Chris Alleny asked:


When it comes to sugar-free or diabetic chocolate there is a warning on the label stating that it has a laxative effect. That is because when people enjoy too much of the chocolate that contains the sugar alcohol Maltitol it can result in digestive upset. The American Dietetic Association ‘advises that more 50 grams of sorbitol or 20 grams of mannitol per day can cause diarrhea.

But the reason that diabetic chocoholics like it so much is that it is slowly absorbed in the intestinal tract so only a small portion is digested and absorbed therefore they don’t need to use little to no insulin. Therefore diabetics really need to read the label to see how many grams of sugar alcohol is in the product. Although there have been chocolates for diabetics for years, once in a while a person will encounter an less then authentic taste with chocolate.

There are newer forms of diabetic chocolates based on maltitol. Maltitol is a natural occurring sugar found in starch. These sugar-free chocolates based on maltitol don’t have the same unpleasant aftertaste that other artificial sweeteners often have. Besides maltitol is very stable and has high melting point making it great for in the of making chocolate.

Maltitol based chocolates tastes almost as sweet as sugar based chocolates except fewer calories and doesn’t cause tooth decay like sugar does. An additional benefit of Maltitol is that unless you eat an excessive amount of the chocolate it shouldn’t cause stomach upset. it also as a replacement of fat and it still gives the chocolate that rich creamy taste.

In the recent past diabetic chocolates were based on saccharin which became popular during the Second World War because the sugar supplies were scarce.

During the sixties sweeteners were blended with saccharin were in attempts to improve texture and flavour. So when in the 80′s when aspartame came into being was like the greatest thing that came along since sliced bread. That was because it could be blended with fruit flavors.However, this has caused some misconceptions about “diabetic” foods among people with diabetes.

Unfortunately people confuse sugar-free from diabetic. Thinking that they can indulge themselves, sugar-free still has carbohydrates.

What people don’t realize is that they can make their own diabetic chocolate.

You start with finding sugar-free nuggets and wafers that can be used in diabetic chocolate. It takes a little research on the internet. Then once that is done then get molds that you like. Then melt the chocolate slowly over a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler then just use a pot over another pot that has the water in it. Just make sure that no water gets into the chocolate otherwise it gets really runny. Stir continually so it doesn’t burn! That is very important I found out myself! Some people try the microwave oven but you have to do it very slowly at 30 second intervals, once again so it doesn’t burns. But on the up side there isn’t any water contamination.

Once the chocolate is properly melted just pour it into the molds and let it harden (this is a cheat, put in the refrigerator.)

So a word to the wise just watch yourself so you don’t eat too much. There are that problem of that would be diarrhea and since so have a high fat contain there maybe a some weight issues. So read the labels before you buy.

reema asked:


There are so many good reasons to reduce the amount of sugar in the foods that we eat. Processed sugar, especially in the amounts that we eat it here in the United States, is a major contributor to obesity, and provides very little substantive nutrition for the number of calories that it delivers. While it is easy to reduce sugar in some aspects of your diet, there are some sticking points. If you love to bake, for instance, you’ll find that just cutting out the sugar in many recipes will result in a failed recipe. In many recipes, sugar is more than just a sweetener. It provides texture, contributes to browning and may serve to help other chemical processes happen.

That does not mean you have to give up on baking if you want to cut out sugar. There are a number of tips that can help you reduce sugar in your favorite cakes, cookies and other sweet baked goods and still enjoy them. These tips are helpful for cooking with sweeteners such as Splenda Granular.

Amount

In some recipes, sugar is important for the structure and texture. This is especially true in candies and confections like nougat, and in frostings and sweets. For best results, you really can’t replace the entire amount of sugar with a sugar substitute. You can generally replace about 25% of the sugar called for in the recipe. If you must cook completely sugar free, then try recipes that use other natural sweeteners for flavor and sweetness.

Volume/Height

If your cakes, breads and muffins don’t rise as high when using a granulated sugar substitute, try adding ½ cup of nonfat dry milk powder and half a teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of sweetener that you use.

Bake your cakes and muffins in smaller pans. Instead of 9 inch round cake pans, use 8 inch pans with two inch high sides.

