SweetChoice

We are now sweetening most of our truffles with coconut sugar, some with dates, and a few with raw blue agave. As a health coach, I’d like to explain why we chose these sweeteners, specifically, and not others.

When I first began making chocolate in 2006, it was as a gift for clients in my health counseling program. There were NO other chocolates on the market here in New York City that did not either use cane sugar or a chemical alternative! This, and the abilitiy to infuse chocolate with medicinal herbs so that my clients never forgot to take their supplements, is why I began making chocolate with the only raw and low-glycemic sweetener available at the time: agave nectar. I personally went to Jalisco, Mexico to understand how true blue raw agave nectar is processed (see our AGAVE REPORT) and still use it in a limited number of truffles. But we are now using Coconut Sugar as our primary sweetener in most truffles, and dates in our Pecan Pie and Apple Pie recipes.

Maple sugar is not low glycemic, neither is honey (and it’s not vegan, either), and heavily processed erythritol and xylitol (both bi-products of the corn and lumber industry, respectively) were, and are, not truly recognized as food by our bodies.

Stevia and Lo Han Guo (now marketed as Monk Fruit) all impart a flavor which often overpowers the other ingredients so, while we use Stevia in some of our creations, we generally only recommend these for people who avoid all sugars including fruits and vegetables containing natural sugars (those with candida, etc). Interestingly, all zero glycemic index sweeteners do still have an effect on the body, which reacts to the sweetness regardless of whether there are any sugars present or not. But that’s getting pretty deep into the chemistry of things - a discussion for another time, perhaps. And most stevia and “monk fruit” companies are ACTUALLY selling you! Read more on stevia, and my suggested stevia source here

But back in 2006, Coconut sugar was not yet even a blip on the marketplace. It didn’t exist in the United States! As soon as Big Tree Farms launched it, we were the very first chocolate company to use this sweetener, and helped bring public awareness to it! I traveled to Indonesia myself to learn of its heritage and production - check out the video here! We use it in almost all our creations, and adore its caramel/maple flavor!

All our bars and elixirs have long been sweetened by coconut sugar, and now most of our truffles are as well!

Choosing a sweetener...

… is undeniably one of our most important dietary choices. Until recently, refined sugar, corn syrup, and chemical sweeteners were the only options to satisfy a sweet tooth in need.  Today’s surging rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity – all preventable epidemics – are the unfortunate result.

As consumption of sweeteners void of nutrition (often GMO and paired with chemicals and saturated fat), were found to be undermining our health, demand grew for alternative sweeteners. The wisdom of indigenous cultures has supplied healthy sweeteners to meet this demand – agave nectar, stevia, and more recently coconut sugar.

By examining the food habits, traditional preparations and medicines of ancient cultures, we have begun designing a healthier foodspace by incorporating their superfoods, functional foods, and medicinal herbs.

The new products routinely reaching shelves of health and gourmet food stores are widening consumers’ range of options. Though it is a a wonderful opportunity for all of us, it must also be supported by proper verification and consumer education to avoid misleading claims and false advertising.  

At Gnosis, we’ve assumed responsibility for keeping our customers informed of these advancements so they may choose wisely. It’s clear that people are increasingly aware that health is an investment made over a lifetime, and are willing to vote with their dollars for a more nutritious marketplace.

Coconut Sugar’s glycemic index is 35, Agave Nectar’s is 27, and Stevia’s is 0 – all far less than most foods (honey’s glycemic index is 55-60 and high fructose corn syrup’s is 62).  It’s also lower than that of almost every fruit, for example: grapes (47), oranges (42), and papayas (59).

COCONUT SUGAR
our primary sweetener!

This staple of Southeast Asian culinary heritage and herbal medicine has become the most requested sweetener in global health communities as a nutritious, sustainable, satisfying sweetener. The UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization called sugar the world’s “most sustainable sweetener.”

Coconut Sugar delivers a rich storehouse of nutrients: B vitamins and minerals, including phosphorous, potassium, protein, magnesium, and calcium.

Coconut Sugar has a glycemic index of 35 (compared to honey at 55 or cane sugar at 68), and a low fructose content.

This low sugar impact is very beneficial for anyone trying to watch their blood sugar - whether a Type I or Type II diabetic, managing weight gain, or just wanting to avoid the “highs and crashes” of sugars! 

WE USE COCONUT SUGAR IN ALL OUR BARS, TRAIL MIXES, ELIXIRS & TRUFFLES!

AGAVE NECTAR
where it all began…

Traditional Mexican medicine makes use of agave for antifungal, antibacterial, blood pressure lowering and anti-inflammatory purposes. Agave nectar is extracted from the blue agave plant, a succulent that that grows chiefly in Mexico.  The nectar is rich in calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins E, C, D, and E.

1.3 times as sweet as cane sugar, agave nectar imparts only its sweetness to the flavor profile of our chocolate – thus allowing us to highlight the flavor of the chocolate alone.  This is unlike Coconut Sugar and Stevia, which gift a unique flavor to our bars!

Vanessa visited our source of Agave in Jalisco, Mexico in 2010.

Please read her entire report of the agave making process, including a rebuttal to the “agave controversy” below.

WE USE AGAVE NECTAR IN SOME OF OUR SEASONAL TRUFFLES!

STEVIA LEAF
a little goes a long, sweet way!

Stevia has a 1,500 year history of medicinal use in South America, and at 28% growth rate since 2008, it is clearly in demand.

Stevia has no calories or carbohydrates, its glycemic index is 0 (!) and nutrients found in stevia leaves such as chromium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, zinc and niacin are known to help regulate blood sugar and blood pressure. 

We have added just a tiny pinch (leaves are 30-45 times as sweet as ordinary table sugar!) to sweeten our cacao without adding any additional glycemic load to your chocolate or waste to our majestic planet.

We have also created a stevia-sweetened bar: our Freedom Bar! This bar is also infused with functional herbs that assist in blood sugar stabilization and the metabolism of glucose.

WE USE STEVIA IN OUR FREEDOM BAR - OUR ZERO GLYCEMIC CHOCOLATE BAR!