Why is Sugar So Bad for You? + Vegan and Sugarless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy summer everyone! While I have to say (again) that it has been awhile since I have posted, I wanted to let you all know that the Kale Me Maybe Instagram is really starting to take off. I will be posting there about once a day with all my culinary creations, and I am going to REALLY, REALLY put in the effort to post on here about once a week so you can get the full recipes as well as learn some nutritional tidbits.

When it comes to nutrition, we have heard the common enemies: fat, preservatives, salt, pesticides.
But one of the worst things you can consume is sugar.

Even if you are avoiding desserts, sugar is probably finding its way into your diet through fruit drinks, coffees, packaged foods and maybe even unsuspecting meals like salads. Just because your label is free of the word "sugar" doesn't mean you are in the clear, either. Sugar likes to disguise itself as "sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, dextrose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, barley malt, brown rice syrup, cane juice..." the list goes on.

It still surprises me that people ask "Why is sugar so bad?" but then I think about how most of us were raised on sugary breakfast cereals and artificial fruit snacks and that the current food industry pushes these products onto us through the mass media. For some people, sugar is just a normal part of their diet-- no one has ever told them the harm it causes. Sugar damages us beyond just our weight, putting us at risk for diabetes, cancer, heart disease and addiction. It also can be harmful to our mental states, with studies showing that it can cause depression (and you know how big I am on the food and mood correlation).

Here are some of the most important reasons that sugar is our nutritional nemesis:

• It contains no essential nutrients: Did anyone say empty calories? The things you eat should benefit you in some way, and sugar does not.
• Sugar makes you fat: Sugar is a leading contributor to obesity, not just in children, but in adults too. People who consume the most sugar are most likely to be obese, especially because of the way sugar affects the brain and causes us to not feel satiated. 
• It can cause cancer: Constantly elevated insulin levels and chronic inflammation-- both an effect of sugar-- can contribute to cancer risks
• It's highly addictive: Many nutritionists and scientists liken the effect of sugar on the brain to that of drugs-- and take it from a former [sugar] addict-- they're right! Sugar causes a massive release of dopamine in the brain, activating our reward centers and causing a strong addiction to the sweetener. I can definitely attest to this: at one point in my life, I was constantly eating candy and craving dessert after every meal. Once I ditched sugar completely, I stopped craving it. Simple as that. But the same as a drug relapse, if I start to get in the habit of eating it again, I need it constantly and slip back into addiction. This just goes to show how powerful the effect of sugar really is, even if you are not aware of it.
• It puts you at risk for heart disease: Sugar raises your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and it also affects the pumping mechanism of your heart. 
• It can make you depressed: The ups and downs from glucose absorption disturb the brain and exacerbate anxiety and depression. Not only that, but sugar also uses up the mood-enhancing B vitamins. 

That being said, "sugar-free" isn't always the answer, as many substitutes have similar effects, especially ones that contain aspartame like Equal, as aspartame is carcinogenic and can cause emotional disorders, tumors and various diseases. Even agave nectar, which was once considered a good alternative, is considered harmful, as it is still a processed sugar and the amount of syrup needed to sweeten things is very high in sugar content.

So what's the best sugar alternative? If you need to sweeten something, it's best to use Stevia, honey or maple syrup, as they are all natural and contain various other health benefits. Of course, use these in moderation too, as sugar in excess is never good for you, even if it's from a natural source.

To go along with the sweet theme of this post, I thought I would share a dessert recipe, which is rare for me since I am not much of a baker. I just came up with this new Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, which, of course, has no sugar and instead uses a small amount of maple syrup as a sweetener. These came out SO tasty, and it will be easy for you to recreate them, as I actually accurately measured everything this time.

These cookies are vegan, have no added sugar, no butter and no eggs, and they can be gluten free if you take out the oats and use another flour instead. There are no bad ingredients, so these can even be used as breakfast cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup almond flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup maple syrup (Grade B)

1/4 Unrefined Virgin coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp cocoa powder

6  small squares of 70% or higher dark chocolate, with no sugar or dairy added, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Grease a baking sheet with some coconut oil. Place spoon sized chunks of the batter onto the baking sheet, leaving a little bit of room for the cookies to expand (they don't get much bigger).

4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. If you like your cookies softer, bake for 15 minutes, and if you like them harder, bake for a little over 20.
5. Let cookies cool. If you want a little extra sweetness, drizzle maple syrup on top of the cookies when they are done baking.

(Makes about 10 cookies)

What are your favorite no sugar added recipes? Share in the comments! And be sure to follow @kalememaybe on Instagram!

Food Substitutes + Truffle Farro Salad & Spinach and Artichoke Turkey Burgers

Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to give up the foods you love. You just have to make small changes to individual ingredients to keep the taste and make the dish healthier. Here are some common and easy substitutes you can make in your foods:

Cream/Sour Cream/Mayo: Greek Yogurt is a great substitute for all things creamy. I put it in pasta dishes to replace cream sauces, and it works perfectly as sour cream in Mexican dishes etc. By using Greek Yogurt, you reduce fat as well as promote healthy digestion.

Butter: Coconut Oil can be used alone as a spread, or as a replacement in baking for oil and butter. Coconut oil can help with weight loss, and it also, contrary to popular belief, lowers bad cholesterol because it contains lauric acid.

Flour: Almond Meal, which is just ground almonds, is a great way to avoid wheat in baking. You get the benefit of the nuts and avoid the downsides of using processed, white flour.

Chocolate: 70% Dark Chocolate or higher is always the way to go with chocolate. You don't have to give it up, just go darker for more of the health benefits, which include a good source of antioxidants and vitamins, decreased risk of stroke, and more stabilized blood sugar.