Texture

Cookies and cookie bars often need brown sugar for their texture. If you want to keep that chewy-crunchy bite, you’ll probably need to keep the brown sugar, and only replace the white sugar with a sweetener.

Experiment with your favorite recipes. You can get excellent results by replacing the sugar and much of the fat with applesauce or fruit purees. The best choice for fruit purees? All natural baby food, for more details visit to www.chicken-wing-cookbook.com with no sugar, salt or preservatives added. Bananas, peaches, prunes, carrots and sweet potatoes are all great choices for dense cakes, cookie bars and muffins.

Cookies made with artificial sweeteners often don’t spread well when they bake. To help them bake better, use a fork sprayed with cooking spray to flatten each cookie slightly before placing them into the oven.

Jams and jellies often rely on sugar to help activate pectin in recipes. You may need to use some extra fruit pectin to help your fruits set up properly if you are using an artificial sweetener, or going au natural.

If your sugar free baked goods are coming out a bit too dry, for more details visit to www.chef-123.com try adding a bit of thinly sliced or grated zucchini to the recipe. The flavor is neutral, but it will add moisture to your breads, muffins and cakes.

Pick the Right Sweetener

Some sweeteners react badly to heat. Aspartame, for instance, loses most of its sweetness during baking, so sweeteners that use aspartame should be confined to recipes where you can add the sugar at the end of the cooking – puddings, frostings and the like.

Flavor

Use flavor enhancers to emphasize sweetness in recipes. For instance, an extra teaspoon of vanilla per cup of sugar substitute will bring out the sweetness. Hone or molasses in quick breads and muffins will add a bit of a flavor boost. Other possibilities for enhancing flavors include lemon and orange zest, almond flavoring, and butter flavoring.

Appearance

Sugar free baked goods often look pasty and uncooked because sugar caramelizes during baking to give everything a golden brown color. You can simulate the browning by spraying the surface of the batter or dough with a bit of cooking spray before putting it in the oven.

Other ways to simulate browning include adding cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter.

Most granular sweeteners do not appear to get as creamy and smooth, when mixed with butter, margarine and shortening and it may even separate when you add eggs. It won’t affect the final product; just continue on with the recipe.

Cooking with Yeast

Sugar substitutes won’t activate yeast, so if you’re making yeast breads with a sugar substitute, you’ll need to retain at least two teaspoons of sugar in the recipe, or replace the sugar with another natural sweetener like molasses or honey.

Adjust Bake Times

Baked goods cooked with granulated sweeteners may bake more quickly than the recipe dictates. Check cakes 7-10 minutes before the recipe’s bake time, and brownies, quick breads and cookies 3-5 minutes before the recipe says it will be done. Remember that sugar free recipes may not brown during baking and rely on other indicators.

Bruce Scott Dwyer asked:


Level of undiagnosed “Celiac Disease” people in America

One references estimates that “1 in 133 people in the US have celiac disease” It also cites a study that was conducted to “assess the number of undiagnosed cases of celiac disease due to a lack of awareness and inadequate training among primary care physicians. Researchers found that when doctors tested all of their patients with symptoms associated with celiac disease the diagnostic rate increases 32- to 43-fold” (ref 6).

“The projected number of people in the United States with celiac disease could be as high as three million, yet only a small fraction of these cases has been correctly diagnosed and treated”. (ref 6)

Another article written in 2004 suggests that the average time from symptoms to diagnosis in America was ten years. It cites variances in the number of celiacs (diagnosed and undiagnosed) in difference countries – Italy celiac disease is suggested to be as 1 in 250 people, while Ireland only 1 in 300 people. However it is “estimated that only one in 4,700 people in America are actually diagnosed with celiac disease. Yet according to evidence researched by the NIH report, prevalence may be as high as 1 in 105 people!”(ref 7). This would suggest that five years ago that only 2.2% of celiacs were diagnosed in America.

This lower level of diagnosis could be the reason that in a previous articles on the gluten free pages site estimated adjusted celiac searches in America at 2.7 searches per celiac per month – much less than Australia’s value of 4.2.

