I've been eating LCHF for a few years. Although I don't get sugar cravings I do really love Halva and would like to be able to eat it more often, rather than just for a special treat. For those who aren't familiar, it's a middle eastern sesame snack made predominantly from pulped sesame seeds. So would be LCHF naturally, except it always contains sugar or honey as the second ingredient, I think this adds to to texture and setting process as well as the taste... I'm not to bothered about Halva being really sweet, I prefer Halva taste-wise when it has lower levels of sugar but I think a little sweetness is necessary and I don't think the halva would be the right texture without the sugar/honey.
Can anyone recommend a good low carb/sugar halva that's not full of crap?
I'm a keen cook. I have looked at some recipes for Keto Halva but they all contain Erythritol - I'm sceptical as I think this is a sugar substitute/sweetner and I tend to always cook from real, whole ingredients. I'm not well informed at all about synthetic/processed "substitute" foods. I'm sure there is someone on this forum who has done all the research about Erythritol and the like? Any advise would be appreciated. Or can anyone think of a different ingredient I can replace the sugar with?
Thank-you
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Professor-Yaffle
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Honestly, if you've been doing this for a few years, the occasional dose of sugar probably isn't going to do you any harm as long as it doesn't turn into a slippery slope. Bu if you're at risk of going back to a mindset where every meal has to have a dessert, it's possible you're not eating proper meals that aren't filling you up, or not getting adequate dietary fat.
If it's more the sesame flavour you like, how about just making some hummus and keeping that in the fridge to snack on? It's not exactly low-carb, but it's probably a better choice than sweetened sesame paste.
No idea about Erythritol, I'm afraid. Hopefully someone else can chime in!
I don't think I'm ever at risk of thinking I could get away with eating dessert after every meal, I'd be the size of a house 😂. I do have occasional sugary treats - mostly halva or very high dark chocolate (i'm a bit of a food snob I'm afraid) but overall I'd much rather eat salty than sweet food and I feel quite satisfied without sugar or anything high carb.
I do like hummus but it won't quite compare to halva - there's something magic about the texture of halva that I really like, sort of a crystallised flakiness. Yes, it's also intense sesame flavour, nothing quite like it for me..... I have been using sesame oil quite a bit for vegetables but it just doesn't cut the mustard.
Halva is so close to being quite a useful dietary staple (in small amounts- I can't eat loads as it's really filling and a little cloying, like eating tahini from the jar) but I can't quite get there without finding a solution for the sugar/crystallisation problem....
I have been looking into Stevia recently. There are so many types available.... Do you have a particular Stevia you use?
I updated this thread recently (see below). In an amazing turn of events an actual Halva shop opened near my house. One pre-made halva I found in the shop claimed to be Stevia sweetened but then it actually turner out to be mostly Maltitol when I was able to obtain the actual ingredients 😭
If you aren't aware, stevia is extremely sweet. If it's pure, you will just add drops. So, it will add no texture at all. Truvia (stevia and erythritol) is probably a good choice.
I just made a ganache with erythritol. Not bad, but a little crunchy - which is what you want, I think.
A teaspoon of stevia equivalent to a cup of sugar, so a single serving is literally a couple of drops. If that little caused gastric distress, I think that would make it a poison. ☠
(which would be quite amusing for fans of Breaking Bad)
If you get stevia in granulated form, it will list a bulking agent which will account for nearly the entire contents.
So in my new local halva shop I guess they used a little Stevia so they could say it was Stevia sweetened (which is what they proclaimed in the shop and I presume related to the Steviol glycosides) and then a lot of Maltitol for texture. A bit cheeky to call it Stevia sweetened and not have the actual ingredients readily available. It also has palm oil. I had to email to get this;
I think it's a good option to make your own, I don't see it much in the shops in the UK, just in health food shops or Mediterranean or middle eastern speciality shops.
I have some fond childhood memories of eating halva. I also associate it with holidays because I tend to treat myself to Halva in Greece or Turkey.
If you get round to making it Happyman please let me know how it goes and what receipe you follow.
I must admit if I was settled on a lchf lifestyle and not at risk of a sugar binge which from what you've said your aren't (I am a reformed sugar addict and when I slip I can slip up badly ) I would just enjoy my Halva as a rare treat.I don't know anything about Erythritol because I am wary of cooking things that taste sweet because a sweet taste can be a slippery slope for me, but why not just experiment with it?
I agree ,I tend to believe in eating the least ultra-processed version of things, if it has to be created in a factory is it really safe and good for us? This is the ideal though, I don't always live up to it Presumably you aren't going to eat buckets loads of it anyway so maybe it wouldn't really present a huge safety/health issue.
