Brett's Blog: Natural Sweeteners to Replace Sugar
September 28, 2008 | by Brett Blumenthal | 10 Comments
by Brett Blumenthal
Recently, we have seen a lot of articles and posts on different types of sweeteners, but it can all get a little overwhelming…or at the very least, confusing. I personally believe that the more natural (meaning less processed) the sweetener is, the better it is. The term ’processed’ tends to create some controversy. So let me explain: Some people believe that if the food isn’t found in nature, and isn’t untouched or derived by humans, it is processed. Others believe if the product has been slightly cooked, it isn’t completely raw and as a result, it is processed. Others believe that a small amount of processing to create the food is ‘okay.’ Personally, I believe the less processed the food is, the better, but I am also realistic that a lot of the foods we eat, to some degree, have been processed (E.g., frozen berries are picked, flash frozen and then packaged, ultimately, being lightly processed).
When it comes to sweeteners, I prefer to stay clear of anything that is chemically derived in a lab (E.g., aspartame, splenda, saccharin, etc.) . I avoid using table sugar when possible and avoid any foods containing high fructose corn syrup. I get most of my ’sugar’ from whole fruit and milk products. Although I indulge in organic dark chocolate to curb my sweet tooth cravings, I tend not to have a lot of sugar in my diet. That said, we are human, and sweet foods do make up part of our life. As a result, I’ve put together a brief list of some natural sweeteners to consider as substitutes for plain old sugar.
Sweetener |
What it Is |
Considerations |
| Agave nectar | The agave (uh-gah-vay) plant comes from Mexico. Its fleshy leaves cover the pineapple-shaped heart of the plant, which contains a sweet sticky juice called Agave Nectar. | Benefits: It has a low glycemic level and is a safe alternative to table sugar. Unlike the crystalline form of fructose, which is refined primarily from corn, agave syrup is fructose in its natural form. This nectar does not contain processing chemicals. Even better, because fructose is sweeter than table sugar, less is needed in your recipes. It can be most useful for people who are diabetic, have insulin resistance (Syndrome X), or are simply watching their carbohydrate intake. |
| Fructose | A natural low-glycemic sugar that’s found in fruit. You can also find it in granulated form at health-food stores. Fructose is sweeter than regular table sugar, so you need less. | Concerns: Research indicates that ingesting lots of fructose, especially in processed form (sodas and beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup), can elevate the lipids that increase heart disease. As a result, consume fructose in moderation and in its most natural form (fruit) whenever possible. |
| Honey | Sweet syrupy fluid made by bees from the nectar collected from flowers and stored in nests or hives as food. It is composed of fructose and glucos. Good types include red clover honey, or orange blossom honey. | Benefits: Honey tends to be low-glycemic. You can comfortably use this to sweeten your beverages.
Concerns: Both are high-caloric and high-carbohydrate, so use sparingly. |
| Stevia FOS | Stevia is a very sweet herb from South America that’s available in powder and liquid form at health-food stores. | Benefits: FOS are fruit ogiliosaccharides, which are beneficial for and support healthy intestinal bacteria, or flora. Stevia with FOS is a nonnutritive powder found at health-food stores or in the health-food section of your grocery store.
Concerns: Stevia is very potent, so use sparingly (A couple sprinkles can be equivalent to a teaspoon of sugar). |
Have you used any of the above? Can you add any other natural sweeteners to the list?
Related Topics:
- Dark Chocolate and its Benefits
- Stevia and its Benefits
- Your Solution Guide to Foods with HFCS
- 5 Ingredients to Avoid
- Reading Nutrition Labels
It sounds like the Perfect Foods Bar is the solution to all these inquiries, hence the name. It is not everywhere in the country but it is a fast growing bar company right now. It is a raw whole food bar that is kept in the refrigerator and you can find them in whole foods, henry’s, and a lot of other places. But they use raw organic honey to sweeten their bar and are soy and gluten free, as well as have 18g of protein. So many other good things in it too, but the taste is amazing, I reccomend everyone should check it out,, http://www.perfectfoodsbar.com you’ll never go back to any of these other bars.
Forgot to say- Agave nectar is a yummy product, very costly, but worth it as a treat.
How about maple syrup & brown rice syrup? Those are both delicious. I had HORRID diarrhea from too much xylitol. THAT was a learning expereince! And I tried Truvia-still has the bitter aftertaste of stevia, even though it says it doesn’t.
I use sucanet to replace white sugar and brown sugar. It is made from dehydrated sugar cane juice and is SO good!
Jennifer, frankly, there are studies that show that there are issues with artificial sweeteners. These are the ones I have found:
http://www.janethull.com/askdrhull/article.php?id=046
http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com/splenda-harmful/
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a902553409~db=all~order=page
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners
A molecular chemist friend of mine says that the fears associated with using SPLENDA are overblown because of the product’s chemical compound, which is derived from sugar, being processed. But I’ve also heard that people are gaining more weight using arificial sweeteners. Any thoughts anyone?
Diane, Thank you so much for alerting us to this fact. As an animal lover, I wouldn’t imagine giving my dog candy, but, it is definitely good to know that xylitol is not their friend. THanks for sharing!
Please be very careful with xylitol around your pets. Dogs have been sent to the emergency room with extreme hypoglycemia from eating xylitol. Yes, Hypoglycemia. Humans absorb xylitol slowly, but in dogs it is processed much more rapidly, leading to high amounts of insulin being released. Xylitol has been known to cause liver failure, bleeding and death in dogs. As a veterinarian, I have seen cases of it with dogs being fed sugar-free candy. It is not a benign product for our 4-footed friends.
I buy Xylitol from a health food store. The package says “Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is naturally present in small amounts in various fruits and vegetables. (NOW is the brand name) NOW Xylitol is derived from a corn source, has 1/3 fewer calories than sugar, great alternative for diabetics, may also inhibit cavities…”
I use it in place of sugar in equal amounts. I read a book about it that said it was safe, was low-glycemic and a good alternative for diabetics. It is expensive, $14.00 for 3 lbs, but I do not bake often, and use honey for beverages. I do use it to sweeten fruit salads when needed.
I like it because you can use it in place of sugar in equal amounts (I always put less than recipe calls for as most are overly sweet).
IS XYLITOL A SAFE AND GOOD ALTERNATIVE FOR WHITE SUGAR? Please advise.
Xylitol is another sweetener that is supposed to be healthier and also good for the teeth and bones. I’ve heard that it is made from either the bark of birch trees or ground up corn cobs and that the ground up corn cobs require less chemical processing. Although is is somewhat expensive, if you try to limit your sugar intake a container can last awhile. As far as taste goes it is hard to tell whether you’ve used sugar or xylitol. There is also a note on the containers that I’ve bought that say using too much, until your body gets used to it, can cause diarrhea. I’ve never had any problems with it in that area, but I also just used a tablespoon here and there and eventually ended up using it for baking and did fine.