Raw Sugar

My mom started experimenting with raw sugar a few months ago and has been reporting on her progress. I finally got around to trying things for myself a couple weeks ago. At my grocery store it's called "Sugar in the Raw" and you can buy it in boxes up to 2 lbs.

What is raw sugar (also known as "turbinado sugar")? It's sugar that has been less refined than regular granulated sugar. It goes through much fewer steps in the making and doesn't have all the questionable stuff added to it that granulated sugar does.

What's added to granulated sugar? Sulfur dioxide (to make it white), phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide (to combine and absorb or trap impurities), carbon dioxide (alternately used for the same reason). And then after all that processing, the resulting syrup is filtered through a bed of activated carbon to remove molasses. And that's not even the last step!

But does raw sugar really have any nutritional value? That is up for debate and most people say the nutritional value is minimal and not enough more than regular granulated sugar to switch over.

So here is my mom's and my take on it: Even if raw sugar doesn't have much nutritional value, if it doesn't have the negative additives or the negative effects of regular sugar, we're not against using it occasionally. We still prefer to use honey or fruit juice for most of the sweet things we make, but for other things those options aren't practical. (Like ice cream, which my mom has figured out a tasty recipe for, using raw sugar.)

It is claimed that people can't tell the difference in taste between something sweetened with one sugar or the other, and that's probably true for most people. But I think my family's healthy eating habits have sensitized us to such differences--particularly in how food makes us feel. And my husband and I both agree with my mom that we don't feel the same negative physical affects after eating raw sugar as after eating granulated sugar--such as that short sugar high and then the crash that follows.

Just some food for thought...

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea and Women

For the past three years or so I have taken a daily amount of Red Raspberry Leaf which has depended upon the stage I'm in: newly pregnant, close to delivery, breast feeding, or--like now--struggling with secondary infertility. In an effort to strengthen and tone my uterus as well as regulate my cycles, (in addition to all its other benefits) I currently drink a quart of RRL tea (no caffeine) every day. (Because this high amount made me go through tea bags much too quickly, I ordered a bunch in bulk and now use it loose. Don't worry, I strain it.) There is something about it that is so satisfying, that my body craves, and I can feel it is good for me. It has a pleasant aroma by itself and a very mild taste for an herbal tea, but I like to make it more interesting and tasty by adding a couple spoonfuls of frozen juice concentrate or a spoonful of honey.

Here are some amazing facts about this versatile, mild herb from Birthsource.com (an excellent prenatal resource):

The leaves of the raspberry plant have been used as a medicinal herb for centuries... It is believed that raspberry leaf, if taken regularly through pregnancy and labor can:

• Ease the symptoms of morning sickness
• Sooth and prevent bleeding gums which many pregnant women often experience.
• Relax the smooth muscles of the uterus when it is contracting (Burn & Withell, 1941).
• Assist with the birth of the baby and the placenta.
• Calm cramping of the uterus.
• Provide a rich source of iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium. The magnesium content is especially helpful in strengthening the uterine muscle.
• Raspberry leaf also contains vitamins B1, B3 and E, which are valuable in pregnancy.

Raspberry leaf is also used for the following:

• To aid fertility.
• To promote a plentiful supply of breast milk.
• To help stop excess bleeding after birth.
• To treat diarrhea.
• To regulate irregular menstrual cycle and decrease heavy periods.
• To relieve sore throats.
• To reduce fever.

It is thought that around one fifth of pregnant women take some form of raspberry leaf. Women believe that it will shorten labor and make the birth easier. The use of this herb for remedial purposes dates back to the sixth century and its benefits in childbirth have been recorded as a proven aid in maternity in the most ancient of herbal books.

RRL can also be taken in capsule form, which is how I took it up until a few months ago--just make sure you drink plenty of water with it so your system can absorb and assimilate it. I took it before and after the birth of my second child and, though I had made a few other changes that time around as well, I believe RRL helped shrink my laboring down from 22 hours to 4 hours and have no issues with my milk coming in late or not being plentiful enough. Now if it will just help with its current intended purpose...

Budget Saver Tip #12: Turn Off Your Lights

This is one of those obvious ways to save energy, but I've noticed how few people are actually in the habit of doing it. As my children grow older they develop this habit because I remind them until they start reminding each other: When you leave a room, turn off the light--even if you're planning to come right back. And by now my 5-year-old does it automatically. Same for other electronic devices: when you're done, turn it off (we turn off our computer every night). I know there are different arguments on both sides of the coin and it depends on how energy-efficient the things in your house are (for example, the difference between bulbs and CFLs). But this is one of those good habits that is responsible and just makes sense to me...particularly when your home habits extend to other places. (I can't tell you how often I've walked through my church after an activity and how many lights I have found still on!)

