… When There’s Just No Substitute for Real Sugar.
I’m trying really hard to cut back my sugar intake, especially refined sugar. But I have to be honest with you, the saying, “Old habits die hard” really rings true here. I’m trying to not eat as many sweets, and when I make sweets I try to use fruit puree, agave, or honey when applicable. But sometimes sugar is just needed, right? When that’s the case, I make the best of a good thing.
I’ve started using a new sugar, Morena® Pure Cane Sugar by Zulka®. It really adds a delicious flavor beyond granulated white sugar, kind of a caramel-like subtle sweetness that is not pronounced, but seems to give more richness and depth to the sweetness than plain white sugar, but not to the extent of brown sugar. I’ve been using it for about six months now and I don’t think I’m ever going back to plain white sugar. And while this sugar feels more like a sugar that should be in the “foodie” category, I found it at Wal-Mart for pennies more than your standard C&H sugar.
One of my taste-testers with the most honed-in palate (he knows when I’ve changed anything in a recipe) keeps asking what I’ve done differently in my sugar-containing recipes. He says, “This is really good … better than normal, but what did you change. I can’t tell.” He usually figures changes out right away; I think I’ll keep him guessing on this one a bit longer.
Zulka® states, “Morena® is an all natural, unrefined and NON-GMO pure cane sugar that is made by squeezing and evaporating the juice from freshly harvested sugar. The result is a golden sweet crystal that tastes like biting into fresh sugar cane.” I wish I’d tasted sugar cane so I could corroborate this claim. Each sweet teaspoon has 4g Total Carbohydrates and 16 calories, quite comparable to standard white table sugar. Again, I’m not saying sugar is an ingredient I want to promote as being healthful, but when you’re going to use it, at least let’s make it taste the best it can. What I love is that it substitutes perfectly cup for cup in any recipe. I really like not having to do conversions, don’t you agree? We do enough of that in gluten-free, dairy-free recipes, right?
If you’re buying sugar on your next grocery trip, perhaps give Zulka Morena® a try. Your coffee and baked goodies (and tastebuds) might thank you. Note: This is NOT a sponsored product review. Just something I wanted to share.
Safe food is a journey … Thrive!™
12 Comments
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I’ve been experiencing bumpy like (hives) itchy skin.
They start out very very small that you just want to scratch but, as the day or in between even night well heck when ever it happens you start to feel itchy so you scratch it and it starts to get Bigger and itcher it just drives one mad.
I thought if you would know if using Zulka pure cane sugar would the culprit.
Hi Leticia,
Thanks for the question! I wish I could give you a definitive answer one way or the other on whether Zulka might be causing this skin irritation for you. Sounds uncomfortable, to say the least. The best advice I can give (and perhaps you’ve already thought of this) is to eliminate Zulka from your diet for a couple of weeks to see if things clear up. Then perhaps try it again, in a very small portion or only once, to see if you experience another reaction. That will be your best approach. We are constantly doing this with various foods, skin care products, fragrances (most recently a scented candle) to pinpoint the irritant. I wish you well and hope that giving this a try will find some relief for you. If not, then give a thought to if other items have been introduced into your home or diet that could be “investigated”.
Is it vegan? Animal bones used in processing?
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the great question! Here is what I found right on the Zulka Sugar FAQs … “Some sugars go through a refining process which uses bone char to make it more white. We’re proud to say that Zulka is never refined and does not use animal products in any part of production.” Hope this helps!
Is the powdered sugar gluten free ?
Thanks so much for visiting Daily Forage and for your question. I have contacted Zulka Co. directly and they confirmed that all of their sugars, even the powdered sugar, are gluten-free. They also state the following on their website (for those who are vegan),”
Some sugars go through a refining process which uses bone char to make it more white. We’re proud to say that Zulka is never refined and does not use animal products in any part of production.” Happy Baking!
I have used Zulka sugar for 4 weeks and I feel
a lot better never tight or too full. no other side affects noted. just tastes a lot better and I feel good. My coffee tastes great.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with Zulka. I don’t use a lot of sugar, but this sure tastes delicious when I do. Glad to hear you’re feeling good with it!
my husband is borderline diabetic which means he needs to watch his carb intake .I have been using the morena sugar for about 3 years to make cakes cookies pies you name it and it doesn’t elevste his blood sugar. We love it
Hi Janet! That is fabulous to hear. I honestly didn’t know that this sugar would not elevate blood sugar as regular white sugar would. Thank you so much for sharing! I love learning new information and letting other followers benefit. Have you ever tried coconut sugar? I know it has a low-glycemic impact as well. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to share. Here’s to wellness!
How do they evaporate the cane juice.
I honestly don’t know how this process of evaporating the cane sugar occurs. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your questions. Sorry I’m not more help with the answer. Connie 🙂