Sweet Alternatives to Sugar
Looking for a creative replacement for table sugar? These four natural sweeteners can bring new flavors and different levels of sweetness to your favorite recipes. The best part is that they’re less processed than the “white stuff.”
Honey
Honey contains powerful antioxidants, and the different kinds of honey have unique flavors. Drizzle clover honey over waffles or try milder Acacia honey in a smoothie. To learn more about honey, check out Toby’s post on honey’s benefits.
Agave Nectar
The plant that gives us tequila also provides the luscious golden sap known as agave nectar. It looks similar to honey and has a mild flavor that is truly unique — yet, not at all overwhelming. Though it’s sweeter than sugar, agave nectar is digested more slowly, which keeps blood sugar more stable. All that sweetness means you can use less, which will save you a few calories. It’s versatile enough to use in baked goods, brewed tea or even marinades. Agave also contains sapogenins, a compound that helps fight inflammation.
Brown Rice Syrup
Made from cooked brown rice, this sweetener has a complex, pleasant and almost tangy flavor. Similar to agave, brown rice syrup takes longer to digest, which helps prevent drastic spikes in blood sugar. Use brown rice syrup in recipes that call for maple syrup (another great sugar alternative). Flavor brown rice syrup with cinnamon or drizzle over a fruit salad. For a revised muffin recipe, replace each cup of sugar with a half cup of syrup.
Pomegranate Molasses
This gorgeous dark red syrup has a deep, rich flavor. This sweetener is a concentrated source of pomegranate juice, which provides polyphenols — antioxidants that protect from cancer and cardiovascular disease. Pomegranate molasses may be a bit harder to find than some of the other sweeteners; look for it online or, better yet, try making your own. You’ll be surprised at all the places you can use it. Try it in salad dressing and in the classic Middle Eastern dip called Muhammara.
I would love to see a show dedicated to healthy eating through whole-foods. No refined foods allowed! No artificial foods allowed. Organics, free range, and TRUELY healthy food that feeds to soul and prevents illness! Please!
One of the hardest things for me to want to give up is sugar. I admit I love it, or really I just love sweet things. I look forward to finding healthier alternatives to sugar and will most definitely try those noted in this informative article. Thank you for giving me food or rather, sweets for thought.
Where can I find Agave nectar?
I mostly eat whole grain, lower fat and less sugary foods as are many other Americans. When are you going to produce a show for us? Thanks for the Alternative Sugars article.
A show that deals with healthy alternatives is a good idea. It would be nice to learn how to cook with different grains other then wheat and take dairy out of the diet as well since many vegetarian recipes add cheese in almost everything.
I have been reading Michael Pollan’s books (Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food) and would love to see a show devoted to whole foods, with no additives.
Jeannette, I just bought some agave nectar at my corner grocery store. You’ll likely find it next to the honey. If not there, check your local health food store. It comes in light and dark.
What about stevia?
I wish there were more yogurt with sugar instead of artificial sweeteners. They are hard to find.
Have you tried ZSweet, a natural sweetner made from sugar, get information from zsweet.com
I wish our nation didn’t consume so much sugar and products made with sugar. Many of our health issues come from eating foods and snacks loaded with it.
I use stevia( a natural plant extract) and I use it in my cooking. I also use dreamfields pasta with has a low glycemic index. In my cooking I try to use mostly organic fresh raw veg.I would love to do a cooking show on healthy eating using all fresh and raw foods.
Gluten intolerance and Pcos-means healthy eating is difficult when I don’t want to work at it. products like Stevia are fantastic, but all gluten free products are full of carbs and calories. Help
I’ve recently found “natural” sweeteners available in the stores. One was made with a combination of Stevia, and Xylitol and the other was a combination of Inulin and Luo Han Guo. Are these sweeteners really safe and organic?
Hi Cindy
Check out a previous post on artificial sweeteners to learn more about Stevia. You can learn more about other food additives from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Have you heard of a new drink coming out in April 2009 from All Sport? It is called All Sport natural and it is sweetened with stevia instead of sugar. This sports drink promises to be completely natural and calorie free. I look forward to seeing what this drink tastes like, and I am eager to use it as an alternative to water when working out.
Not everyone has the time or the money it takes to make most of the dishes your chefs make. Most americans just want affordable, tasty recipes. Can someone simplify and tone down some great food recipes for us?
All Sport is coming out with a zero calorie drink! This is fantastic news! I hope they bring it to the Chicago area first!
I have read that some agave syrups are very high in fructose (80%+) which is not absorbed into our bodies, but processed by our liver. I have looked at the agave syrup labels, but none of them say what percentage of fructose they contain. I am wondering if agave syrup is safe and if so, how do I find out which ones have lower fructose levels?
Zero Sweetner > Is it made in a Lab, Truvia Sweetner > Is it made in a Lab, Splenda is made in a lab and the scoop on this is it raise your blood sugars and have stopped using Splenda. I have switched to Zero and/or Truvia right now.
All sweeteners raise your blood sugars. That's why they're called blood "sugars". Fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose… all sugars. They're all converted into glucose in the body which raises your blood sugar.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your comments. Just a cool trivia fact–dextrose is actually glucose (so it won't be converted to it). You'll find the word dextrose on many packaged foods (like gum) and it's just a form of glucose.
I had Gastric Bypass and was told that i could have unlimited Zero Calorie sweetner, like Splenda or Sweet n low. I hated the bitter taste, but was dedicated to using it after surgery. I was consuming about 18 packets of Splenda, just in the morning. I
started to experience confusion, shakes, clumziness, irratability and falling asleep at work at my computer. I cut it out almost 100% and resumed back to normal once it was cleared out of my system. I have been using Truvia and PureVia 100% of the time with no symptons.
TRUVIA is the bomb diggity!! Try it. I've lost 15 pounds and dropped five sizes in the last year. Artificial sweeteners are not good for you and was thrilled when Truvia was finally allowed into the US. Can't wait for Coke and Pepsi to make a drink with it. Supposedly it's coming.