Every day we hear about new miracle sweeteners. They are more natural, have fewer calories and have less of a blood sugar impact. It can be difficult to decipher the hype from reality. There is something so satisfying about eating something sweet. So the question remains. What kind of sweeteners can we choose that will support health, weight loss and the rest of our health goals?
Stevia –
Stevia is all the rage right now. And if you are going to choose a zero calorie sweetener, stevia is the one to buy. Stevia extract comes from the stevia plant and it is naturally sweet. You could even conceivably grow your own stevia plant in your own backyard. Stevia comes in both powder and liquid form so we can use it in a wide variety of recipes.
However, please be very aware when choosing a stevia product. Manufacturers often process stevia with ingredients that aren’t natural. You may see ingredients like maltodextrin or natural flavor listed on the ingredients label. Whole leaf stevia is what you are looking for on a label. That way you’re getting a product that is more of a whole food and has less potentially inflammatory ingredients. According to stevia.net, you can substitute sugar in recipes by replacing one cup of sugar for 1 teaspoon powdered extract or liquid stevia.
Raw Honey –
Honey can be a great sweetener, but you need to choose your honey wisely. Just because something lists honey as an ingredient doesn’t mean it is a healthier option. Many manufacturers process honey to the point where it barely resemble the real thing. The best option is raw honey which hasn’t been processed.
Raw honey naturally contains many of the enzymes that we use for digestion. The catch is that you destroy the enzymes in honey when you heat it, even if you purchase it raw. The good news is that we can use honey in an array of great tasting homemade desserts.
Blackstrap Molasses –
Molasses is a by-product of the refining of sugar. Blackstrap molasses is a form of molasses, created after the maximum extraction of sugar from raw sugar cane. It is the by-product of the third boiling of sugar when the majority of sugar crystals have been removed. It is very nutrients rich, being a good source of calcium, magnesium, B-6, manganese, potassium and iron. Since it is created through a heating process, further exposure to heat will not damage the nutrients. It is also has a lower sugar content and doesn’t spike blood sugar in the same way as table sugar.
Maple Syrup –
Maple syrup is made from the sap of maple trees. It is important when purchasing maple syrup to make sure you are getting 100% syrup. Many commercial maple syrups are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other heavily processed sweeteners. The most nutrients rich maple syrup is that which is darkest in color. These are a good source of antioxidants. They also contain nutrients like calcium, potassium, iron and zinc. There is even some research that shows that maple syrup contains a special compound that may help reduce the growth of cancer cells.
Dried fruit –
Dried fruit like dates and raisins substitute as terrific sweeteners. They are real foods that happen to be very sweet. Dessert can be as simple as a Medjool date with an almond and a sprinkle of coconut. You can use dried fruit in recipes as a sweetener.
Dried fruit is a source of fiber, as well as vitamins like Vitamin A, vitamin B-6, riboflavin, magnesium, and copper. It does alter blood sugar much more dramatically than the non-dried fruit variety. But this is still a much better, less processed alternative to the many commercial sweeteners.
You may by now have noticed that a very trendy option did not make my list.
Manufacturers add agave syrup to an array of healthy sounding treats. Agave gets its healthy label because its digestion only results in a small disruption to blood sugar. However, agave’s fructose content contributes to fat deposits on the liver leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease when consumed in excess. Since many health conscious people consume too many agave sweetened protein bars, cereals, and other treats, they are consuming a potentially harmful level of agave.
So when you need to pick sweeteners to make your next favorite treat, these are some of the options to consider. Please keep in mind, all sweeteners are still sugar. There isn’t a sweetener that is truly a health food. There are better options and there are worse options. A delicious dessert is one of the joys in life. My choices above represent the absolute best, most nutrient rich way you can enjoy some sweetness!
As a family we tend to use honey as a sweetener in hot drinks and porridge. Everything on moderation!
You should try fresh fruit in your hot cereal, Phoenicia. I think you would like it because the juice from the fruit melts into the cereal and makes for a healthy and naturally sweet treat.
This is really enlightening. I generally skip any kind of artificial sweetener and use real sugar! But I don’t really sweeten drinks like tea or coffee. I have not heard of blackstrap molasses, and I have not been very discerning when it come to picking honey! That’s a great “heads up.”
Yes, it is really important to be aware of what kind of honey you have. People automatically assume that honey is healthier, but it really depends on the quality.
I just tried Stevia for the first time and it’s pretty good. I do have honey on hand though I don’t use it very often. I’ve never cared much for anything sweet but I do like a bit of sweetener in my coffee so it’s nice to know Stevia appears to live up to the claims. Thanks!
