Tarz Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Any half-decent health food shop will stock roobisch. What the heck is agave? Is it sweet like sugar. Do you put soy milk in your tea/coffee? I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaSiren Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Agave comes from cactus and tastes similar (but not as strong) to honey:http://www.sweetcactusfarms.com/products.htm I purchase raw agave from my health food store, but it is now be carried by my main grocery also. Yes, I use lite soy (just a smidge) in my coffee but not my tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarz Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Thanks for the link. I'll have to see if I can get hold of any agave in the UK. I really need to find a decent sugar replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Any half-decent health food shop will stock roobisch. What the heck is agave? Is it sweet like sugar. Do you put soy milk in your tea/coffee? I do. This link provides some good information on agave nectar: http://www.madhavahoney.com/agave.htm Aside from Rooibos, there is another botanically related naturally caffeine-free full bodied tea grown in the same region of South Africa, which also has been lauded for its vitamin/mineral content and anti-oxidant properties. It's called Honeybush tea. By now, there are so many 100% natural and highly nutritive vegan sugar alternatives, it's getting hard to keep up: Agave nectar (derived from the Agave plant, a succulent)Xylitol (derived from birch, lettuce, strawberries and other plants)Erythritol (derived from melons, mushrooms, corn, etc.)Stevia (extract from a Paraguayan shrub plant [s. rebaudiana])Mamordica grosvenori (fructooliogosaccharides from an Asian citrus) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinisterkungfu Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Any half-decent health food shop will stock roobisch. What the heck is agave? Is it sweet like sugar. Do you put soy milk in your tea/coffee? I do. Agave nectar kinda tastes like honey and has the same consistency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarz Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Thanks for the info Michael. I look forward to trying honeybush tea. Sinista - will agave dissolve in tea/coffee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinisterkungfu Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Thanks for the info Michael. I look forward to trying honeybush tea. Sinista - will agave dissolve in tea/coffee? It goes quite well in tea. It behaves just like honey. Haven't tried it with coffee though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 [Aside from Rooibos, there is another botanically related naturally caffeine-free full bodied tea grown in the same region of South Africa, which also has been lauded for its vitamin/mineral content and anti-oxidant properties. It's called Honeybush tea. I thought that "African Honeybush" tea and "Rooibos" were the same? At least that's how it's advertised on some tea packages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I thought that "African Honeybush" tea and "Rooibos" were the same? At least that's how it's advertised on some tea packages. Kathryn, Some tea products use a blend of the two teas, but they are very definitely different plant species (but not too dissimilar in taste). This link provides some good information about these teas (actually tisanes) from a nutraceutical standpoint: http://www.herbafrica.com/benefits.html The first two entries in the list are for Honeybush and Rooibos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I'm enjoying a cup of Rooibos at this moment, with a bit of Stevia. Forgot to mention that both of these teas blend extraordinarily well with clarified fruit juices and concentrated flavorings (vanilla, orange oil, almond extract, etc.) Tastes as good cold as it does hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonC Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 I found this on PETA:" Are animal ingredients included in white sugar? Bone char, which is used to process sugar, is made from the bones of cattle from Afghanistan, Argentina, India, and Pakistan. The bones are sold to traders in Scotland, Egypt, and Brazil who then sell them back to the U.S. sugar industry. The European Union and the USDA heavily regulate the use of bone char. Only countries that are deemed BSE-free can sell the bones of their cattle for this process. Bone char—often referred to as natural carbon—is widely used by the sugar industry as a decolorizing filter, which allows the sugar cane to achieve its desirable white color. Other types of filters involve granular carbon or an ion-exchange system rather than bone char. Bone char is also used in other types of sugar. Brown sugar is created by adding molasses to refined sugar, so companies that use bone char in the production of their regular sugar also use it in the production of their brown sugar. Confectioner’s sugar—refined sugar mixed with cornstarch—made by these companies also involves the use of bone char. Fructose may, but does not typically, involve a bone-char filter. Supermarket brands of sugar (e.g., Giant, Townhouse, etc.) obtain their sugar from several different refineries, making it impossible to know whether it has been filtered with bone char. If you want to avoid all refined sugars, we recommend alternatives such as Sucanat and turbinado sugar, which are not filtered with bone char. Additionally, beet sugar— —though normally refined—never involves the use of bone char and Edward & Sons Trading Company has developed a vegan confectioner’s sugar which should be available in health food stores soon. It would be virtually impossible for PETA to maintain information on the refining process used for the sugar in every product. We encourage you to contact companies directly to ask about the source of their sugar. The following companies do not use bone-char filters. Monitor Sugar 2600 S. Euclid Ave.Bay City, MI 48706Tel.: 517-686-0161Fax: 517-686-2959Web: www.monitorsugar.com Florida Crystals CorporationP.O. Box 471West Palm Beach, FL 33480 Tel.: 877-835-2828Fax: 516-366-5200 Web: www.floridacrystals.com Western Sugar Western Sugar is a subsidiary of Tate & Lyle (formerly Domino sugar) which does use bone-char filters. However, Western Sugar makes only beet sugar, which does not use bone-char filters. 