Sweets for My Sweet!
I like to snack on candy now and then but Valentine's Day has always been
a great excuse for me to temporarily pig out. And until recently, I was lucky
to have never gained any weight from my mid-winter spree. In fact, for many
years I was the family's unabashed chocoholic. So understandably, avoiding
chocolate due to my IC isn't easy or pleasant. But at least with
chocolate I instantly recognize it and know what I'm letting myself in for....
a lot of bladder pain.
Artificial sweeteners though, are not like chocolate. They're sneaky. Unless you carefully read the label, they lurk unsuspected in
candies, ice creams, snacks, drinks and other treats. Aspartame is one of the bladder burning artificial sweeteners we encounter
the most.
Aspartame enables many people to enjoy sweet foods-- diabetics,
hypoglycemics, and people looking to shed a few pounds, for instance. But for
those of us with IC, aspartame is far from good news. It can increase our
urgency, frequency and bladder pain. Troubles with aspartame are not limited
to IC sufferers though. People with phenylketonuria shouldn't consume it.
(Their bodies can't properly deal with one of its breakdown products,
phenylalanine). And many migraine sufferers find that aspartame provokes their
headaches.
Aspartame is broken down in the digestive tract into other compounds, two
of
which are aspartic acid and phenylalanine. No one knows why IC patients have
trouble with aspartame, but these two breakdown products are likely suspects.
Phenylalanine is found in the protein of many foods. Some susceptible people
seem to be sensitive to increased amounts of it, regardless of the source. The
body can convert phenylalanine in food to tyrosine, which can in turn be
converted to tyramine (a substance that constricts blood vessels and affects
blood pressure, among other things). Many of the foods that people with IC or
migraines find troubling are high in tyrosine and/or tyramine-- foods like
red wine and cheddar cheese.
So if your Valentine's Day plans include sharing a few sweets with your
sweet, be sure the treats are the old-fashioned kind-- made with sugar. Some
candies that IC patients can often tolerate include: divinity, caramels,
licorice, taffy, butterscotch drops, carob candies, nougats, some mint
gumdrops, horehound drops, and peppermint sticks. And speaking of sweet treats
(the non-chocolate kind) here is a recipe for one quick-to make delicious
homemade candy.
Easy Butterscotch Fudge
makes about 3 lbs. candy (108 pieces); preparation time, 20 minutes
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk (NOT condensed milk)
3 cups sugar
1 pkg (12 oz) Nestle's butterscotch morsels
1 jar (7 oz to 8 oz.) Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped almonds (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
candy thermometer
Lightly grease a 12 x 9-inch cake pan or a casserole dish. Mix margarine,
milk, and sugar together in a large (2 or 3 quart) heavy saucepan. Stir
constantly while bringing the mixture to a full rolling boil over medium heat.
Continue boiling until candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees F., stirring
constantly to prevent scorching (this takes about 5 minutes). Remove from
heat.
Quickly stir in butterscotch morsels, creme, nuts and vanilla until all are mixed
in well.
(Butterscotch morsels will be melted and evenly distributed throughout). Pour
into prepared pan. Set aside to cool at room temperature. When cooled,
carefully cut into 1-inch squares. (Candy will be relatively soft).
Note: If you live at an altitude of 1000 above sea level or more, decrease
the
temperature on candy thermometer 2 degrees for every 1000 feet above sea
level. If the butterscotch morsels provoke your bladder, there are many other variations of this recipe to try!
Variations: There are so many fun variations on this recipe that you'll be
tempted to try them all. Here are a few.
Butterscotch-carob marbled fudge: Make butterscotch fudge as above, but
omit
almonds and substitute 1 cup of carob morsels, stirred in quickly after adding
the
butterscotch morsels.
Basic vanilla fudge: Prepare recipe as above, but use Ghiradelli's white
baking
chips instead of butterscotch (these contain a little cocoa butter, but taste
like
vanilla, not chocolate).
Orange-creme fudge: Substitute 2 tsp. orange extract for the vanilla, and
add 3 drops yellow food coloring and 2 drops red if desired. (You can also
stir in 2/3 cup of chopped orange slice gumdrop-style candies if they are low
enough in citric acid for your bladder).
Vanilla-Mint fudge: Make basic vanilla fudge but use 3/4 tsp. mint extract
and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. Add 5 drops of green food coloring, and omit the
almonds. Pour into pan to cool. Immediately sprinkle top of fudge with 2/3
cup of finely cut up mint gumdrops. Cut when cool.
Any of these candy squares can be decorated with white or colored icing
(powdered sugar mixed with egg white), using a pastry tube and a fine writing
tip.
For Valentine's day, draw hearts... or write words on each piece to spell out
a message.
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This article originally published Feb 1999, revised and updated by the author Jan 2004.
The Interstitial Cystitis Network
http://www.ic-network.com
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1999