Level of Diagnosis in Australia

In Australia the celiac society states that 1% of the population has celiac disease. Although they suggest that only 20% of these people have been diagnosed. (ref 1). The Australian Gastroenterology institute states that in Australia the diagnosis level is somewhere between one in 500 to one in 2000 people (ref 4). Taking the higher level of 20% diagnosis, this means that in Australia (population 21,550,000, Jan 2009) that 215,000 people are most likely celiac but 170,000 people don’t know it. Note that gluten intolerant people may increase the amount of people seeking Gluten Free solutions by a factor of three or four times the Total Celiac values.

In December 2008, the top 200 search terms on Google Australia, related to gluten free products was 470,000 searches. With 79% internet usage and 65% Google share, this converts to an estimated 911,000 searches per month. If there are only 35,000 diagnosed celiacs (20% of total celiacs) in Australia this would mean that they perform 26 searches each per month each!

As the 1 in 100 statistic takes into account celiac babies, the elderly and people who do not use the internet (but have access) the number of celiacs actually searching is less than those diagnosed. So the ones that actually search perform an even higher search than the average estimated. But 26 searches per month (or higher) by celiacs is most likely unrealistically high. It is more likely that this number is reduced by the searches performed by gluten free businesses and gluten intolerant people.

At the Melbourne gluten free shown in October 2008 approximately 10,000 people attended over three days. Yet from the above estimates, only about 8,000 people in Melbourne are diagnosed celiacs. Empirically (from our stand at the show) it is likely that family members without CD and ‘gluten intolerant’ people may have made up to 80% of the visitors to the show. If this is the case, then the number of diagnosed celiac people online searches each month should be reduced by about 80% to account for gluten intolerant people and business searches. This reduces diagnosed celiac to 26 x 20% = 5.2 searches per month.

Using Google data estimates the Australian adjusted celiac searches per month at 4.2 searchers per month. When the e-demand of various countries is compared to a country’s ‘GDP per person’ a logarithmic relationship exists between demand and wealth. Higher wealth also most likely being associated with higher diagnosis.

UK level of un-diagnosed Celiac disease

In the GFP Global Matrix article, The UK was estimated to have a celiac search value of 2.2 searches per celiac per month, which while lower than America and Australia is still well ahead of Germany (0.3), France (0.8) and Italy (0.9).

One reference estimates that “at least 1 in 100 people in the UK suffers from celiac disease. However, only 12.5% of people with the disease are actually being correctly diagnosed. Recent research showed that the average length of time taken for someone to be diagnosed with celiac disease from the onset of their symptoms is 13 years. (ref

All of these facts suggest a massive global under-diagnosis of celiac disease. Other original articles on this site suggest that the long term symptoms of this disease greatly distroy the quality of life for those who acquire it. Fast and accurate diagnosis is critical, and if you suspect that you suffer from some of the symptoms, diagnosing or ruling out the disease is vital. Please see our article on Symptoms and our article on Diagnosis options if you believe you may need help. 

For similar articles please visit www.glutenfreepages.com.au

Article by:  Bruce Dwyer – GoLeftfield Marketing

Anglea Morken asked:


In the gluten-filled world where we have spent most of our lives until now, we learned as children which products we liked to eat and which we didn’t. Now, as sufferers of celiac disease or as a gluten intolerant, we find ourselves thrown into the task of finding gluten-free products to replace all those foods containing wheat, rye, barley and oats that we loved to eat–like bread, cookies, cakes and pastas. Our lives have suddenly become much more complicated.

A totally gluten-free diet means learning to cope with the creation of menus for three meals a day every day of the week with gluten free products most of which we’ve never heard of or even tasted. While some products on the market are good, some are only okay and many are so bad that you may as well eat the carton on the box it came in. At the start of your gluten-free diet, many of the foods you have purchased will end up in your garbage pail and leave you frustrated and on the verge of deciding to give up on gluten-free food after only trying a few things. How can you ease your suffering and find what products are the most tasty in the easiest way possible, avoiding the costly and time-consuming trial and error system? One of the best ways is to follow the crowd. Log onto the on-line celiac message boards and local support groups. Here the members will tell you in no uncertain terms what gluten-free products are worth eating and which should be avoided at all costs.

Since most people with celiac disease were diagnosed with the disease well into adulthood, they, like you, remember exactly what their favorite products tasted like. The modern gluten-free food manufacturer has a lot of work to do in the taste-pleasing department if he wants to keep his customers. Word of mouth spreads quickly in the celiac community. If a product meets or exceeds expectations, it quickly gains a following. If the product is tasteless, the word spreads just as quickly. There’s nothing that a person with celiac disease hates more than spending good money on bad food. What follows below are some foods to get you started on your way. We have carried out a survey of some of the best-loved gluten-free food along with the names of their manufacturers. K-Toos (cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies similar to Oreos); KinniKritters (animal crackers) and Tapioca Rice Cinnamon Buns (cinnamon rolls) are some of the favorite products coming from Kinnikinnick manufactures. All Kinnikinnick products are manufactured in a gluten-free facility so there is no need to worry about cross-contamination. As they have over 100 products there are plenty of products to choose from.

If you are looking to go the mix route try looking in the health food sections for such popular mixes as Perfect Pie Crust, Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix, Favorite Sandwich Bread and Angel Food Cake, all from the Glutino Food Group. Pamela’s Products is another well-recognized brand that deserves its place high on the list of favorite gluten-free brands. Their Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix is among the most popular due to its soft, bendable texture. Their Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix comes in a large, 4-pound recloseable zipper bag! If you are looking for pasta, no list of the best gluten-free brands would be complete without mentioning Tinkyada Pasta which can be used instead of regular pasta to cook all your pre-gluten-free pasta-based family recipes like spaghetti, casseroles and lasagna. And the best part about their products, which come in all the traditional shapes such as spaghetti, fettuccine penne, spirals, lasagna, shells and elbow macaroni, is their taste and high quality which enables celiacs and non-celiacs to enjoy the same great meal.

You might be surprised at how easy it can be to live well on a gluten-free diet with some of these delicious, quality products in your kitchen.

So here’s to happy and tasty gluten-free eating!

Jackson Sloat asked:


When it comes to cooking, there are many dietary restrictions that will be encountered along the way. One restriction that is gaining some degree of notoriety in recent years is the need for a gluten free diet. Gluten is a substance that is commonly found in flour products that a decent sized portion of the population has a negative reaction to in some form or another. For these people, gluten free isn’t a choice it is absolutely necessary.

Gluten free cooking does impose many restrictions and often makes it quite difficult to enjoy something the vast majority of us take for granted-dining out. The good news from those who require gluten free cooking is that more and more restaurants are beginning to acknowledge this condition and offer some selections that are gluten free. It takes time, just as it did with low carb craze for the demand for these products to make it worth the industries while to make adjustments in their way of preparing foods.

While on the one hand it is frustrating to not have the option of dining out, there is some challenge to finding new and tasty foods and combinations for cooking each and every night without falling into a rut of the same old foods that you know you can eat without worry. Consider cooking gluten free a challenge rather than a chore and you may find that the process is much more enjoyable. You might even find that you appreciate the meals you’ve worked hard to prepare even better because of the great sense of accomplishment. There are many resources available for those who need to eat gluten free foods. There are even more and more ‘convenience’ or prepackaged foods that are designated for gluten free cooking. This means that those who once had no option but creating meals from scratch do now have the occasional shortcut available to them. We are even finding cookie and cake mixes that are now gluten free in order to enjoy some of the finer things in life for those who would have been completely deprived only a few short years ago.

Changes are being made and resources are being shared through the Internet that help not only adults that require special gluten free cooking and diets but also support for the parents of children who must have gluten free diets. Cooking for children in the best of circumstances is often difficult. It is even more difficult when there are excessive dietary restrictions that often eliminate the possibility of our children enjoying childhood favorites. That is why it is so important to seek out the many resources and recipes that are available for gluten free cooking.

If you require a gluten free diet and have no idea where to start or what you should be cooking you should check out the many websites and blogs online that address the issues and needs that are faced by those requiring gluten restrictions. You will probably be amazed at the wealth of information that is available. Also, if you have a Trader Joes or Whole Foods store in your area, most of them either offer or will order gluten free products for your cooking needs.