Mixed Farro Salad with Truffle Dressing

Ingredients: 

Farro, cooked
Edamame 
Dried cranberries
Non-fat feta crumbles
Pistachio nutmeats
Baby broccoli, chopped

For dressing:

White truffle oil
Garlic Aoli Mustard
Olive Oil

1. Cook the farro first, let cool. 

2. Chop the broccoli into bite-size pieces. Combine the rest of ingredients.

3. To make the dressing, combine the mustard and two types of oil. I had to experiment to get exactly the right consistency and flavor. You don't need a lot of truffle oil because it's very potent, but you might need to add more olive oil to get the dressing to be smooth enough to pour over and toss in the salad. 

4. Toss dressing in salad and serve.

Spinach and Artichoke Burgers with Dip

Ingredients:

For burger: 

Lean ground turkey meat
Frozen spinach
Dehydrated onions (or chopped fresh)
Garlic powder
Wheat germ (or something equivalent, with the texture of breadcrumbs)
Chopped artichoke hearts OR artichoke bruschetta 
Parmesan Cheese

For Dip/Topping:

Greek yogurt

Garlic powder

Frozen spinach, defrosted

Artichoke

Parmesan Cheese

1. To make the patties, combine all the ingredients until evenly distributed.

2. Heat up a pan with olive oil. Form patties and make sure they aren't too thick so they can cook through. Place in pan.

3. Cover and lower the heat in order to let the patties cook thoroughly. Flip when they turn golden.

4. Make the spinach and artichoke dip topping. Combine ingredients and heat in microwave for about two minutes (be careful not to heat it too long or yogurt will curdle).

5. Top burger with dip, and enjoy!

Fall Breakfast + Brain Boosters

This week, I was fortunate enough to come back home to LA for Thanksgiving weekend and spend time with my family. The first morning back, I decided to cook breakfast, and I chose two dishes I had never done before. With fall comes a lot of good produce and seasonal vegetables, and one of my favorites is pumpkin! I've been meaning to make some healthy pancakes, and I thought it would be nice to make them using this autumn squash. I needed to accompany the pancakes with a healthy protein, so I turned to eggs. I make eggs almost every single day, but I've never made a proper frittata, so I thought while I had the kitchen space and resources, I would give it a go.

While brainstorming possible nutrition ideas, it came to me that a lot of the ingredients I used in this super-breakfast are good brain boosting foods. I've been spending a lot of time researching the effects foods have on the brain, as this is a large part of my journalism senior thesis. Few people realize the impact of what we put in our mouths and how it controls our moods and the way we behave. Luckily, the ingredients in this breakfast promote alertness, happiness and calmness. This is a breakfast that pleases the senses, as well as the mind!

Power of Pancakes:

Oats: Oatmeal provides our brains with sustained fuel power with a healthy, natural boost of glucose. Eating oatmeal rather than sugary foods prevents a sudden spike and drop in blood sugar, and it instead provides a steady few hours of brain power. Oatmeal also fights anxiety and fatigue with its level of magnesium. 

Dark Chocolate (72%): Dark cocoa is also a brain booster, containing a large percentage of flavonoids that preserve cognitive abilities in the brain such as memory. It is also a mood booster, bolstering positive mood with the release of endorphins. 

Pumpkin: Aside from the other health benefits of pumpkin (immune system booster, antioxidant, rich source of fiber), it's a natural energy boost, with an even higher potassium level than bananas. 

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil has a plethora of health benefits, one of them being a brain booster due to the brain's alternative fuel, ketone bodies, being present in medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil. Additionally, the lauric acid in this beneficial saturated fat releases a gut hormone that reduces sadness.

Milk: Milk can help improve memory, as well as improve mood. The calcium levels reduce stress and anxiety, and the tryptophan present increases serotonin, which elevates mood.

Feel Good Frittata:

Eggs: Eggs are both strong brain boosters and mood boosters! Vitamins D and B12 increase levels of serotonin, a mood elevator, and the vitamins also help enhance memory. Eggs are also high in omega-3s, the ultimate mood booster.

Tomatoes: High in lycopene, folate and magnesium, tomatoes enhance mood and lower depression, and they also promote an alert mind and memory function.

Rosemary: Rosemary is a powerful and pungent herb that can improve brain performance as well as boost mood, presumably through the chemical compounds in its oil.

Onions: Onions also boost our brain's memory power, and they help prevent degenerative diseases such as stroke from its antioxidants. Onions are also rich in chromium, which boosts mood.

Garlic: Garlic is a blood thinner, which increases blood flow to the brain and increases its functions. The extracts in garlic have also been shown to increase cognitive functioning, which includes increased memory and stronger ability to complete tasks.

Spinach: Spinach is filled with folic acid and magnesium, two depression-blasting nutrients. The folic acid in spinach also protects neurons in the brain. 

Recipes under the cut!

What I Ate During Hurricane Sandy

Sorry again for the all the delays in posts, it's been a pretty crazy month. I've been really sick, and then we got hit with the hurricane, and I lost power for 5 days. It was inconvenient, but my roommate Sara and I still managed to have a little fun with it, and we went old school and cooked by candlelight. During the four days we were still here, before we ran out of refrigerated food and escaped to Boston, we cooked all our meals using the frozen and refrigerated foods before they went bad. I tried to take as many pictures as I could, so enjoy this compilation of some of my Hurricane Sandy meals.

Before the power went out:

Poached Egg over Swiss, Avocado, Tomatoes and Spinach over Whole Wheat Toast:

My first attempt at a poached egg! I used Mark Bittman's directions here, and it's a lot harder than it looks! I lost a little bit of my yolk, I think because my water wasn't hot enough after I turned it down. I'm going to have to attempt it again sometime soon. 

Lemony Quinoa and Kale Salad