t like real sugar so i’d imagine that for baking things lots of the final products would be weird.
marathonmaiden
February 23, 2010
I hate that Splenda commercial too, it reminds me of my inlaws who are Splenda/Diet Coke addicts. It shouldn’t be a sugar replacement for normal, healthy people. Great blog, BTW 🙂
Christine (The Raw Project)
February 23, 2010
Jay Robb’s bars…i’m not a big fan of – so i totally agree with you, probably something you’ll try once and not buy again!!
Your treadmill stat pictures are definitely motivating Evan!!! keep up the great work!!! I haven’t seen the sweetener commercial, but…i’m gonna look out for it!!
luckytastebuds
February 23, 2010
Haven’t seen the commercial and have no idea why you haven’t started your homework yet either 😉 sorry not much help to ya.
Amen to sugar.
eatmovelove
February 23, 2010
Beyond an occasional Diet Coke (so bad, yet so good) I try to avoid artificial sweeteners. It makes me cringe when I see people replacing NATURAL things with loads of chemicals just to save a few calories!
Madeline - Greens and Jeans
February 23, 2010
Yep– I saw that commercial and was a little disturbed (or really just confused) by their claim that Splenda should be used on chicken.
I think they’re just worried that word is getting out that their “sweet” product is actually not so sweet at all!
Anna
February 23, 2010
your oatmeal mix looks great!
Simply Life
February 23, 2010
yuuuuummy looking bowl of oats, and that chocolate looks super interesting!
dee (the apple hill adventurer)
February 23, 2010
I’ve baked with splenda in the past and it’s just NOT WORTH IT. It ends up tasting weird and artificial.
Awesome job on the run!
Megan (The Runner's Kitchen)
February 23, 2010
I haven’t seen the commercial but I am with you…if I am cooking/baking I am going to use the real stuff because Splenda just tastes too artifical. I also love honey, agave nectar and molasses….
Kelly
February 23, 2010
That commercial really bothered me- there is NO REASON to be eating all that Splenda- and you’ve hit on that so well in this post. I try to only do organic cane sugar, agave, real maple syrup. They say that Splenda is just a chemically manipulated derivative of sugar, but that stuff isn’t meant to be messed with! I remember when I was little and my dad was a diabetic who ate loads of nutrasweet. We all know what happened there. I just don’t trust these things, even though they purport to be “all natural.”
You didn’t read your Greek for the same reason I didn’t read my Iconic Branding text- you didn’t wanna, darnit! That’s my best guess. Unless a random dog wandered into your dorm room and ate it.
annenglish
February 23, 2010
I find myself asking myself questions like yours with your Greek text every Sunday night/Monday morning. My best guess as to why I don’t open books on weekends is that I love to torture myself on Monday and Tuesday catching up with everything. Super fun!
Errign
February 23, 2010
i havent’ seen that commercial, but i’ll keep an eye out for it :). i want something coconutty now!
Stef @ moretolifethanlettuce
February 23, 2010
I have not seen the commercial. I do have a Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway on my site right now so stop by and enter!
Cake Mom
February 23, 2010
I try to stay away from splenda….I use SweetLeaf stevia, which is a rather pure form of stevia in smoothies, baking, I just used some root beer flavor in sparkling water and some in lemonade, and really anything I want to sweeten! It has 0 calories, 0 carbs, and a 0 glycemic index, so why use sugar, which wreaks havoc on our bodies when i can have something that is actually is good for me?
yoda
March 5, 2010