Gluten free cooking does not have to be the chore many of us think it must be and all gluten free food doesn’t taste like cardboard. Take the time to get to know the wonderful gluten free recipes that abound and incorporate them one at a time into your cooking repertoire. You will be amazed at how wonderful you feel as well as how great the food tastes.

Shen asked:


There are studies that show pleasure being the sensation generally reported by people when anything  sweet lands on their tongues.  Nobody knows for sure why for sure but researchers have confirmed that  the taste of sugar is often perceived to be a positive experience.  This is probably responsible for candies being universal food favorites.  Traditional sweets are, in fact, well loved years after they first made those nostalgic goodies that we could all just get teary-eyed remembering.  

Those trips to the candy  store, that sweet smell that met us when we swung the door open, those big, bright and sparkling candy jars that were already eye candy to begin with – how they made our childhood sweeter.  Best thing yet, now, we can still load up on the nostalgia of these goodies, thanks to online wholesale retro sweets shops that just made getting them a whole lot easier.  However,  we might find it a good idea as well to introduce our kids to our best friends once upon a time.  Say hello to Caramacs, Wham Bars, Space Dust, Bon Bons, Chocolate raisins, Chocolate eclairs and Turkish delight, to name a few.  You bet they’re just going to love it.

If humans generally love anything sweet, ninety-percent of this conclusion has to do with children.  However, some candy-loving kids just might find it more difficult satisfying that sweet tooth because of certain health conditions of which the most common is juvenile diabetes.  It can be quite disturbing for parents to know their child has diabetes.  That’s because they know the kid just might develop some form of trauma having strong cravings for sweets and not being allowed to satisfy them. These days when retro sweets are making a comeback and are all around the Internet, the diabetic kid just may feel very sad.  

Sometimes, parents overreact and tend to give their child the feeling that he won’t be as normal as everyone else just because he has the condition.  In reality, what a diabetic child needs to do to simply follow a healthy and well-balanced diet just as everyone else.  He need not be made to feel different because he can still eat what he wants as long as he keeps to healthy amounts and the right balance of the right foods as taught him by his elders.   This means even those old-fashioned sweets or the newer ones can still be enjoyed, but careful choices will have to be made.  

For example, there are sugar free varieties from Liquorice Wood to Sugar Free Cinnamon Balls,  Strawberry Blackcurrant, Cherry Sweets Chocolate Limes and so much more.  There won’t be a different when it comes to sweetness because these candies are made just the same from sugar, only a   special type.  This means those cravings won’t go unsatisfied because there will always be ways to satisfy them to a T.  

For more choices of sugar free retro sweets, get online and explore wholesale retro sweets shops to give your child as many sweet varieties as he deserves!

Bruce Scott Dwyer asked:


Gluten Free MARKET GROWTH

To give an indication of the size of the gluten free market, in 2004, Americans consumed 133 pounds of wheat per person. From July 2004 to July 2005, consumers spent over $600 million on gluten-free foods, an annual growth of 14.6%. The market for GF foods and beverages in USA in 2007 exceeded $700 million, and is forecast to be $1.7 billion in 2010. Ref2

ECONOMIC COSTS

Time is money and gluten free is more money, a simple fact. And while only a few studies have been made, they do give us a good indication of what being a celiac can cost you at the cash register.

Consider this study in June 2007 “using data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) about typical household food consumption, researchers assembled “market baskets” of regular and gluten-free foods. The availability and the difference in price between the 11 regular and gluten-free items in the market basket were compared according the type of store and the region in which the items were purchased. Researchers surveyed local grocery stores, upscale grocery stores or regional chains, health food stores, and 4 online sites. Regions of the country were represented by New York City and Westchester County, Portland OR, Atlanta GA, Rapid City SD, and Chicago IL.” Ref 1

“The researchers found that health food stores and online sites had the largest selection of gluten-free foods, carrying 94% and 100% of the market basket items respectively, compared to availability of 41% in upscale markets and 36% in local grocery stores.” Ref 1

HOW MUCH MORE?

The price of the gluten-free foods was found to be 79% more than their equivalent foods. Bread and pasta was twice as expensive as their wheat-based counterparts. Cost was affected more by shopping venue than geographic location.

