Berry Chia Jam

Maple syrup > table sugar. Honey > maple syrup. Agave > honey. You’ve probably heard this if you’ve perused over any social media outlet. While certain sugars, i.e. honey, maple syrup, agave, claim to be better for you than table sugar, the truth is they are NOT. Sugar is sugar! Honey does have a few more antioxidants and trace minerals than table sugar, unfortunately it’s minor in comparison to the quantity you’d need to consume to claim said benefit. People need to consume less added sugar in their day. Enter this Berry Chia Jam!

A Little Science

Your body breaks food down into glucose to use for fuel. The more complex a food, the more work it takes to break it down. Sugar is made of 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, and is broken down very easily, leading to a surge of sugar in your bloodstream. What your body doesn’t use right away gets stored as fat. Whereas honey is only about 30 percent glucose and less than 40 percent fructose, many believe it to be a better alternative. Your body expends more energy to break it all down to glucose. Therefore, you end up accumulating fewer calories from it. Therefore it might be the logical assumption to make and say that “honey is better for you than table sugar” by a slight margin. However, added sugar is added sugar.

How Much Added Sugar

Even though there are small variations in how our body metabolizes the sugars, the overall goal is less added sugar. Even if brownies are made with maple syrup and not sugar, food bloggers across social media will try to make you believe they are ‘healthier’. However, don’t be fooled into thinking a brownie is healthy because it has honey and not table sugar. Sugar is sugar.

The Bitter Truth

With over 50 different names for sugar, it’s often easy to get duped when buying products at the grocery store. Manufacturers now have to list the added sugars on the label. Where we previously weren’t able to tell exactly how much added sugar there was in a product, this allows for us to make better informed choices at the grocery store. Find out where your added sugar is at and aim to start cutting back.

Added Sugar – Sources

The American Heart Association has a great visual to show all the places that sugar is lurking. Identify your sources and start cutting back. The recommendation is 6 teaspoons (24 grams) per day for women and children and 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men. Even though that might seem like a lot, it’s important to create awareness of how much you’re taking in.

• Sugary Drinks – If you’re drinking sugary drinks, find out how many you’re having (to get the total sum of added sugar you’re consuming) and begin to cut back little by little. Any amount that you’re able to cut back on will make a difference. Important to note that juice is listed in this category. Even though juice comes from a fruit and is actually ‘natural’ it is included in the added sugar category as there is no fiber. Eat the fruit to gain the benefits from the fiber.
• Sweetened Breakfast – Start by examining your breakfast. Flavored oatmeal, yogurt, and granola are all sources of added sugar. Make plain oatmeal, add this berry chia jam in and now you’re starting the morning with no added sugar.
• Syrups and Sweets – Examine products you purchase to see how much sugar they’re adding in and it might just surprise you. Bread, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, and other items have added sugar. Create this awareness and look to switch out one product for another when possible.
• Frozen Treats – Dessert is meant to be enjoyed. However, be mindful of not only the frequency in which you’re consuming desserts but also the portions.
• Sweet Baked Goods – Dessert is dessert. Many times it boils down to not only the frequency of these items but also the portions.

There are two forms of natural sugar, milk sugar, lactose, and fructose, found in fruit. While there could be a whole blog post about fruit and not fearing fruit, I’m simply mentioning it here to distinguish and know that fruit doesn’t count towards your added sugar intake/day. We are simply talking added sugar here and fruit is not added, but rather natural.

Ingredients: Berry Chia Jam

• Berries – Fresh or frozen work here. That’s the beauty of this recipe. Use the fresh berries when they’re in season and just frozen when they’re not. Truthfully you can use whatever fruit you like the most. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries are some of my favorites.
• Chia Seeds – Since this is a quick version of jam/jelly, the chia seeds are what help to make the fruit get viscous. Added bonus that the chia seeds are providing omega-3 fatty acids and fiber!
• Lemon Juice – for some fruits the little bit of lemon juice added in helps to offset their sweetness. You can definitely leave it out if you don’t have it on hand.
• Sweetener – Adding 1 tablespoon of sweetener for the 2 cups of fruit provides just 1/4 teaspoon of added sugar for a tablespoon of jam. To put that in perspective, most jams/jellies on the market have almost a full tablespoon of added sugar/tablespoon. Depending on the sweetness of your fruit is how I would decide to add or not to add. Taste it fruit and you can always add some after.

How To Make: Berry Chia Jam

1. Heat the fruit in a small saucepan over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is heated through and begins to break down and bubble.  Use a spoon or potato masher to mash the fruit to your desired consistency.  
2. Stir in the chia seeds and lemon juice until combined.  Then taste, and stir in 1 tablespoon maple syrup if needed – most berries are sweet enough no added sugar is needed.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.  The jam will thicken considerably as it cools.
4. Give the jam one one final good stir.  Then serve immediately or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.

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