# Liquorice root alternative snack



## hermes14 (Jul 7, 2012)

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the right part of the forum to ask about this but this section appears to be the most appropriate.

I recently discovered liquorice root powder, which led me to the root itself and I found it to be a good natural snack that amazingly contained no sugar - the extent to which the food is healthy is very important for me.

However, after doing more research on liquorice root, I found out that it contains dlycyrrhizinate, which can cause high blood pressure, fluid retention and abnormal heart rhythms when 40g of liquorice root is consumed. I have been consuming around 40g per day for the last few days, and even if I reduce the amount to 25g, I would still feel uncomfortable knowing that it can lead to negative effects.

Therefore, I am interested to know if anyone is aware of alternatives for liquorice root that have (1) no or very little sugar content (2) can be chewed on or consumed as a snack for a long perioud of time - like liquorice root (3) an alternative that is not a fruit as this tends to contain sugar (I know sugar in fruit is natural but long story short I'm searching for a low or non-sugar alternative snack!), so maybe something along the line of herbs or spices. 

For example, I remember reading that the plant from which cocaine is made, when it is sucked on in it's natural form, offers a pleasant taste and has no adverse health effects but obviously it can be used to make an illegal and dangerous drug so I wouldn't want to consider it.

Another solution seemed to be to use liquorice root that is deglycyrrhizinated, but this appears to only come in supplement form which defeats the purpose of the food being a snack to chew on.

SO I acknowledge that this is a long message and a subject for which it's not easy to offer a solution but I would very much appreciate any ideas about any liquorice root alternative.

Many thanks


----------



## justplainbill (Jul 7, 2012)

Anise? (Pimpinella Anisum)


----------



## Zhizara (Jul 7, 2012)

Candied ginger.


----------



## lyndalou (Jul 7, 2012)

Zhizara said:


> Candied ginger.



+1


----------



## justplainbill (Jul 7, 2012)

OP wants low sugar.


----------



## Andy M. (Jul 7, 2012)

Zhizara said:


> Candied ginger.




Ginger is candied by loading it up with sugar.  Something the OP wants to avoid.


----------



## Dawgluver (Jul 7, 2012)

Maybe try pickling ginger and subbing agave syrup or stevia for the sugar, or leave out the sweetener.


----------



## Cerise (Jul 7, 2012)

Celery as a snack (filled w/ cream cheese), or fennel in a salad.


----------



## hermes14 (Jul 7, 2012)

Yes candied ginger would indeed have lots of sugar. Pickling ginger would introduces added sodium which also is not something I want to do. Ginger with stevia or agave syrup (as long as there's no added sugar) is an okay suggestion, the only downside is the fact that sweetener would have to be added and I was looking for something more natural like liquorice root, but regardless it's a good suggestion.

Anise (and fennel) seeds are a very good alternative as they are not processed and thus have no added sugar or salt and so forth.

Celery is a great vegetable and on the other hand is not the type of snack that I would feel I could consume for a long period of time like liquorice root or anise seeds.

I'm really appreciating the suggestions guys and if you have other suggestions please express them as your ideas are helpful. 

I've never tried chewing on cinnamon sticks as a snack but what do you guys think of this? Are there other bark/root like snacks?

I get the impression that it is a tragic situation because liquorice root seems to be the ultimate solution but it has the major drawback of having adverse effects if it is consumed in large quantities (and 40g is not even large). However, I do have hope that just as I recently found out about liquorice root there is a good chance that there are other similar types of natural snacks out there that I do not know about!

I'm appreciating the ideas guys!


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 8, 2012)

In the past I have chewed on cinnamon sticks.  They do have a slightly sweet taste without sugar added and they fit the bill for something to gnaw on.


----------



## Dawgluver (Jul 8, 2012)

Hmm.   Do you have a dehydrator?  Ginger slices, apple, pear, zucchini, carrot, just about anything can be dehydrated.

You can also use a low oven temp.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 8, 2012)

Pineapple!


----------



## Harry Cobean (Jul 8, 2012)

Dawgluver said:


> Hmm.   Do you have a dehydrator?  Ginger slices, apple, pear, zucchini, carrot, just about anything can be dehydrated.
> 
> You can also use a low oven temp.





PrincessFiona60 said:


> Pineapple!


with you two on the dried fruit.probably have to be careful how much tho' as some fruits are naturally high in sugar.pineapple,papaya,dates & figs are particularly good for the digestion too.i know it sounds weird but when bolas & i were kids & out in the fields there was a tall grass that we used to pull up,peel off the outer layer & chew the lower part of the stem.it was sweet & tasty & had a crunchy texture like young raw asparagus.don't know what it was called but it grew around the edges of the wheat fields that we used to go hay bailing in for the local farmer.may be worth looking into?


----------



## hermes14 (Jul 9, 2012)

I'm not familiar with a dehydrator but I will look into one - dehydrating low sugar food like zucchini, carrot and ginger in particular is a possible idea. One problem with this is as the food loses water it becomes more dense and so you get more sugar per gram. For example, fresh tomatoes do not have a high sugar content. Sun-dried tomatoes however have a ridiculously high sugar content. Nethertheless, dehydrating ginger, in particular, is an appealing idea to me.

I remember where I lived when I was young, many of the children, including myself, also chewed on a type of grass plant which had a citrus-like taste if I remember correctly. I'll look into this as well, although I have no idea what the name would be - creative idea.

Any fruits are an instant "nono" because although they are nutritious the sugar content is automatically high.


----------



## Harry Cobean (Jul 10, 2012)

hermes14 said:


> I'm not familiar with a dehydrator but I will look into one - dehydrating low sugar food like zucchini, carrot and ginger in particular is a possible idea. One problem with this is as the food loses water it becomes more dense and so you get more sugar per gram. For example, fresh tomatoes do not have a high sugar content. Sun-dried tomatoes however have a ridiculously high sugar content. Nethertheless, dehydrating ginger, in particular, is an appealing idea to me.
> 
> I remember where I lived when I was young, many of the children, including myself, also chewed on a type of grass plant which had a citrus-like taste if I remember correctly. I'll look into this as well, although I have no idea what the name would be - creative idea.
> 
> Any fruits are an instant "nono" because although they are nutritious the sugar content is automatically high.


couldn't have been lemongrass could it h? would have thought that would be too citrusy,but maybe the the young shoots?if it is you can grow it yourself & it does have health giving properties.
careful tho',apparently it does also have a reputation as an aphrodisiac!


----------



## buckytom (Jul 10, 2012)

if you like licorice, try the herb chervil.

also, you can grow your own stevia plants, then mash the leaves, mix with fennel seeds and dehydrate into an interesting snack. a hiking buddy makes this and brings it aling as a pick me up on trips along the appalachian trail.

i'll have to ask him for an exact recipe.


----------



## blissful (Jul 13, 2012)

I was reading this recipe thread from diabetes cooking and this might be almost perfect--make it as low sugar as you like, strong flavored, and if you make the gelatin more concentrated you could get something akin to shoe leather. (well I kind of like something like tough stale licorice)
Black Licorice Gummy Candy (low carb-calorie)
I love licorice but the same as you, have to stay away from it for BP reasons. If you try it, let us know how you like it.


----------



## hermes14 (Jul 21, 2012)

Dehydrating herb chervil is a possibility. This reminds me of the idea of roasted seaweed snacks for which I believe the idea came from Japan. 

The liquorice gummy snack is an interesting one, especially, if as you say it can be made "akin to shoe leather" that is exactly what I want - very chewy and a decent enough taste.

I checked the link and found all the ingredients, and now I have to order all the ingredients and try make this "shoe leather gummy candy" - that is not a bad name and I won't be surprised if one day kids are running around and fighting over shoe leather. Nice idea!

Thanks for all the creative ideas, if anyone stops by this thread and has more suggestions, please do leave them.

Cheers


----------



## blissful (Jul 21, 2012)

hermes14 said:


> Dehydrating herb chervil is a possibility. This reminds me of the idea of roasted seaweed snacks for which I believe the idea came from Japan.
> 
> The liquorice gummy snack is an interesting one, especially, if as you say it can be made "akin to shoe leather" that is exactly what I want - very chewy and a decent enough taste.
> 
> ...


I'm looking forward to hearing how this turns out for you. Pictures maybe? Good luck.


----------



## Margi Cintrano (Jul 22, 2012)

Fennel, fresh or seeds ... No calories ... I  also love Fennel Gazpacho served with orange zest pesto ... 

Kind regards,
Margi.


----------

