"Sugar" needs to be defined a little better. Is it sucrose and glucose he's supposed to avoid? Like good old "table" sugar? How about fructose (fruit sugars) or glactose (milk sugars)?

I use a natural, low-glycemic, honey-like sweetener called agave nectar (mainly naturally-occuring fructose, which is different from the chemical sweetener, fructose). I use it for all my baking/cooking instead of "table" sugar, and have for many, many years now.

Other "sugars" include maltose (found in barley malt syrup). Brown Rice Syrup is maltose and glucose. Maple Syrup is 60% sucrose. Fruit juices are sucrose (yes, like those found in "table" sugar) and some natural fructose. Most foods are a combination of "sugars". Honey is fructose, glucose and sucrose. You may need a little more guidance about which ones are in which foods and which ones you need to avoid, other than as a sweetener.

Here's some really great books. Check your local library for copies, or have them get them through inter-library loan. I bet you'll find other sugar-free/diabetic cookbooks, as well. Low-Carb cookbooks are also full of sugar-free recipes.

*Stevia (naturally sweet recipes for desserts, drinks and more!) - by Rita DePuydt

*HOW SWEET IT IS...Without the Sugar - by Jean C. Wade

*The "I Can't Believe This Has No Sugar" Cookbook - by Deborah E. Buhr.

In these books, no sugar means no "table" sugar, which doesn't eliminate all "sugars", like the sucrose found in apple juice and other fruit juices.

-Grainlady

Everything I read about eating for cancer says "cancer loves sugar." I thought I was doing OK with organic sugar, but his cancer has found a new home in his adrenal glands, so I'm cutting all sugar from his diet unless it is the natural sugar food produces. What he needs to avoid are the refined sugars. I know he will get a little in some foods, but I'm not going to intentionally bake something with any type of sugar.

He has colon cancer which moved from his colon to his liver and now to the adrenal glands. It is still colon cancer, just finding a new home. We have gone to Mexico for alternative treatment as well as his chemo treatments. I want to do all I can to cure this dreaded disease with his diet. I've heard many people who have helped their cancer by diet change. Because of the Mexican treatments, he cannot have vinegar or tomatoes and has to limit many other items. I have to learn to cook like my grandmother, but she was a stay at home mom - I'm not.

Stevia is OK as a sweetner, but I found an apple pie recipe taht uses 100% apple juice as the sweetner - I'd like more recipes like this.

I'll look for those cookbooks - it looks like that is just what I need.

Thanks.

I just checked a book out of my library called Canning and Preserving Without Sugar. I'm going to go through it tonight and I'll let you know if I find anything good.

Best of luck to your husband and to you.

Annie

Patrick Quillin, Ph.D., R.D., wrote in "Beating Cancer with Nutrition" (Nutrition Times Press, 1994). "Elevating blood glucose in a cancer patient is like throwing gasoline on a smoldering fire," Dr. Quillin warned, so eating foods that promote balanced blood sugar is advisable for individuals who have cancer...

Avoiding "table" sugar isn't going to cut it if you continue to consume all other foods that raise blood glucose - see: Glycemic Index of Foods. Substituting sugar with stevia is just one small step. White flour raises blood glucose as much or more than eating sugar.

-Grainlady

And as i recall, apple juice is one of the things that boosts blood sugar.
Anyone know if Splenda is oK under these circumstances? Because if it is, it really makes sugar free cooking easy.
Linda C

I'm a diabetic and as far as i know Splenda seems to be the safest artificial sweetner,next to stevia.

You might look up diabetic diets to help with foods that don't raise blood sugar. any sweetner that ends in ose is a sugar.
Good thoughts coming your way and your DH,s.

He cannot have any of the sweetners like Splenda (and according to a friend of mine - no one should consume these substitute sugars). Stevia or nothing is the only route for him. I really need a nutritionist, but I simply can't afford one. Your tips on the blood glucose is very helpful. Just so much I need to read. I grew up in the era of "if it hurts, have a cookie." Bad thinking. We grew up on farms where it was meat and potatoes - and maybe a veggie. So it's difficult to change 50 years of bad habit cooking. I've told him I'm convinced - "if it tastes good, spit it out."

