Fruit Sauce for Yogurt (and whatever else you want to put it on- and you will want to put it on EVERYTHING)

I read an article recently that a yogurt cup has more sugar than a Krispy Kreme donut.  YUCK!  I DEFINITELY do not like Krispy Kremes, I've never been a donut person, but I really don't understand all the hype about Krispy Kremes...maybe it's all the sugar.  Anyway, when I found this out it made me sick.  And then I found out that a lot of brands, including the ALL NATURAL and ORGANIC brands add Carrageenan to their yogurt!  What is Carrageenan you ask?  It's an "all natural" ingredient that is added to certain products like yogurt, milk, and ice cream to provide a smoother texture and make "less fat" products seem fuller.  Here's the deal, it comes from red algae, so while it is all natural, it's not meant to be eaten!  It has been linked to gut irritation, digestive problems, and even certain types of digestive cancers!  It causes inflammation of the gut which can lead to ulcerations and bleeding.  This is scary to me because I suffer from a form of severe Irritable Bowel Disease, something that caused me to have a bowel obstruction and almost die 10 years ago.  Since then I have been SUPER vigilant about my diet and making sure I am eating things that don't irritate my gut, which is the main reason why we are such clean eaters in my house.  So, a few weeks ago I started having a flare up of my IBD and could not figure out why.  On my last trip to Costco I bought some Activia, which I don't usually buy because I don't like to support companies like Danone, but I bought it because it was on sale and David likes it.  My symptoms continued to get worse and could not figure out what it was!  And finally, I was reading about Carrageenan and BAM I checked the ingredients label of Activia and what's included?  CARRAGEENAN!  In a yogurt that is SUPPOSED TO PROMOTE GUT HEALTH!  What a crock!  SO...I started thinking about this, I love yogurt, my family loves yogurt, I don't want all that sugar, and I don't want the carrageenan.  Here's my solution.  Plain greek yogurt with this delicious fruit sauce poured over it.  You can use berries, you can use peaches, you can use fresh fruit, you can use frozen fruit...whatever you like!  Daniel likes it so much he calls it his "special sauce yogurt." I make my own yogurt cups by placing some berry sauce on the bottom of a small mason jar and topping it with yogurt.  I then pack these "cups" in David's and Daniel's lunch boxes.  YUM!  Give it a try!  You will want to eat it by itself it is so good!

Fruit Sauce

• 2 cups fresh or frozen berries of your choice (or peaches)- I used a berry mix.
• 1/4 cup honey (if you like it sweeter add a little more, if you don't like it very sweet add a little less)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup water

In a medium sauce pan, stir together the ingredients over medium high heat until hot and starting to bubble.  Turn down heat to low and allow to cook down for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally breaking up the fruit.  You will know the mixture is ready when it is slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and using an immersion blender, CAREFULLY (it splatters and is very  hot) puree the mixture.  Place back on low heat and allow to bubble another 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.  Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. I store this sauce in mason jars in the fridge.  It will keep for about a week.  

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking.