Mrs. Raspberry’s definition

Diabetes lesson number 5,738: When told something is unsweetened, ask exactly how it’s made before eating or drinking it.

When I picked up some local raspberries this morning at one of those much-beloved roadside operations, the woman manning the stand asked if I wanted a cup of raspberry juice before leaving. Without thinking, I scrunched up my nose and was audibly hesitant:

Princess: Hmm, I don’t know, is it sweetened?
Mrs. Raspberry: No.
––– Super wide grin on my face before taking a super-sized gulp. –––
Princess: Wow, this is really good, and it’s just straight raspberries?
Mrs. Raspberry: Yeah, my sister has a juicer and sticks the raspberries in there and adds 7Up and apple juice…

Uh what? Excuse me while I go gag on that pure sugar you just gave me, thank you very much!

Now, I know it was just the other day when I was going on and on about how sugar is no longer the devil for diabetics and how I can eat chocolate and Ben and Jerry’s, and that’s true, I can. However, I still require insulin management and exercise to balance out pretty much everything I eat. And so, I prefer my indulgences to be on something I’m truly going to appreciate, something that to me feels like it’s a real treat. And I’m sorry, but as much as I love local raspberries, I can go without sugar-infused raspberry juice. I’ve never really been a huge pop fan, and I only ever have juice when my blood sugars are low. My top drinks of choice are water and tea, which coincidentally are the world’s top two drinks of choice too, and which don’t require me to rage bolus to combat a sugar spike.

Maybe Mrs. Raspberry got offended with my scrunched up nose and decided to mess with me … OR maybe she just didn’t know the definition of unsweetened. Well Mrs. Raspberry, straight from the Oxford, here you go:

UNSWEETENED:

  • (of food or drink) without sugar or a similar substance having been added.

Enjoy the long weekend POP peeps, I hope you’re better equipped to avoid the Mrs. Raspberries of the world 😀

5 thoughts on “Mrs. Raspberry’s definition”

  1. Robert Freeman

    Mmmmmmmm succulent berries 🙂 You know, the picture you posted of raspberries looks Soooooo scrumptious … but ya know, I can’t stand’em. Really, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries … they all make me gag. Pour me an ice cold glass of Coca-cola … and I’m all smiles. I guess we all take our sweets in different forms. God bless us, every one 🙂

  2. My friend makes a yummy fruit cake that she assures me has no sugar in it. The ingredients are a small bottle of pure orange juice, dried fruit, eggs and flour. It makes a wonderfully rich and tasty fruit cake, but unsweetened? I think not.

  3. I am not a diabetic, but this is a huge peeve with me. I don’t like super sweet anything. We over use sugar. America runs on super sweet. I have to ask how much sugar is in everything. People seem to think that four tablespoons in an eight ounce glass isn’t much sugar. Why make a fruit smoothie and add sugar? It doesn’t need it. Raspberry juice doesn’t need it. Even lemonade and limeade, if made fresh with real lemons and limes, needs little sugar. I do however, like a touch of sugar in my tea. Have a great weekend.

  4. My fav quote, “there’s no sugar in here”. Its just sweetened with stevia, cranberries, cane sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, corn sugar or some derivative of the above. “All natural, no artificial flavours” is another one. What exactly does that mean? What exactly are “natural flavour” substances? They are listed on the ingredient list. Define natural. Something that occurs in nature without some human screwing with it. Okay so when you add natural flavour, is that a chemical derived to taste like something natural? If so, is it still considered natural? I don’t think so.

    Anyway, enjoy that big round thing in the sky that produces heat (I think its called “sun”, but I need further confirmation!)
    Heather

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