Who'da thought! Not me :)
The posts are filling up my brain but not on the computer, which means I need to get going if the info. rattling around in my brain is not to get lost! I've not forgotten about Green Tea Part 2 or my China Black tea / tasting with my 6 year old..but~
Right now I'm just going to do a little house keeping on something I mentioned in a previous post, giving a little more background to it..
GERMAN ROCK SUGAR!
GRS is an unrefined sugar found naturally in a particular beet found among the Germanic Nations. There were a number of reasons I backed off of this in a previous post, first being I couldn't find the source in Teavana (which sells German Rock Sugar) I remembered reading either on their site or a brochure which told me GRS is taken from a root.
As I often have difficulty "Thinking No Evil" (I thought they must have lied!), my face broke out while I was using the GRS (as it often does around Christmas/Valentines day when I have my share of refined sugar, and someone I believe to be in the know about tea, questioned my bringing up GRS. These things converged, and I wrongfully judged German Rock Sugar no better than sugar in the raw, if only it were that good, even!
NOW, however, I've spoken with two individuals who helped me understand, not only what German Rock Sugar really is, but also why my face was breaking out! I also understand why Teavana took the specific information off their website (that I saw anyway). I mean, really, sight unseen, would you want a sugar substance that comes from a root...much less a BEET??
Well, recently, I was explaining to a friend about the GRS and it's ability to sweeten tea without changing the taste of the tea (which is really quite remarkable). I also mentioned some of the things I mentioned to you above. She said she knew of it and had actually stayed at a German Rock Sugar plantation in Austria where the beets were processed.
She saw one of the beets fall out of a transport truck and had her husband get it for her so that she could see it! She said she'd unearth a picture for us when she could...but I am satisfied as I remembered her telling me about it a few years before, but other than a nice story...it had no relevance to hold onto my mind...so I didn't remember until she told it again. Poof, it all makes sense now!
Secondly, I met such a neat "tea" lady today. Her name is Donna and she is the proprietor of the coolest store called Native Grace, in downtown Roanoke, on Market Street! I will post specifically about her shop and some of the teas I found and bought from their extensive stock in a near future post ~SO looking forward to sharing!~ but keeping on the subject at hand, Donna does a LOT with BEETS in her diet etc, and she is familiar with GRS from Teavana.
I happened to mention my skin reaction to the GRS and she said it made sense that I broke out while using the sugar. Beets are chocked full of antioxidants, very powerful. Which is why a lot of cancer diets have so many juicing recipes centered around beets.
That said, unless you have going for a full fledged knock-the-toxins-out-of-your-body diet...it really does no good to bombard your system with beets. You need to build up to having them in your diet...and if you NEVER eat beets~ which I don't~ then you're going to have a reaction~ which I did.
I have not and will not drink my Earl Grey Creme without some GRS. It's a MUST to keep the subtle flavors of the tea alive. But other than that, I've been finding other means of sweetening my teas...or just trying to go without sugar, because the flavors are so full and rich!
Perhaps, I'll work up to more German Rock Sugar, perhaps not, but as least now I KNOW the deal, and so do you!
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I've never heard of german rock sugar, or any other beet sugar, affecting someone's complexion. About half of the refined sugar in the US is actually from beets, not sugar canes, because beet sugar is cheaper to produce.
ReplyDeleteWhat would the ratio of GRS vs. Refined Sugar be? How much GRS would equal a teaspoon/tablespoon of RS? I just started using GRS and was curious!
ReplyDeleteGood to know, Taco! I know when I use the specific German Rock Sugar...my face breaks out...when I don't...it doesn't. That's all I can attest to :)
ReplyDeleteMayay...I don't know. Thinking way back on what I read, I believe I read it's ratio is the same...a tsp on rock is same as tsp on refined sugar...Taste wise, I've found it to be the same.
Thank you for your comments. The health issues we've been dealing with are over (Thank the Lord!) and look forward to many more tea time sips with you!!!. Peace and Blessings~Alicha
Lol GRS since it comes from a very and is unrefined, it contains a bunch of vitamins and minerals, thus it helps detoxify your system, if you eat food with fat and toxic things (even slightly toxic like high fructose) the GRS+ herbal teas will make your body try to get rid of the toxic stuff any way it can, making ur liver and kidneys work better or threw the largest organ in or should I say on your body, being your skin. If you eat healthy and drink teas/water over high fructose (witch includes gatorade and most bottled teas) you won't brake out and it will make you feel a million times better and if you tend to get upset easily or have mood swings or depression diet can have a bunch to deal with that.
ReplyDeleteGreat info, Adlisies! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteWait, what? High Fructose is a toxin that sugar removes? Every sucrose molecule is composed of one fructose and one glucose molecule. Sucrose converts to those by the addition of water. So adding GRS or any other form of sucrose, by hydrolysis, adds fructose in equal measure.
ReplyDeleteShe's probably speaking of high fructose corn syrup which is made from corn that's either gmo or saturated with pesticides and it isn't the "sugar" component of GRS the does the detoxing, it's the vitamins minerals and antioxidants that do that. Remember that since GRS is unrefined, it's a whole food with lots of other components whereas refined sugar is not a food but an isolated chemical. Same as the difference between an orange and ascorbic acid powder.
ReplyDeleteExactly so Chris Lewis!!! Thank you for your concise explanation! It is so helpful! I must confess, I've been a bit lost with a couple of the previous comments! Thank you for coming to all of our rescue!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post, Alicha. I just heard of GRS today for the first time and I was wondering if it was a gimmick, or worth the price. In googling this for a while, this is the first truly informative post I've found. Thanks again and have a great day! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Sonia! So glad this post helped! ~Alicha
DeleteBest definition of GRS I've seen on the web! It explains why when I indulge in it with my favorite tea--Mariage. feres French Breakfast--I have a little more energy vs plain cane sugar. Anyway, that's how it is with me.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sophie! Glad it helped!
DeleteThank you for the information on GRS. I thought it was simply an unrefined cane sugar.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad this post helped! Happy sipping! ~Alicha
ReplyDeleteI gave my thirteen month old oatmeal with a tablespoon of GRS mixed with lactose free milk. I thought it was too sweet by I ate it anyways and gave some to her. Minutes later her stomach broke out, no other reactions just small red dots. Would it be a GRS side effect?
ReplyDelete