As I write in all of my cookbooks, sugar consumption has gotten alarmingly out of hand in our country. So much so that even food writers are taking notice – not just the medical industry.
I’m not trying to take away all of your fun, but it’s time to start looking at what’s thrust onto the supermarket shelves and restaurant menus with a more discerning eye. Sure it tastes good, but what about what happens during and after digestion? Even moderate amounts of sugary drinks are enough to start the production of fat-depositing enzymes into the liver, according to a study published this year by the American Liver Foundation.
And if this news weren’t sobering enough, there’s research linking sugar to Alzheimer’s disease. New York Times writer Mark Bittman did a brilliant and descriptive essay on the subject in 2012 titled “Is Alzheimer’s Type 3 Diabetes?” Google it only if you’re ready to wake from the culture-induced trance that sugar is just harmless fun. And if you didn’t know that back in 2005 doctors and scientists began categorizing Alzheimer’s as the Type 3 Diabetes, well, wake up and smell the unsweetened iced coffee!
I’m not even suggesting that you ditch the candy corn completely. Just eat a little less of it this season, and try a healthier sweet instead.
I’m not an ardent lover of pumpkin, but I love THIS! Probably because it’s so smooth and creamy. And knowing that it’s nutritious doesn’t hurt either.
Ingredients:
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon all-spice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 box sugar-free butterscotch pudding
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 cans full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in the refrigerator
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Combine dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk till blended. Add pumpkin puree and mix well. Set aside. Open refrigerated cans of coconut milk and drain off coconut water (reserve for smoothies or drinking plain). Scrape coconut cream into a medium-sized mixing bowl, add vanilla, and blend on low, then medium speed with an electric hand beater. When it resembles whipped cream, stop and gently fold in pumpkin spice mixture. Chill in mixing bowl or in dessert cups for several hours or overnight.
Optional: garnish with more cinnamon or nutmeg.
Stacey Morris is a Loudonville based wellness blogger, cookbook author and health coach. Her website is www.staceymorris.com.