Helpful Conversions

These are conversions I use all the time and thought I should pass on:

1 c. granulated sugar = 1/2 c. honey

1 c. brown sugar = 2/3 c. or so honey

1 can of beans = 1 3/4 c. cooked beans

1/3 c. dry beans = 1 c. cooked beans

heaping 1/2 c. dry beans = 1 can of beans

Budget Saver Tip 11: Buy in Bulk (Carefully)

We've all heard it before and it is often true that from toilet paper to laundry detergent to baking items, buying in bulk can save you money. That is not always the case, though, even though bulk items are marketed that way (think Costco or Sam's Club, etc), so you should still do price comparisons to check what you are tempted to buy in bulk. The items I buy most frequently in bulk and save a lot with are: wheat (of course), toilet paper, powdered dish detergent (and often dishwasher detergent), and yeast. That last one really saves me, since the only bread we eat is homemade and I use 2 Tb. per batch of 4 loaves. That would be a lot of packets! And even the little glass containers like Red Star makes are used up too quickly at that rate, I found. Thanks to some friends with a Sam's Club membership, I can get two 16 oz. packages of yeast for a little over $4.

Healthy Smoothies

Some of you may be thinking this title is redundant, but it's really not. I have noticed that not all smoothies are created equal--either in taste or in healthfulness. For one thing, I have never understood why so many people think it necessary to add sugar to something that is naturally sweetened with yummy fruit anyway.

I have played around with making smoothies for several years and I love making them in the summer, especially (particularly with fresh, ripe, juicy summer fruit). Now nearly every time they hear the blender going, my kids rush into the kitchen and say, "Smoothies?" And if it is, they jump up and down and say, "Yay! Smoothies!" So yeah, we like them around here.

Here is how I make them (keeping in mind that smoothies are, of course, very versatile and if your family doesn't like a particular fruit or you don't have it on hand, you can easily toss in something else):

1 banana per person you are making the smoothie for (bananas thicken it up nicely)
2 c. or more frozen or fresh berries, mangos, kiwi, peaches or nectarines, etc.
1/2 c. or more milk
a couple large dollops of plain yogurt (which is easily omitted for my lactose intolerant child)
a couple large dollops of frozen juice concentrate (which adds extra sweetness and flavor, if needed)

Blend all together and pour into cups.
Enjoy!

Probiotics

My youngest child was born with lactose intolerance and suffered indigestion issues right from the beginning (even though she was breastfed exclusively). Eventually this problem kept her from sleeping--at all. It took me a very long time to figure out what the trouble was, but when I did and eliminated milk products from her diet, over time her sleep drastically improved until for the first time she even took a nap every day! For any parent who has experienced major sleep loss due to a child's chronic inability to sleep, you will understand when I say this return to sleep felt like a miracle! We are still hopeful that she will grow out of her lactose intolerance, but for now we keep her away from lactose products. However, she still has a more delicate digestive system than the rest of us and frequently needs help to digest and be regular. That is why I have given her daily doses of probiotics for almost two years now. This is how it came about:

About 17 or 18 years ago, a friend of my mom's, who was a vegan, suggested something that she thought would solve my mom's newly-acquired postpartum indigestion troubles. My mom tried it and it worked so well that she used this "treatment" regularly up until a couple years ago (at which point it had quit doing its job, so she started using something else). Knowing of my child's congenital digestion issues, my mom suggested I try it for her.

It's fermented wheat water. Though it may sound gross to those who are unused to trying things of this nature, to me growing up it wasn't a big deal. After all, Dr. Mom always used vitamins, herbs, and herbal teas to treat our families illnesses or keep us healthy, we always had cider vinegar and brewer's yeast on hand (both of which I liked to drink). My dad drank goat milk (sometimes stinky) for a while, and regularly made wheat grass juice during a different phase. So, fermenting wheat in water for a few days, then drinking it mixed with juice concentrate, was not at all odd. (Note: It is only allowed to cure for a few days and the fermentation process does not produce alcohol.)

When I first started giving it to my daughter she was under a year old and devoured it like it felt good to drink. In fact, the first time I tried it was the middle of the night when she awoke yet again, writhing in discomfort from indigestion, exhausted but unable to sleep. I gave her a bottle of the wheat water mixed with some juice concentrate and she practically inhaled a couple ounces, at which point she relaxed in my arms, and within about 10 minutes fell asleep for the rest of the night. Thus my husband christened it "Miracle Juice."

I am now an even bigger believer in the value of "good bacteria," which is what the wheat water provides. I don't know why yet, but for some reason my daughter's body must be unable to produce enough of this on its own.

One healthy food diet explains the need for fermented foods in the diet this way:

"They are an aid to digestion, are high in the B vitamins, and are full of enzymes. They provide an acid environment in the bowel whereby favorable bacteria can thrive and overcome unfavorable bacteria. Re-establishing beneficial bacteria to the colon is a major part of many health programs."

One health expert calls wheat water "Rejuvelac," which sounds better than "fermented wheat water" or "stinky juice" (which is something else we call it). I've found a few different sites with "recipes," but they're all very similar to each other and to mine.

Before I started making it for my daughter, I tried giving her chewable acidophilus wafers. She liked those, and they did seem to help some, but the wheat water is more potent and immediate, I think (like the difference between taking an herb capsule and drinking the herbal tea).

Here is what one website had to say about what fermented wheat water actually produces:

"The sprouting of the grains creates some sugars by enzymatic conversion, and these sugars are then eaten by friendly bacteria (naturally present on the grain hulls) during the 'fermentation' process, creating lots more of the living probiotic bacteria."

And for anyone interested in learning about the amazing-ness of probiotics, read this. Maybe we should all be drinking wheat water!

So, once again, Mom's way is proving best, but it is only now that I am finding out why.