In this American study, GF cereals were found to be the exception in that they cost about the same. However in Australia, GF cereals tend to be much more expensive as they are often sold in smaller boxes (half the weight) for the same price as equivalent gluten cereals. It was found that internet shopping portals were the most expensive place to buy gluten-free foods, followed by health food stores and upscale markets. Again in Australia the reverse appears to be true as we generally find that online supermarkets are one of the most price competitive locations – excluding postage costs.

The researchers (ref 1) admitted that they performed the analysis over a relatively small sample number so it is wise to compare this with any other research. A study on GF Food cost at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia provides more evidence. Ref 2

The comparison was performed on prices for all food products labelled “gluten-free” and comparable gluten-containing food from two large-chain general grocery stores. The researchers compared the unit cost of each food, calculated as the price in dollars per 100 grams of each product. Not surprisingly, all 56 gluten-free products were more expensive than regular products. And in particular:

The average unit price for gluten-free products was $1.71 The average unit price of regular products was $0.61 The statistical probability of this result was very high (p<0.0001). Meaning that on average GF products were 242% more expensive than their counterparts!

SPECIFIC COSTS

The following data is from a 2007 US Government study (ref 2). It shows that the cost of gluten-free products is considerably higher than their equivalent wheat filled products:

Wheat flour $0.34/lb TO Brown rice flour $1.89/lb

Wheat bread $1.09/loaf TO Gluten-free bread $6.00/loaf

Wheat pasta $0.87/lb TO Gluten free pasta $3.69/lb

Chocolate chip cookies $2.69/lb TO Gluten free chocolate chip cookies $12.83/lb

Wheat crackers $1.63/lb TO Rice crackers $9.12/lb

Study by the US Department of Labor, 2007, Bureau of Labor: Consumer Price Index

US Government rebate

One enterprising celiac in the US uncovered what he believed as economic subsidy for celiac disease. He noted that several IRS rulings (Revenue Ruling 55-261; Revenue Ruling 76-80, 67 TC 481; Cohen 38 TC 37; Van Kalb TC MEMO 1978 366; Flemming TC MEMO 1980 583), allow the cost difference between gluten containing food products and specialty gluten-free alternatives to be tax deductible for Celiac patients.

Unfortunately he also found that only the portion which exceeds a 7.5% threshold of adjusted gross income for all medical expenses combined would be deductible. This means that on an income of $50,000, one could only deduct any extra expense of GF foods (and any other legally deductible medical expense) that exceeded $3,750 (7.5% of $50,000)!

With the cost of celiac disease to the community, via extra health care when the disease is not diagnosed early enough, legislators in the US are considering the economic effects on the country. Although as the above examples shows, it is likely to be a long time before any meaningful shopping cart relief is provided.

CONCLUSIONS

The rationale for the extra expense of gluten free foods you pay for is compelling:

GF foods need to have production lines and factories cleaned of all gluten products before they can be manufactured. This single use environment usually means production costs for manufacturers are increased. GF is a fledgling and captive market, only a small number of suppliers are producing foods that meet the strict GF standards. This means that they are able to set a higher price for their relatively exclusive wares. Supply is often limited to specialty stores, which typically have higher margins. Additional ingredients (such as xanthan gum, guargum, etc.) require extra preparation steps that add to the cost.

Until enough celiac are diagnosed (current levels in developed countries are often between 10-20%), to reach a critical mass in the manufacturing and retail segments, the prices will remain high.

References

Ref1 http://www.celiac.com/articles/21502/1/Low-Availability-and-Increased-Cost-of-Gluten-Free-Foods/Page1.html

Ref 2 www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/digestive-health/nutritionarticles/CuretonArticle.pdf

Ref 3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

reema asked:


Do you love sugar but have to cut back? Does your low sugar diet preclude your favorite desserts and make your food taste bland? If so, not to worry, there are ways to bake even your favorite desserts using less sugar, with or without sugar substitutes. It just requires some experimentation and a working knowledge of what sugar actually does in a recipe. Once you understand what the role of sugar is in your baking and cooking, you can make appropriate adjustments and substitutes.

