Daily Health Tip | Big Bad Sugar Monster

Fortunately, I am not one that has that sweet tooth that so many people claim to have. Although I understand it to be a big and bad monster -my biggest danger was always indulging in whole bags of potato chips (salt and low seratonin - but that's another blog). As for the the sweet palate, it is real and must be catered to, however white, processed sugar might as well be a deadly drug injected into your blood stream once consumed. If the amount of sugar that is in one 12 oz. can of a regular pop was injected into the bloodstream, profuse vomiting would occur-- to the extreme, and possibly death could occur. DEATH!! SAY WHAT? Please do not think - well, I will just have diet soda, because that is a entire different death certificate. I used to drink a Diet Coke everyday at 3:00 p.m. when I worked full time in a law firm. During Vata time of day (2 p.m. - 6 p.m.), I would crash from coffee, sugar and caffeine from the morning and whatever I had eaten at lunch. I would reach for the DC and survive like a lab rat chasing it's tail until the 5 o'clock hour. There is no one that loves it more than I do! But this is not an option. However, sugar can be substituted for several different items these days in baking, casseroles, sauté's and coffee. The impostors are hardly noticeable and have positive effects on the body. Some, I dare say, taste much better! Here are a few natural sweeteners to use in place of white sugar: 
COCONUT sugar (my fav!),
BLUE AGAVE nectar (runs a close second!), 
BROWN RICE syrup for granolas and baking, 
if you absolute must, RAW organic cane sugar,
A lesser known fact about HONEY is that in Ayurveda it is considered toxic once honey reaches a certain level of temperature. Therefore - I will not recommend it for cooking or baking, but may be used in coffee and tea.