Is all organic better?!
Question: I am already convinced that eating organically is the way to go with out a doubt....so please no one answer this question IM about to ask if you are against eating organically...I wish to ask from someone who knows what they are talking about....
Is white sugar and white flour that is organic really ok to use? I have heard that eliminating all white things frome the diet is best....but what about ocasionally baking treats....is organic sugar and flour really that much different from regular...and if so how? (organic sugar is 3 times the cost of regular)
Answers: I am already convinced that eating organically is the way to go with out a doubt....so please no one answer this question IM about to ask if you are against eating organically...I wish to ask from someone who knows what they are talking about....
Is white sugar and white flour that is organic really ok to use? I have heard that eliminating all white things frome the diet is best....but what about ocasionally baking treats....is organic sugar and flour really that much different from regular...and if so how? (organic sugar is 3 times the cost of regular)
Yes, even refined white organic flours and sugars are bad for you if they are bleached, bromated, etc. Here is what we do, maybe it will help you eliminate them more from your diet:
Flour: we use unbleached, unenriched organic white for baking light items like cakes (which we don't do regularly). You can add 1/3-1/4 amount as whole grain. I have thought about trying the Whole White Wheat, which is a whole grain, but supposed to be lighter for baking, but haven't taken the time yet to find out if it is a GM product or not. Won't use it until I know it isn't GM. Many recipes you can use 1/2 whole wheat - such as biscuits, brownies, cookies. You can make 100% whole grain breads. It usually requires you use several grains to be a really successful and not too heavy bread. We use oats and wheat. Refined, bleached, enriched white flour is one of the key offenders in tooth decay and many other health issues.
Sugar: white table sugar is a definite no no at our house. The only things we think are worse offenders are artificial sweeteners. They attack the kidney, brain, liver, etc. If the choice is artificial sweeteners or white sugar, white sugar is the better option. But, we avoid both refined white and artificial. sweeteners. Also avoid high fructose corn syrup. We started making our own homemade catsup to avoid hfcs, we sweeten it with honey.
The best refined white substitutes are turbinado, honey, molasses and Stevia. We replace white sugar 1 for 1 with turbinado in baking. Turbinado has more of the trace elements, nutrients, etc., that the sugar cane has, therefore it is a better option. The turbinado I get is from the health food store, but not organic. We are working toward using less turbinado too by starting to adjust recipes so that we use 1/2 Stevia, 1/2 turbinado.
Stevia is a super sweet plant derivative that doesn't metabolize as sugar at all. We get it is drop form, powders have a different kind of taste. We've used it 100% in homemade ice cream. We also use it to sweeten tea and drinks. 1 drop sweetens a whole glass or cup of tea. When using the drops, the rule of thumb is 1 drop = 1 tsp sugar. It is that sweet.
Honey is an excellent sugar substitute for liquids too - especially hot ones. I put some lemon in water and sweeten with honey or stevia. We use it also in bread. I found that honey instead of sugar in recipes that call for sweetener is an excellent added flavor, when not choosing molasses.
Molasses is a power packed sweetener too. We use it for our bean, dark breads, cookies and as a biscuit topper. It is high in iron. Some have a hard time growing accustomed to the taste, but I grew up using molasses. We even added it to our crepes and rolled them to eat. You can buy organic molasses at health food stores, but I'm not as likely to insist on organic molasses. Where we live now, I'm just happy to find any molasses! Here they do sorghum molasses, it doesn't taste as good. Cane molasses is better, and from what I've seen for nutrients, also better for you.
When possible, the organic will be better for you and better for sustainable farming. But, just switching from white sugar to turbinado will make a health difference.
Hope something there helps.
organic is completely different then regular foods and it is a lot healthier for you flour is bleached and when it is organic it isnt that makes a big difference in your health when you are not eating chemically treated foods like that.
White sugar is produced from beets or sugar cane that were grown organically, just as the white flour is produced from organically grown wheat. Organic flour is also naturally bleached, by aging it, rather than by bromating it. From the production side of things, that is the only difference between the organic and non organic product. As far as sugar is concerned, your body converts sugar to the simple glucose form, regardless of the source of the sugar, be it from fruit, the sugar bowl, or the honeypot. It's a question of what won't be present- in other words there will be no preservatives, and no chemical residues left from insecticides and such. I'm not sure the amounts left in sugar would be that much, but in the flour there would be more likely to be pesticide residue. I also try to buy organic products when I can, and prefer to use them. That said, I really strive more to strike a good balance, a lot of what is good for me and a little of what just plain tastes good. I can't currently buy organic sugar or flour where I live, but I can buy unbleached regular flour and I do. I bake everything the family eats from scratch, so I control all the other things going in it, so we aren't eating a load of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients. As a result, I feel I can provide treats that are at least better than the junk on the shelves otherwise. I think you have to find a balance for yourself that way. And of course, there is always the budget to keep in mind- at least for me. I don't personally think the difference in organic and non-organic white sugar is that important, as it is a refined product either way. I do think there is a difference in the flour, since in that case the entire wheat berry has been ground up to eat. Whatever got sprayed on the wheat is going into the flour. If I had the options and budget, I would go with the organic product. As it is, I don't have the options, so I choose the product that has the least amount of additives. Meaning I chose raw sugar and unbleached flour, and keep regular white sugar for the odd treat. I never eliminate any food entirely from the diet, certainly not because it's white- I just limit the amounts and times it's eaten. I also do consider how far the organic product had to travel to get to me, because the pollution produced to transport it is also part of the equation. If an organic product had to be flown and trucked in a long ways, and I can get a local product that may not be exactly strictly organic, then I usually opt for the local product. You ask a good question, and I often wish there were clearer answers. I just haven't found them yet either.