Lets Talk: BIG August 2013 | Page 15

That is right! You can stop using sugar and artificial sweeteners in everything you cook, drink, and eat. Here is how:

ADD A HIGH-SUGAR FRUIT

If you are making a pie or something that uses fruit as the main ingredient, use a sweeter fruit. Try slicing up some sweet apples or mash an overripe banana into your recipe.

ADD A COOKED FRUIT SAUSE (hot or cold)

Making fruit sause is as easy as making soup. First peel the fruit and de-seed it, then mash it or puree it in a blender (for some recipies your work is done now). Now you can toss it in a sause pan add a small amount of sugar free juice (to blend it and to help release the natural sugars) bring to a boil, then simmer until the fuit is reduced. Use hot in hot meals cool for cold drinks like lemonaid. (the more you reduce the more options you have. You can even turn it into a fruit butter, great for toast).

ADD DRIED FRUIT (with no added sugars)

You can use dried fruit to spruce up just about anything, toss some dried pears on your salad for a tasty variation, Use dried fruit when baking cookies (which you can sweeten with fruit butter).

FRUITS THAT SWEETEN

Apples, pears, browning bananas, raisins, dates, prunes, and monk fruit extract.

*See the following links for more information:

http://www.rodalenews.com/healthy-sweeteners