Eats Shoots and Leaves

Susan Jane White Eats shoots & leaves

Susan Jane White has a very sweet deal

When I’m not too busy tie-dyeing my husband’s favourite socks, growing out my eyebrows or making cute little voodoo dollies, I’m making chocolate peanut butter fudge. Guaranteed to initiate a thunderstorm of happy hormones, this recipe may even help to vaccinate against bad moods. Yup. That’s a whole lot of promise for a little block of chocolate, you say? Maybe. But I can certify many a marriage is held together by dark chocolate (no names).

Plus, there’s not a grain of sugar in sight, which is basically akin to a knighthood in LA and Ranelagh.

Many kitchens have been surviving on industrial quantities of sugar as both hobby and fuel this season. I, for one, have been pogoing around the house after each baking fest like a muppet on acid. The odd sugar-bonk is fantastic, but the World Health Organisation warns us that anything over six teaspoons a day for an average adult spells trouble. It’s even less for children.

Excessive sugar is a nasty, two-faced friend; deliciously sweet and charming, yet behind our backs, it’s wreaking havoc. Jeesh. When we streamline sugar into our system, our blood sugar levels rise and our chest can feel like a propeller about to take off. This is a sugar spike. What follows is a sugar crash. Neither are very pleasurable, and can contribute to the development of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Not overnight, you understand: First we form habits, and then the habits form us.

Knowledge is power. As Mahatma Gandhi almost said, be the change you want to see in your house. I reckon if we can embody this sentiment during these challenging times, we won’t have to teach our children anything. We can just be.

How’s that for deliciousness?