In most types of cooking, sugar is only there for the flavor – the sweetening power. You can easily reduce the amount of sugar that you use in fruit compote, for instance, and you’ll probably find that the fruit flavors are far more intense. Natural sugars like fructose in fruit and lactose in milk a lot of nutritional value along with the carbs and calories. Using natural sweeteners like apple juice is one way to add sweetness while cutting back on granulated sugar. Sugar substitutes are another way to add sweetness to drinks and food without adding calories or carbohydrates.

However, baking with sugar is a different story. Granulated sugar does more than sweeten baked goods. It can affect volume, moisture texture and color of the finished cakes, cookies, pies and candy. Substituting other ingredients for sugar in baked goods can cause your baked goods to fail – or at least come out far differently than you expect. If you are using sugar substitutes in baking, for more details visit to www.300-dip-recipes.com or trying to cut back on sugar in your baked goods, here are some tips to help you out.

Sugar substitutes work best in cold recipes, or added at the end of cooking time. Heat can destroy the sweetness of most sugar substitutes and leave an unpleasant aftertaste.

Try using sugar substitutes half and half with sugar in your baked substitutes.

Use spices and other flavor enhancers to bring out the flavor of dishes when you reduce sugar. Lemon and orange zest brings out fruit flavors. Vanilla and nut flavorings make baked goods smell buttery and sweet, which enhances the sweetness of your recipes. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and allspice all enhance sweetness in recipes.

When you cut sugar in chocolate recipes, for more details visit to www.chef-123.com substitute strong, cold coffee for some of the liquid to enhance the chocolate flavor without adding additional sweetness.

Top reduced sugar baked goods with fruit or fruit spread to put the flavors right up front so that they are tasted immediately.

Sprinkle reduced sugar cakes with cinnamon and sugar substitute for the same effect.

Texture and Volume

Sugar helps cookie dough to spread during baking. Without sugar, the cookies may not spread properly. When baking cookies using sugar substitutes, flatten each cookie slightly before baking just as you would peanut butter cookies.

Intensify sweetness in a dish with fruit juice. Reduce the juice to 1/3 of its original volume by boiling it over high heat for extra sweetness.

Muffins and cupcakes cooked with lower sugar may not rise as high or achieve the round-domed top that we expect. Bake them in mini-muffin tins rather than regular size to allow them to rise higher.

Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to a recipe to make baked goods with reduced sugar rise in a shorter baking period.

To increase volume, use whipped egg whites in recipes that call for eggs. Start with eggs warmed to room temperature.

Appearance of Baked Goods

Spray the top crust of a fruit pie with cooking spray and sprinkle with a tiny amount of sugar before baking. You can reduce the amount of sugar in the filling because each bite of crust puts the sweetness up front – and your pie will brown nicely as a bonus.

Cakes and breads made with reduced sugar or sugar substitutes don’t brown because there is less sugar to caramelize during baking. Try adding a tablespoon or two of molasses to the recipe to deepen the color and add moisture.

Sprinkle cinnamon or nutmeg on top of breads, cakes or muffins to give the impression of browning.

In fruit dishes, add a small amount of dark brown sugar to give the finished product a deep, rich, buttery brown color.

Texture and Moisture

For moister baked goods, use mashed or pureed fruits in place of some of the sugar and butter. You can use applesauce, but ripe bananas, sweet potatoes and carrots are more flavorful and add more tenderness and moisture. (Tip: Why puree? Buy baby food jars of pureed fruits and veggies to use in baked goods. They have no added sugar or salt.)

When using a sugar substitute, cooking times are considerably shorter. Pull cookies and brownies out of the oven before they look done. They’ll continue to cook while they cool.

tom dick asked:


It is not all difficult to find gluten free products to replace all those products that you have been feeding till you were diagnosed with celiac disease that demands a totally gluten free diet. Difficulties lie with the intake of gluten free products in this adulthood and learning to cope up with the creation of menus for three meals a day and every day of the week with gluten free products most of which you have never heard of or even tasted. Where most part of out life we have spent until now learning which products we liked to eat and which we didn’t there suddenly switching off to a completely new diet that is different from our normal diet seems difficult initially but as soon as we get accustomed to it, everything seems under control.

