Hi! Thank you for stopping by Flip Cookbook - two friends' attempt to simplify healthy cooking. Here you'll find recipes broken into simple steps EACH with a picture. We focus on SCD, gluten-free, sugar-free, vegetarian and vegan recipes - all tested in our home kitchen. 
Sugar Free Sunday & Evaporated Cane Juice
Welcome to one of the sweetest weekly virtual potluck get-together ever! Yes indeed — it is Sugar Free Sunday! We host it every Sunday to exchange incredible sugar free recipes. Inspiration to start the week right? You bet!
As we Americans continue to demand healthier alternatives in packaged foods, the food industry is rapidly changing the ingredients lists to match. One change that I’ve noticed in a lot of packaged goods such as drinks, cookies, jams, breads is the replacement of high fructose corn syrup and sugar with “evaporated cane juice”. The word “juice” certainly sounds a lot healthier than “sugar” and “syrup” but how different is it really?
So what is evaporated cane juice? Evaporated cane juice is a generic catch all name for sweeteners such as Milled Cane, Demerara, Muscovado and Jaggery. Both refined sugar and evaporated cane juice are made primarily from sugar cane. The only difference is that evaporated cane juice doesn’t go through as much chemical processing as refined sugar. In fact the history of sugar essentially is that we used honey and then discovered evaporated cane juice and then proceeded to refine it to create what is now the common table sugar. According to many sources because evaporated cane juice is not refined, it retains more nutrients found in sugar cane.
Each type of evaporated cane juice has it’s own properties and nutritional breakdown but here is a basic version I found:
Source WH Foods
And here is the vitamin breakdown of refined sugar:
Source Nutritional Data
As you can see, evaporated cane juice has more Riboflavin than sugar which has basically none. Other than that, the two look fairly similar nutritionally. So yes, it does seem that evaporated cane juice is a “better” alternative to refined sugar. However if you really are looking for a good source of Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) may I suggest a handful of almonds instead? Definitely a lot more nutrients in almonds than evaporated cane sugar.
So what do you think? Are we moving forward in our march towards a healthier society with evaporated cane juice? Or are we merely participating in a placebo test of words and marketing material?
How do you participate in the virtual potluck?
- Link your recipe post (NOT your homepage) if it does not use refined sugar. Your blog does not have to be entirely sugar free, just the dish you’re sharing!
- Please link back to this get-together somewhere in your post’s text. It’s a great way to invite your readers to the fun!
- Want to make something sweet without using refined sugar? Just check out all the ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without refined sugar here.
- Your link doesn’t have to be to a sweet dish! We love to see your sugar free appetizers, entrees, soups, snacks — well — you get the idea!
- Please don’t link to carnivals or giveaways. This is a party; bring a dish to share!
- In the ‘Name’ field, please enter who you are and what you’re linking. For example Sonia would put: Bean Kale Pasta Soup [Sonia @ Flip Cookbook]
- It’s not a party if no one chats! Please join the conversation by leaving a message in the comments section below. Also make sure you have the ‘Notify Me’ checkbox selected so that you can listen as well!
- Sign up for free to our new venture Velvet Aroma. It’s a visual way to read the blogs you love and really bring their recipes into your kitchen.
We’re so excited to see what you’re cooking….. Sugar Free!
Click on the ‘Add your link’ button below to share.
What I like about your site is the abundance of savoury recipes! I really look forward to reading your posts! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing yours too Vicky! This week seems to be off to a delicious savory start.
Such wonderful savory recipes to try! I decided to join in and add a savory soup this week
And what a lovely soup it is. I’m looking forward to trying these too. Don’t have to think too much this week about what to make for dinner!
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HiSonia,
I shared a video on making homemade almond flour and two articles I hope you enjoy!
Thanks Jill! I especially love your article on the link between low carb diet and reduction in cancer risk. Did you see this article I shared on Flip Cookbook’s facebook page? It’s about a study done in Britain about how starving patients helped “cure” their Type 2 diabetes. Basically this forced their bodies to burn up fat allowing their organs to start regulating the insulin levels.
https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fhealth%2Fboostershots%2Fla-heb-diabetes-extreme-diet-06252011%2C0%2C7790769.story&h=ac520
Hi Sonia,
I’m so glad you liked the article. Thanks for the link! I will read it!
[...] post is linked up to Sugar Free Sundays, where you’ll find a collection of recipes without refined [...]
What a great site you two have. I wish I would have seen the party yesterday. Some great recipes on here. I will be sure to join in next Sunday, till then I’m going to be experimenting on the perfect recipe. Can’t wait to share!
Thanks Tammy! There definitely are some great recipes shared here. You can still share your recipe this week — we leave the potluck open till Wed each week. Looking forward to seeing it!
That is my take on evaporated cane juice as well – I know 3 years ago I thought it was superior to sugar until I read up on it, and then was just disappointed. I avoid cane sugar as much as possible, which is easier to do now that I avoid anything processed, but it still makes me sad manufacturers are going that route. I know agave and brown rice syrup have their issues, but if I am going to buy a processed product, I would prefer it has those sweeteners rather than evaporated cane juice.
I am submitting a smoothie sweetened with fruit and stevia that is very scrumptious.
Someday I hope to have the courage and conviction to go completely sweetenerfree.. but like you at this point I avoid refined sugar, corn syrup and evaporated cane juice..and pretty much everything except honey and recently stevia. I am concerned that a lot of people don’t realize that the difference between refined sugar and evaporated cane juice is not much… except for the price of course.
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