By Marianna Duba M.Sc., Registered Nutritionist
The arrival of the shorter daylight and the foggy, gloomy weather is a sure sign that we are getting closer to my favourite time of the year, the holiday season. I have beautiful memories from my childhood when my entire family, my sisters with husbands, nieces, nephews and my godmother, we all gathered around my parent’s dinner table to celebrate. An essential part of these special gatherings was my Mom’s delicious homemade meal cooked from scratch. As a child, I did not realize how much time, effort and creativity she had to put into preparing those dishes that contributed to the happy, unforgettable atmosphere.
Many years passed since then and I have my own family and friends to gather around our dinner table. Every year, I strive to re-create the festive atmosphere that still lives deep inside me. I prepare some of those traditional recipes that my Mom passed on to me and the ones my family loves. They eagerly await for the special fish recipe for Christmas Eve, roasted duck or goose on Christmas Day, but mostly for the holiday goodies that I bake once a year only. Needless to say all baked sweets would be gobbled up shortly after they cool down if I let that happen. Fortunately, the holistic nutritionist in me is well aware of the detrimental impact that all the white flour and sugar has on our waistline and overall well being. Therefore, to please my family’s expectations and improve the nutritional content of my goodies at the same time, I started to experiment with swapping some ingredients. Here are some helpful tips that may help you to transform your favourite recipes without compromising on flavour.
The three major ingredients I recommend to “experiment” with are flour, sugar and fat. It is not the added quantity, rather their quality that makes the difference. The majority of recipes are based on white all-purpose wheat flour which is a refined grain product that is digested quickly causing a spike in our blood sugar level. If it happens regularly, the body will slowly become unable to normalize the blood glucose level. In addition, overconsumption of wheat products results in food sensitivities and other serious chronic disorders such as Celiac Disease. For these reasons or simply for prevention, it is important to use a variety of flours in cooking and baking. I like to try out different gluten-containing (spelt, rye, kamut) as well as gluten-free grain flours (rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat). Although variety is crucial for me, I have my favourites which I prefer to use. One of them is quinoa with its relatively high protein, mineral and folate content. The other two are coconut and almond flours. They provide a unique nutty flavour to my goodies while their high fibre-content ensures a steady release of sugar into the blood. The secret of swapping wheat flour with an alternative one is to know the exact amount that will work in your modified recipe. Holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy posted a great flour substitution chart on her website that can guide you in calculating the amount of your alternative flour:
http://www.joyoushealth.com/blog/2015/01/12/flour-substitution-chart/
My final tip on trying a new type of flour in your old recipe is to run a pre-test to make sure that the final product has the expected texture, that it is not too dry or hard.
Next, let us talk about a few choices to sweeten our desserts other than white table sugar. Are artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, splenda or saccharin better choices? Although these are non-calorie sweeteners, I do not suggest using them. According to some research studies, a link may exist between the regular consumption of these synthetic chemicals and certain chronic diseases. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that switching to these sweeteners would not prevent weight gain and metabolic disorders. A healthier option is to cook and bake with whole food sweeteners which will provide important nutrients to the body. Raw honey is rich in minerals, antioxidants, natural enzymes and compounds presenting antibacterial and antifungal properties. Maple syrup is rich in manganese. It also contains some other minerals and antioxidants. Both of these sweeteners bring a rich flavour to your dessert thus their quantity has to be adjusted according to your taste. Coconut sugar, similar in taste to brown sugar, is another alternative I like to work with. It belongs to the group of my preferred sweeteners for its glycemic index of 35 (due to its fiber called inulin), mineral- and antioxidant content. Keep in mind, that all of the above mentioned sweeteners are not sugar-free. They all contain natural sugar; hence they have to be used in moderation! Finally, I’d like to mention stevia, which is derived from a South American plant that belongs to the daisy family. The unrefined stevia powder sold in health food stores contains compounds with anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Although it is much sweeter than table sugar, you may experience a bitter aftertaste when consumed thus affecting the final flavour of your dessert. To avoid this, you can use refined stevia which is up to 200 times sweeter than table sugar (a little goes a long way!). Most importantly, stevia is calorie-free and its glycemic index is 0, thus it will not raise the blood sugar level.
The third basic ingredient that needs to be discussed is fat. Although margarine is easy to work with, I caution against its consumption. Many of its brands on the market contain trans-fatty acids which have been linked to major chronic disorders. My all time favourite is coconut oil. It has been given a bad reputation in the past due to its high saturated fat content. However, unlike the animal-derived long-chain fatty acids, this oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). What is the difference? MCFAs are easily digested and used for energy production. As a result, coconut oil does not contribute to weight gain. In fact, it has been shown to boost metabolism when consumed in moderation. I also like to use butter in my baking, though I often reduce the required quantity by half and add some unsweetened apple sauce or almond butter to make the dough lighter. In a few recipes, I also include grape seed or avocado oils.
There are still many other health-supporting ingredients which can be included in baking holiday goodies. These will be discussed at my lecture Holiday Goodies the Healthy Way at Goodness Me on December 6.
http://education.goodnessme.ca/event/739
On December 8, I will be hosting a tour at Farm Boy in Kitchener. This session will also focus on healthy baking and discuss the nutritionist’s basic criteria for selecting the ingredients.
https://www.farmboy.ca/nutritional-tours/
Looking forward to see you at one (or both) of these events!