I usually drink my coffee just black, but I’ve used stevia a couple of times and it was pretty good. Just make sure to use less than you would with regular sugar.
Great post Erica. I have actually grown stevia and have a book on how to process it for use. But at the time the stevia was ready, life interfered and stevia was forgotten.
We have large maple trees around our house and my husband used to make maple syrup – that was the best although you need gallons of sap to make just one pint of syrup.
The honey isn’t something I use very much although we do have access to all natural honey.
Blackstrap molasses and dried fruit are standard items in my pantry. Can’t say I use the molasses very often.
If anyone was going to attempt to grow stevia, I know it would be you Lenie. I think you should try growing it again, process it and then blog about it!
If I didn’t have have thyroid problems I would opt for honey and dried fruit. Never, ever use sweeteners of any kind because, as you know, they are worse than sugar.
I’m glad you stay away from artificial sweeteners, Catarina. I can’t imagine those would be very good for your thyroid either.
Great information, Erica! When I was a teenager, my mother introduced me to Blackstrap Molasses. She was very much into healthy eating. Though I can’t find many sweet recipes that call for it these days so I haven’t used it in a while. Great to know, that it doesn’t spike blood sugar. Though I think sometimes the higher spike of blood sugar is what people are looking for when they want a sweet treat. =)
You are so right, Sabrina. Sugar can be like a drug and I lot of people crave the natural high you get when eating it.
Thanks for this information on sweeteners. Some of the information I knew, but other bits were new to me – blackstrap molasses, for example. I avoid artificial sweeteners and generally try not to have too much sweet stuff in general (although I am on vacation at the moment and more sweet stuff than usual has crept into my diet).
It is so hard to stay away from sugar while on vacation. Since most restaurants put sugar into everything, including their healthy sounding options, you know you’re gonna be getting extra sugar in your diet.
Thanks for this Erica. While I’m familiar with using honey and maple syrup as a sweetener I didn’t know about Stevia and actually thought is was just another artificial sugar substitute, which I pretty much always find to taste terrible.
Whole leaf stevia is definitely a better option that artificial sweeteners. Just make sure you are getting stevia, not splenda which is an artificial sweetener. A lot of people get them confused once they are in the store.
I like stevia, honey and fruit. A little molasses now and then. I don’t use any of the ones like Splenda, etc. I tend to like tart things so it works out pretty well. Interesting info, Erica.
That is interesting that you like tastes that are tart. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Erica. Of the ones you’ve posted, Stevia is my least favourite as I find it too sweet. I LOVE molasses and maple syrup, so those are probably my 2 favourites, But also love homey and dried fruits. Thx for sharing.
Hi Doreen. As long as you enjoy them in moderation, they can be good things to like. Thank you for commenting.
I love molasses! Not plain of course, but I love the way it tastes as a sweetener in things. I’ve recently been rediscovering maple syrup as well. Thanks for breaking these down for us!
Your welcome Meredith. It is definitely much better when people cook with molasses than with sugar and many don’t even realize that is a choice.
A great post. I do not put much sweetener onto things. From your post I now know which ones to use. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thank you, William. I also wrote it so you can understand the best sugars when reading a food label. Since there is so much hidden sugar in food that isn’t dessert, it is good to know which ones are best!
I was a 4 packet Equal addict. Then I read the ingredients and thought, I might as well be living next to a nuclear plant. I switched to Stevia the next day. for about a week, I felt the bad,dizzy and fatigued. I was surprised that i experienced detox effects from cutting out artificial sweeteners.
Pamela, it is great that you made this realization on your own. I used to have a few packets of Equal a day myself and I eventually made that same realization.
Thanks for this post Erica, I love honey. I use honey as sweeteners in my hot drinks and porridge. I try as much as possible to avoid artificial sweeteners.
Good instincts to avoid artifical sweeteners. Those are some of the worst!
My teeth hurt just reading this post. Makes me realize I have cut an awful lot of sweetness of of my diet. Missed the Stevia memo completely. Will need to try it. Thanks.
Its good to hear that you are trying to cut down on the sweet stuff, Kire. There are also a lot of sweeteners added to healthy sounding foods so its good to know, that even when making sauces, there are healthier options.
Thank you so much! You make my healthy eating decisions easier. <3
Glad this is helpful, Sacha!
Love this! I’ve heard a lot of questions about what to do with sweeteners when starting to eat better, and this was really helpful. Thanks!
So glad this was helpful, Caitlin. It really can be confusing.