Or maybe you could experiment to see how much you could get away with reducing the honey/sugar content and let us know
Also, I think you and AwfulToad are right that it's ok to just eat regular Halva on an irregular basis ..... but my dream is a world where I can eat Halva more often 💭 as the main ingredient is very nutritious and really agrees with me.
Best wishes with your continued efforts to change your diet sounds like your making good progress already. Thanks for your thoughts on my Halva conundrum.
I think some of them are very sugary and some less so.... My current Halva which is a 500g tin (in the picture) I have had since Christmas, is a very sugary one! 47g carb 38g of which is sugars per 100g. You can buy lower sugar pre-made ones though. The one was a gift from someone who knows I'm a tin enthusiaste. 😊
If I make some I think I can get away with a much lower sugar content.
It is super sugary but you have had it since Christmas, so if you can eat a 100 g portion over three months 47g of carbs seems fair to me The tin is adorable by the way
Let us know how the home made lower sugar attempts turn out.....
Yep, It's a classic Greek one. In Greece they always seem quite liberal with sugar to me. I'm going to plant something in the tin when I've got through the Halva. 🌱
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol/polyol. It's regarded as a natural sweetener as it occurs in nature in small amounts and it's produced by growing it using bacteria, rather than chemical reactions in a laboratory. It's regarded as the best if the sugar alcohols, producing no insulin or blood glucose rise. It's also the least likely to cause gastric distress (I could use sorbitol for colonoscopy prep 🤭). It tastes quite pleasant but has a cooling effect on the tongue. I wouldn't mistake it for sugar. One of the "faults" is that it can recrystallise as it cools, but that may be useful in making halva.
It's readily available in crystalline form in UK supermarkets, either pure or with stevia (eg Truvia). The powder version could be made with a coffee grinder, or purchased online.
I bought a packet, tasted it and thought it was *fine*. I haven't actually used it yet.
Lovely halva related memories Happyman. It's not considered a classic "comfort food" in UK culture but I do find it very comforting.Well I have never tried to make halva but I'm encouraged that you have an it's relatively easy so I'll definitely give it a go. 😊
Thank-you for this very informed and useful response Subtle Badger. I feel a bit like we are talking about illicit drugs 😂 rather than sugar substitutes.
I think the crystallisation might be useful yes. I'm now very intrigued and might try some.
I just saw your Holy Basil cooking. Tulsi is my favourite tea! Maybe you can grow your own in Thailand? Blimey, maybe you can grow it here, never occurred to me to try. 🍃
Hi, I’ve used erythritol frequently for lchf baking muffins, cakes, pancakes, biscuits, and even desserts, etc. and used it to sweeten rhubarb (but it did crystalise the fruit when cold) and it works fine. I use almond or coconut flour for baking and get some of my recipes from Sugarfreelondoner. I buy mine from NKD Living. All of these sweeteners are ok to use occasionally. Too much, too often can have a laxative effect! Erythritol is fairly well tolerated though. I try to stay away from sweet things too often as I find sugar quite addictive and try to stick to fruit for my fix and a bit of 85% black chocolate now and again. Happy halva making 😊
Thanks JazzSinger. That's really useful info. I'm going too try a couple of recipes I think, one with very low sugar and one with erythritol.I'm with you on the black chocolate, It's really satisfying I find. I'm a real chocolate snob! 😊
Yesterday I discovered on my walk that during the lockdown/s a new shop opened somewhere near my house. You won't believe it but it's a halva shop, it only sells Halva, tahini and sesame spreads! Naturally I couldn't believe my luck or that such a strange co-incidence could happen.
Anyway they have two types of sugar free halva in many flavours. One is sweetened with Maltitol - which I sort of understand is not a great sweetener for a low carb diet so I passed over that one.
The other said it was sweetened with Stevia - but the ingredients list was not available. Unfortunately a few emails later I discovered it does have some stevia but also has about the same amount of Maltitol
I use erythritol in baking and have recently started to make low carb marzipan, which I love but had resigned myself to never having again. I find it works really well in baking, I tend to use a bit less than most recipes call for as I don't like things really sweet, the marzipan is just like the real thing.
Why never again Loraine518? Too "addictive"? It does sound nice.
I've been experimenting a bit with erythritol too, mainly because I have some in the house. It seems like you can replace sugar with erythritol in most receipts without compromising the texture - although Subtle_badger did end up with a slightly crunchy ganache (see above).
Yes I'm afraid I was very addicted to marzipan and didn't want to risk. The first time I made it I ended up eating the whole lot in 2 days, but now I make it and freeze it and have a small piece a couple of times a week, which is perfect. I have just made some into little balls and covered them in homemade dark chocolate, so look forward to having them as occasional treats too.
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) I would just enjoy my Halva as a rare treat.I don't know anything about Erythritol because I am wary of cooking things that taste sweet because a sweet taste can be a slippery slope for me, but why not just experiment with it?
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