Minutus

I just bought a bunch of Green and Blacks, on sale at Whole Foods for $2.50 US this week. I didn't know they had an 85+% cocoa bar. I LOVE their White Chocolate, the high cocoa fat offsets the organic sugar. While I usually restrict total carbs, organic sugar is mostly unrefined so it is less damaging overall while it still can raise blood glucose. I feel lousy from refined but OK with organic sugar or evaporated cane juice.

Have you tried Green and Black's ice cream? It is to die for, worth a sugar spike but it is high fat so blunted. Hard to eat just a few spoonfuls without going further. The dark chocolate is fantastic along with the the white chocolate. For NO sugar chocolate, GuyLian from Belgium is very good and doesn't raise blood sugar. It does have 13g maltitol but tastes richer than others. Whole Foods own organic chocolates (lowest price) and Chocolove 63 and 73% organic (may not be in UK) are also very good. Paul Newman Organics isn't bad, Rapunzel brand (expensive) uses their own organic sugar, Rapadura, which they claim is the most unrefined sugar, least processed steps from the cane to product.

Susan

Hi Susan,
I googled to check up on my understanding about rapadura, and found
something that seems interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapadura
Rapadura is the Portuguese name for a form of sugarcane juice, used as
a sweetener or as a candy, common in Latin American countries such as
Brazil and Venezuela (where it is known as papelón) and the Caribbean.
See also panela. It is dried sugarcane juice, in the form of a brick,
and is largely produced on site at sugarcane plantations in the very
warm tropical regions. [...] Rapadura is very rich in dietary iron.
Despite the fact that rapadura is a very old foodstuff, predating even
the colonization of Brazil, a German company called Rapunzel has
registered the name as a German trade mark DE 1143537, an event that
has greatly angered Brazilians, as they see the name as a generic
all-purpose word, like "lemonade" or "sandwich".
----------------------
So far as I [Shannon] can tell, it seems to be the same as Sucanat, so
I googled about that, and find:

http://www.mydailydiner.com/2008/06/suc ... adura.html
"Sucanat and Rapadura ... are [both] very basic forms of sugar,
molasses still intact. There is some debate over which is better or
most pure. Rapadura fans claim that Rapadura is the one and only, and
Sucanat fans claim they are the same. Whatever. I don't see a huge
difference and I like them both. [...] Sucanat [is] made by simply
crushing freshly cut sugar cane, extracting the juice and heating it in
a large vat. Once the juice is reduced to a rich, dark syrup, it is
hand-paddled. Hand paddling cools and dries the syrup, creating the dry
porous granules we call Sucanat. Nothing is added and nothing is taken
out!
-----------------------

The main point I was going for, tho--when you see "organic sugar", I
*think* that is more likely to still mean refined (white) sugar.
Packages of "organic sugar" sold in the (health food) stores look to me
like plain ol' snowy white, refined sugar... So being organic is
better for the earth, but I'm not sure it's really any better for the
*eater*--still pure carb, empty calories. OTOH "unrefined sugar cane
juice", or rapadura or Sucanat (which I *think* is basically just a
brand of rapadura) does still contain all of the minerals natural to
it; basically like maple syrup, only using cane juice instead of maple
sap. (And I think higher mineral content than maple syrup, but I'm not
certain of that.)

Sucanat, BTW--and presumably any sort of rapadura--is *wonderful* for
baking; I never use white sugar, always substitute in Sucanat, and it
always works just great, at least in my own opinion!!

Okay, that's my pedantry for the day.
Shannon

Interesting info, though as we know Wikipedia entries are suspect
since many companies write them for their products to discredit
others.

Rapunzel used to have a flowchart on their website showing the many
steps in refining sugar. They claim they just evaporate the water
from the squeezed sugar cane juice while Sucanat seperates sugar from
molasses then reblends for consistency making them more refined less
whole. Each Rapadura batch is different but a whole food. Like
drinking Tropicana OJ, not from concentrate vs. Minute Maid,
concentrate mixed with tap water.

http://www.rapunzel.com/products/faq/q_ ... difference

"What's the difference between Rapadura and Sucanat?

The way it is processe ! Although very similar in appearance and
taste, Rapadura is made by just evaporating the water from the
organic sugar cane juice. Sucanat is manufactured in a way that the
sugar stream and the molasses stream is separated from each other and
then carefully re-blended to reach a consistent product. The taste
and appearance of Rapunzel's Rapadura on the other hand can vary
according to sugar cane variety, soil type and weather. But it is a
whole product in its true sense."

Susan

--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, Robert & Shannon Nelson
wrote:
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Well, I don't know that a competitor's website is necessarily accurate
either... The manufacturer says: "Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade
Organic Sucanat® ... is ... made by simply crushing freshly cut sugar
cane, extracting the juice and heating it in a large vat. Once the
juice is reduced to a rich, dark syrup, it is hand-paddled. Hand
paddling cools and dries the syrup, creating the dry porous granules we
call Sucanat. Nothing is added and nothing is taken out!"

I don't know why they say that Sucanat is "carefully re-blended to
reach a consistent product"--because it's *not* all that consistent (I
buy it bulk at longish intervals.) So as far as I can tell, Rapadura
and Sucanat are the same, but whatever. Works for me, anyway!

Looks like both companies promote Fair Trade and both have roots with Swiss doctors. Rapunzel also distributes Dr. Vogel products and his organic Biotta fruit and veggie juices and spices.

http://www.pronatec.com/raw-materials/s ... canat.html

Rapadura has a different feel and taste than Sucanat. It's mainly in health food stores, Sucanat can be found in regular supermarkets. Domino's makes organic sugar, it's white, must be bleached, surely more refined than these. Florida Crystals and Sugar in the Raw are also more refined.

Susan
--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, Robert & Shannon Nelson wrote:

Hi there,

I have been following this discussion from the wings, as I have been so busy, moving
house soon (again), lots of work with our Ghana project, etc, etc.
I use an Organic Agave Nectar for coffee and baking, does anyone here know if this natural
sweetener is good for diabetics? In the UK, it is available in Asda. Thanks, Grace

--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, Robert & Shannon Nelson
wrote: