I’d say this raw sweetener is perfect. And it’s nothing more than blended dates!
In addition to being raw, date paste is (has):
- a whole food
- has little affect on blood sugar levels. Fact: its glycemic index is lower than that of honey
- easy to make and store
- a long shelf life
- sweetness that is relatively neutral in flavor
- a very rich nutrient profile: excellent or good source of 11 minerals, over 20 amino acids, 6 vitamins, and more! (1)
- cheap to make
Ingredients:
- sun-dried dates
- filtered water
Stick to this ratio
10 medium dates : 1/5 cup of filtered water
To make your first batch of date paste, put 10 sun-dried dates and pour ⅕ cup of water in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Most commercially available dates are sun-dried, but double check with a manufacturer to be certain. Made in Nature, available in many grocery stores Parnoosh dates, those coming from the Middle East are all fine. If getting non-organic, avoid those coming from US.
You can store your date paste in a refrigerator for several days. In a freezer – forever.
Add it to smoothies, raw treats, or by the spoonful with tea.
Next time I’ll go through several other raw sweeteners. I’ll shortly discuss why you may want to cut back on some of them.
Main references:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4861/54256a7ecad036acdadafa365bebe4ff5c2d.pdf