7555 E. Hampton Ave., Ste. 600Denver, CO 80210 Tel.: 303-830-3939Fax: 303-830-3941Web: www.westernsugar.com The following companies do use bone-char filters. Contact them and encourage them to adopt the use of humane alternatives to bone-char filters. C&H Sugar Company 2300 Contra Costa Blvd., Ste. 600Pleasant Hill, CA 94523Tel.: 925-688-1731 Fax: 925-822-1061E-Mail: [email protected]Web: www.chsugar.com Savannah FoodsP.O. Box 335Savannah, GA 31402Tel.: 912-234-1261 Tate & Lyle North American Sugars Inc. (formerly Domino Sugar) 1100 Key Hwy. W.Baltimore, MD 21230 Tel.: 1-800-638-1590Fax: 410-783-8640 Imperial Sugar P.O. Box 9 Sugarland, TX 77487 Tel.: 1-800-727-8427 Web: www.imperialsugar.com Refined Sugars Inc. 1 Federal St.Yonkers, NY 10702 Tel.: 914-963-2400 Fax: 914-963-1030" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Let me state why sugar, whether semi-refined, free of bone char filtration, combined with molasses, etc. etc is still SUGAR and therefore non-nutritive and detrimental to human health: 1. Sugar promotes the growth of a deleterious yeast in the human body known as Candida Albicans. The organism's waste products are toxic to the body. That is a known fact. 2. Sugar is cariogenic and promotes oral acidity, leading to greater levels of dental cavities and halotosis. 3. Sugar is addictive and associated with foods of minimal nutritional value so it does nothing to help steer children away from poor food choices. Obesity is epidemic in this country and sugar is a major contributer. 4. Sugar raises insulin levels and is a major contributer to the rampant levels of Type II diabetes witnessed in western societies. 5. Sugar inhibits the release of growth hormones which in turn depresses the immune system. 6. Sugar has been widely acknowledged for its propensity to elevate triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels. 7. Sugar causes bloodstream free radical formation, kidney damage, increases systolic blood pressure levels, promotes copper and chromium deficiency...I could go on and on. There are at least five vegan natural sugar alternatives that I listed earlier in this thread that are health promoting and COMPLETELY obviate the need for any table sugar (and artificial sweeteners for that matter) in the diet whatsoever: 1. Agave Nectar2. Stevia3. Erythritol4. Fructo-oligosaccharides5. Xylitol Please, let's not even try to pretend that if we just use vegan derived sugar, everything will be alright. Sucrose, honey, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucanat, turbinado sugar, splenda, maltodextrin, dried cane crystals, acefulsame-K etc.--it's all anathema to promoting sound health for mind and body. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_raVen_ Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 I agree with michael! Any sugar is too much! For me, only stevia is acceptable as a sweetener; all other sweet flavor comes from fresh fruit If I do prepare a dish for family or friends, I use raw agave nectar or raw yacon syrup. Feels so good to get off sugar. I remember being addicted to coffee -- well, I thought I was. I was actually addicted to the sugar! The coffee I could take or leave, it was the sugar that I wanted. By the way, another vote for honeybush tisan! Bushmen's Brew, Honeybush teasan" by Numi is my favorite; it really has hints of honey flavor (no real honey, of course). I love rooibos too and I also mix the two. My favorite brand is Numi; the best I've tasted.If you guys love these tisans, then try the new GREEN ROOIBOS! It's even more nutritious than the others. I also love yerba mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 If you guys love these tisans, then try the new GREEN ROOIBOS! It's even more nutritious than the others. Raven, Congrats on making a clean break from sugar, life is so much better without it. I still ingest small incidental amounts here and there through salad dressings and the like, but I'm working on that now too. To me it's nearly inconceivable that the national average intake of sugar is a cup or more a day. I completely forgot about the unfermented green rooibos! It does indeed have considerably higher levels of anti-oxidants versus the normal red. Green red tea--talk about confusing the issue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lelle Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 i try to avoid sugar as good as i can, but there's sugar in nearly everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_raVen_ Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 michael, it's 1 cup?!! Wow. That is insane. But, you know, it makes sense when you see how people are so tired all the time. And all those colas. I think that's where a lot of it comes from. People don't think of it as drinking a 1/4 C of sugar. I hear you, lelle! They like to use all types of names too, to disguise it. From what I know, the worst is corn syrup. Only thing I'd like to do is eliminate salt; or at least get to almost none. I've actually cut down a LOT. I get natural sodium from my green smoothies, whic is probably enough; but I do have added sodium once a day Much less than I used to, though ; I add it when I make my salad dressings. How are you all doing with added salt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cristian Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 I've stopped using any types of sugar as a sweetener a long time ago. I think any drink taste better without sugar, as it's meant to be. I don't even use sugar when drinking a strong espresso, i think it tastes much better without. It's difficult to avoid sugar in fizzy drinks or in some fruit juices. I've also heard that aspartame, which replaces sugar, used in diet sodas is a dangerous chemical. Anyone knows more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 michael, it's 1 cup?!! Wow. That is insane. But, you know, it makes sense when you see how people are so tired all the time. And all those colas. I think that's where a lot of it comes from. People don't think of it as drinking a 1/4 C of sugar. I hear you, lelle! They like to use all types of names too, to disguise it. From what I know, the worst is corn syrup. You can see how the majority of people can easily consume a cup of sugar or more just from sodas alone. It's not uncommon for some to consume 64 oz. of soda daily. And I think you're right, high fructose corn syrup is the most insidious form of sugar there is. I've also heard that aspartame, which replaces sugar, used in diet sodas is a dangerous chemical. Anyone knows more? Do a google search some time, Christian and you'll see a number of links that are very unkind to aspartame. The most ironic thing about this artificial sweetener that is in all kinds of "diet foods" is that studies have revealed that aspartame is actually appetite promoting--talk about counter-productive...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roc Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 i agree Cristian foods and drinks to taste better without any sugar added. I like to taste the orginal flavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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