I hope I get this figured out. Can't wait to get some of the books mentioned. If my poor brain will just absorb some of the facts.

Just a word of encouragement to you and your hubby, Mariah. I think you will find that sweet is an acquired taste, and that for some people (ask how I know) the more sweet things you eat, the more you want, and the sweeter you want them to be. It's also my experience that if you can wean yourself (or your husband) from sugar for a two-week period, the cravings diminish greatly. So, take heart. If he can cold-turkey on sugar, he will start tasting other flavors, especially if you cook with good quality, whole, real foods minimally processed. Good luck. You can do this.

You may want to go to the library and check out cookbooks based on the glycemic index; Low GI cuisine produces only gentle rises in your blood glucose and insulin levels. The South Beach diet is a mainstream low gi diet. Grainlady is right starchy foods (such as bread, potatoes, white rice) can elevate blood sugars just as much as table sugar.
I hope everything turns out well for you and your husband.

Mariah, you are in my thoughts and prayers! Good luck with this approach. I totally agree with pink overalls, sugar is an acquired taste, and if you can go "cold turkey" and limit your sugar, you WILL loose the taste for it. That is why they have this intro diet when you go the "South Beach" route. Definately check that book out at the library. I severely limited my sugar intake years ago when I was in college and more into healthy eating, and I sure enough lost my cravings for it after a while of going cold turkey. It can be done!

You want to go with whole grains, natural foods, and sweetness from a limited amount of fruit. Fruit has fiber so the sugar is absorbed somewhat slower, but it depends on the fruit and how it is prepared. There is probably a lot on the 'net about eating low GI and eating for diabetes. If you don't know how to search the 'net, I'm sure you can get some help from a librarian at your local library. Don't be shy about asking for help there, that's what your tax dollars go to pay for!

Here's a recipe I have made and liked in the past. I don't know what its GI (glycemic index) rating is, but I know oat bran is pretty healthy.

Oat Bran, No Sugar or Milk Muffins

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes (most likely 20)

2 1/2 cups oat bran
1 egg
1 large can frozen apple juice concentrate
1 TBLSP baking powder
handful of raisins (could leave these out, they are high GI)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 chopped apple

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. These muffins are quite small. I think the recipe makes at least 12, but I haven't made it in a while. Great warm from the oven for breakfast or as a before-betime treat with a cup of chamomile tea.

Ladies, thank you so much for the recipes and for your support and information on eating right. I'll be spending some time in the library soon.

It is so nice to know there is so much knowledge here to tap. Thanks again to all of you - especially your prayers, I know these work.

Mariah, kudos to you for working so hard to find the right foods for your DH. A low-glycemic diet is not always easy, but it's such a healthy way to go. Good luck to you and your DH

If I can hijack this thread a little, I'm also looking for super low glycemic salad dressings and marinades. Anybody have anything creative?

We've been married almost 44 years and believe me - I got the "fairy tale," he is so worth fighting for. I just wish it was easier to tell what to eat and what not to eat. I'm sure it will get easier as I study, but I prefer romance novels.

I have an excellent dressing that contains lemon juice, honey, oil (I use safflower) and some spices??? I have no idea how to tell the glycemic value, but it's excellent on coleslaw. DH can't have vinegar, so I use this. If you want the recipie I can send it later tonight.

Is there a guide somewhere where you can figure the glycemic index?

Mariah, I had one of these today, no sugar and it was pretty darned good with my cup of tea. Not one, but three of the ladies that work at our local court had breast cancer within the last year. One of them baked these and gave me the recipe because she knows Dad is diabetic and I always look for healthy and/or low sugar recipes. They were a little dense, and kind of reminded me of a bran muffin in texture, and yummy.

Sugar Free applesauce Cinnamon Muffins

1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups wholewheat flour
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix oil, molasses and applesauce together. Mix dry ingredients together in a larger bowl. Combine the wet with the dry ingredients in as few strokes as possible and stir in the raisins once the batter is nearly all moistened. Drop into muffin cups.