Modern gluten free food manufacturer are aiming at making their product taste pleasing. Initially you will find yourself half starving because it is the fact that you should know that gluten free products lacks the taste of your favorite bread, cookies, cakes and pastas that contains gluten. You will feel frustrated and dump your gluten free food in the garbage. You will not find the same taste and so you suddenly find your life has become complicated. But when hunger becomes unbearable and you have no other option then to have gluten free products you ultimately stretch your hands towards it and then gradually your dislike becomes your like and you get use to it.

Looking at the market of gluten free eatables it has been found that gluten free food manufacturer is doing a great job of and working hard to make their product tasty for the celiac patient. They want their celiac customer to enjoy their products and remain healthy. Cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies similar to Oreos that comes under the name of K-Toos, animal crackers that comes under the name of KinniKritters, cinnamon rolls that comes under the name of Tapioca Rice Cinnamon Buns, are all manufacture by Kinnikinnick manufacturer are some of the example of gluten free products that are good to taste. Popular mixes such as Perfect Pie Crust, Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix, Favorite Sandwich Bread and Angel Food Cake, are the products of the Glutino Food Group.

There are other several other well recognized brand for instance Pamela, Tinkyada to name the few that holds its high place on the list of favorite gluten-free brands that appeals both the taste of celiac and even the non celiac customer to enjoy their products.  Both the taste and quality are of prime importance to these gluten free food manufacturer due to which they are in high demand. Therefore it is important for the those who need gluten free products to purchase from branded manufacturer so as to get the taste and quality.

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tom dick asked:


How is flour made? Flour is made by grinding grains, legumes, nuts, or seeds into a fine powder. Mind you it is fine and not coarse as coarse powders are referred to as meal rather than flour. Flours have its different source and they are wheat, barley and rye that we normally have in our diet but unfortunately they are off-limits on the gluten free diet. When we were in the school this was the knowledge our books has imparted us and even our teacher has also followed the same. But I think new edition of science book should also mention about gluten free flour that is made from a variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds that are free from gluten. There is some reason for me saying this because gluten intolerance is spreading its tentacles to every age group and so suddenly shifting from a normal diet to completely a new diet with new taste is very difficult when diagnose with this kind of serious disease.  

So people suffering with gluten intolerance should first understand how to substitute gluten-free flour for wheat flour and for that it is important to know some of the basic facts about flour and gluten. You will be surprised to know that freshly milled wheat flour contains two proteins, glutenin and gliadin which turn into gluten when they come in contact with liquid. The sticky nature of the dough happens only when the glutenin and gliadin gets converted into gluten as soon as it gets in contact with water. It is also said that the concentration of gluten differs with the amount of water mixed. The more the water is mixed the more is the concentration of gluten and chewier is the dough which is highly dangerous for any celiac patient. Another important factor that enhances the concentration of dough is the amount of mixing and kneading. It is seen that lot of kneading helps the bonded gluten molecules form into long elastic strands or sheets.

Why celiac patients are said to avoid bread, cake and pie crust because they contain some amount of gluten in them. Therefore it is important for a celiac patient to follow a diet that is gluten free. But for that too it requires knowledge for example without gluten bread loafs and rolls do not hold their shape so to bake breads and rolls you need a loaf pans or  Bunt pans, and use muffin tins for rolls. It is said that gluten is a kind of protein and that is what eliminated from gluten free diet which may lead to protein deficiency so it is important to add some protein to baking recipes when you are substituting gluten-free flours for wheat flour. You can replace half a cup of water in your recipe with egg or liquid egg whites that will add required protein to your recipe.

Still there are many recipes where you just need to coat something in flour before you sauté it. You can easily do it with single-grain gluten-free flour and for thickening sauces and gravies, it will be better if you use cornstarch or potato starch rather than gluten-free flour. And to bring the sticky effect then it can be stimulated to certain extent by adding gums like guar gum or xantham gum that are added in a very small amount. It does not end over here. There are many tips and ideas that you can get from so many great gluten-free cookbooks available in the market. If you are a celiac patient then you should get one for yourself and make your diet enjoyable.