My Style French Toast is...Lots! And Loaded with Fruit.

There are umpteen ways of making French toast, and it seems to be accepted that all of them are delicious, sugary, enjoyment for breakfasts!  But do remember, French toast does not have to remain imprisoned by morning light - its syrupy savor with lots of melted butter and fruity topping is just as tasty for a luncheon snack. (Or at midnight, and I won't tell either.)

There arises a distinct problem with those of us who have a problem with sugar -hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, diabetes I or II, other health factors, and how do we then enjoy this imminent delight? Do we eat and crash? Decline. Decline? Deny and die-for-it-still?

Oh, the travesty of doing without while sitting at a table watching those hearty souls who engulf mountains of frenched toast with worlds of toppings and oceans of syrup. They ingest their glorious plates of gooy lush without a care, totally ignorant of our dark muttering against their gluttoneous absorption. Someday...ah, and perhaps someday is here!

The high glycemic foods such as breads, syrups, jams, may be such a distress by themselves as individual members (sugars) of desired taste, but when eaten all at one huge gloppy meal the eatee may be devasted when the blood sugar spikes to the moon!  And with the resultant fall (that's when it really hurts too) the mood, bodily organ price gets visibly paid. 

 It might be noted here that sorbitol, a 'natural'  additive to sweeten foods, is highly taken up in the eyes and that is one reason your vision may be blurry for a time after you have eaten a large amount of it with the sugar intake.  In a diabetic person epecially, the sorbitol lingers for a longer time and affects the vision activity more than in a non-diabetic person. 

Is it really worth it to invest in an occasional gourmet delight such as French toast - no matter how you prefer to make it?  Maybe. There might be an educated choice here to help decide.

^{_{(Note: Severe diabetics may not be able to accomplish this, so follow your known medications with the advice of your personal physician. You possibly should not attempt eating like this. Those of you fighting cancer also should not ingest sugars as cancer cells require more sugar than regular cells and you do not want to assist them in any way.)}}

If you have been eating in a reasonably healthy manner or if you require 'fast sugars' for heavy duty physical activity at work or play, you body can better handle the magnificient ingestion of sugars with a grandiose adorned plate of French toast.  If you find it necessary to limit the amount of high carbohydrate you eat, the following may be something you would like to try before you prepare that coveted pile of French toast. 

The first option is to take a product that limits carbohydrate digestion, such as Phazyme. These work to neutralize an enzyme that digests carbohoydrate foods and allows some of the carbohydrate to be passed out of the body undigested. There are currently several of these type products on the market: Many different brand name products.

The second option is to take a product that assists the insulin production which is necessary for blood sugar controls. In diabetic II persons and in insulin resistant persons the body needs more and more insulin production requirements, yet cannot efficiently utilize that insulin for healthy blood sugar control. Thus, some diabetics must take prescribed injections or pills to assist this activity by the pancreas/adrenal system. (Again, a person with significant known high blood sugar problems might not attempt this even with added product help.)

Regretfully, these prescribed medicines do not suggest an increased sugar intake, which in itself suggestion is correct. But...that French toast still calls...still suggestively floats in your dreams and wafts its way to your scent buds.

So, if you have decided to eat up what you want, and this time when you want, even though you are not diabetic or hypoglycemic you might consider the option of taking a natural product that will do the same blood-leveling action. And remember I mean only once in a great while not as a consistent act to justify eating an unhealthy breakfast, i.e. loaded with sugars.

The American Indians used Nopal cactus in their substistive diet as a food. Whether or not their knowledge of its sugar leveling properties was known, it is a mild blood sugar leveling plant as known today. Many eat the cactus pickled or grilled and is also used as an Hispanic treat. It is available intermittently as a capsule also.

A type of wild gourd, Momordica chiantria, was also used for these blood sugar leveling properties particularly in the Philipines and India, and has been used in diabetes treatment there for several hundred years. This product has had a few clinical trials in the USA but these have not been publicized as to results, which were deemed positive. It is commonly called bitter melon and is somewhat available as a nutritional supplement.

The herbal product I am most familiar with is the Lagerstroemia speciosa, commonly called Banaba. It is a semi-tropical crepe myrtle, also used for hundreds of years to treat diabetes with its leaves, growing naturally in India, China, Malaysia, Australia, the Philipines and other Asian countries where it is native. This product has had a few research trials in the USA but again not publized as to results, except as passed by personal information and some limited educational materials. It is also a delicious tea, but difficult to find.

More recently, the use of cinnamon has been shown to mildly reduce the incident rise of blood sugar. That along with it's delightful spicy value, is why I load up my French toast with it.

And why 'eat the parsley'? It is one of our higher foods containing glutathione which is a major anti-oxidant throughout the body, a valuable nutritionally active substance.

The initial title said 'Lots and Loaded". Right on, that is what i like in French Toast. Spoon on every kind of fresh or juice canned fruit you have!

So my basic recipe is this: Whole grain bread; natural eggs; a small swish of milk; a dash of sea salt; big sprinkles of cinnamon; perhaps a dash of vanilla, or orange extract. Whisk the liquids and seasonings together for a few seconds - smiling - and then soak the bread on each side to absorb as much as you wish of the liquid. Lift into medium hot olive oil seasoned skillet and cover with a lid for a minute or so. Then turn over and brown to your liking. Remove to plate and immediately add real butter.

Add on a little molasses (for the iron) or real maple syrup, then load up with whatever kinds of fruit you have available; you can sprinkle with more cinnamon (just a little here) and enjoy! Oh, yes. I just took my Banaba and Momordica too. I skipped the cream cheese today, but it sometimes goes on with the butter. And I'm almost out of blueberries, so I finished the whole bag! If my granddaughter was here, she would get to spurt on the whipped cream! And we'd both enjoy our delicious concoction, homemade, handcrafted, yummy French Toast! We think Martha Stewart could do no better!

I hope you enjoyed the journey to my French Toast!