Bake 18-20 minutes.

Annie

Mariah,Goodness! 44 years? Congratulations to you on being married for such a long time. That's longer than I've been...well...breathing. LOL

Try the site below for good information:

Here is a link that might be useful: glycemic index

I meant to say that when I am being super strict with my diet (to lose weight), I avoid honey, but right now I'm not in panic mode...yet (LOL), so I do have some honey. It really opens things up to so many more delicious recipes. I'd love yours, Mariah.

My friend makes fruit salad and sweetens it with a little orange juice. It's very good and would taste good with unsweetened yogurt.

The link below is a free searchable index for the GI of many foods.

Another interesting site with good information is www.mendosa.com

Some low-GI (sugarless) dessert recipes are at this site:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/

You should share the apple pie recipe made with apple juice. That sounds like a nice treat!

Kari

Here is a link that might be useful: Searchable GI index

Mariah, when you do go to the library, I would suggest searching for books and cookbooks under the category, "Whole Foods." This is often substituted for the intimidating word "macrobiotic." Many cancer patients utilize some or all macrobiotic principles in a healing diet, and it sounds like your husband has been recommended to do the same. Sounds like emphasis on foods with good fiber, and lots of anti-oxidants, which helps keep toxins out of the body. The problems with macrobiotic is that a lot of the foods in that diet are hard to find or not palatable to westerners, so there are a lot of adaptations out there.

You may run into the writers David and Nikki Goldbeck, they were writing about this subject early on, in the 1980s. Since then, a lot of other books have come out on the subject. I'm not familiar with any of the newer resoures, but I do like the Goldbeck's approach. They do use a lot of honey though, but some of their other recipes might be helpful to you.

I like the FoodNetwork web site, they have a huge section on Healthy Eating which has just about every kind of recipe imaginable. I have read that the American Diabetic Association has a lot of good recipes on their site. A lot of diabetics use Splenda and other artificial sweeteners. They just don't taste right to me, and I think I am mildly allergic to them, so I wouldn't recommend them either. That does make it tough, but NOT impossible.

Still, when it comes to low sugar baking, that's pretty much an oxymoron, I have found. The best low sugar baked goods are made with whole grains and yeast. To satisfy your sweet tooth on a low sugar diet, there's only one way to go--fresh fruit. A lot of the prepackaged "low carb" bread and pastas are crap, best to go with the real thing--whole grains themselves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipes from the American Diabetes Association

I'm not being critical here, but I don't understand honey, at all. It makes my blood sugar go up immediately. I'm sure a small amount might be needed for taste, but it's still sugar.
Can someone explain it?
BTW Mariah, cooking for this diet sounds like a Herculean task. Only desperation would drive you to this.

When my MIL was on the Pritikin diet, to cut her cholesterol, she did a lot of cooking with unsweetened fruit juice concentrates. It tasted good, too!

Honey was a big health food craze for a while, when people were first getting into "natural" cooking back in the 1970's. But as you have stated, honey is very concentrated sugar and can wreak havoc with blood sugar levels. You can't cut out sugar for health and then go hog wild with honey and think it is OK. People didn't do their homework! The plus side of honey is that it is sweeter than sugar so you can use less, from a strictly calorie point of view. Honey perhaps has some other nutrients that sugar doesn't have, but some people are sensitive to honey, almost like an allergy. I consider honey a seasoning. It also adds moisture to baked goods. But it burns easier than sugar when baking. I use it judiciously, if at all.

Sorry, compumom, I think I confused you with my poorly-worded post. I'm good at that. LOL

lpink explained honey well. I didn't mean to imply honey wasn't a sugar. It's one of the many hidden sugars we find in food. What I was trying to say was that when I'm dieting, the first thing I give up is sugar, meaning the white chrystals you bake with. Honey is still sugar. No doubt about it, but because it's so condensed and sweet, as lpink explained, I use it very sparingly when I'm dieting, if at all.

If I go a full week without sugars, then have junk on the weekend, I'll pay for it with a terrible headache. After two weeks, I don't even want sugar.

I get over it quick, though, when somebody puts chocolate in front of me. :)