Great question from one of our delivery regulars about sweeteners:
"Where do you stand on Agave syrup? It’s in a lot of “healthy” recipes, but I’ve read some bad stuff about it being as bad as any simple syrup because of the way it’s processed."
Ah yes agave, we don't use it in the kitchen only because it's hard to find good quality agave at a reasonable price. When using it at home I buy from Upaya Naturals. Rumour has it some of the big name brands are cutting agave and/or overheating it which defeats the purpose as it kills any living enzymes and nutrients. Even if the packaging says raw that's not always the case. My sweeteners of choice in liquid form are local unpasteurized honey (not vegan), Canadian maple syrup, coconut nectar (raw) and in powder form xylitol or coconut sugar (raw). And stevia is always on hand. Have a sweet week! P.s. Same two people in that picture, 5 years apart. So much love for that little sweetie!

Dr Cousens Tree of Life This weekend Upaya Naturals is hosting Dr Gabriel Cousens in Toronto. I'm so excited, I studied from his text Conscious Eating in Bali and toured his healing centre, The Tree of Life, in Patagonia, Arizona. But I haven't seen him in person, so I'm big time looking forward to this. The event is being held at the OISE U of T building on Bloor and St George, it runs Friday and Saturday night and most of Sunday. You can buy a pass for the weekend intensive or just pop by for one day. If you're going let me know! Looking forward to updating you all next week.

www.dreamstime.com So ever heard of Xylitol?  It is a natural, non-fermentable sweetener derived from hardwood with the craziest name ever.  It sounds more to me like a planet from another galaxy but clearly I wasn't asked for my input when the stuff was being named. Re-discovered in Finland back in WW2 during a sugar shortage, this sugar alternative comes with a history of controversy too. But let's start with the good. It's pretty awesome stuff. It neutralises the pH balance in your mouth so reduces plaque and can help prevent oral disease. It taste like sugar and is used spoon for spoon like sugar but is a 7 on the Glycemic Index where white sugar is a 68. It is naturally occurring in many of the fruits and vegetables we eat on a daily basis, and it naturally stabilizes insulin, so doesn’t cause spikes in blood sugar which is very helpful for diabetics. The ugly? As with all goods things, there is always someone that wants to profit from it.  Some are mass producing it by using corn, which ain't that great for you and the sad part is the packaging doesn't say anything, so please, please make sure you buy your Xylitol from a reputable supplier. Try Upaya, they're awesome and they deliver! p.s. It's also a no-no for the little furry guys in your household, so keep it for human consumption only please.