The one thing we do know for sure though, is this: Too much sugar means too many calories, and too many calories are making us fat. So low-calorie and no-calorie sweeteners are a brilliant idea! But if you are wary of the government’s ability (or any of its related entities) to make sound judgments, and don’t have another 50 years or so for researchers to reach a consensus, natural is the way to go.
Here are a few sweet substitutions, and even a couple links to free samples of natural sweeteners…
Stevia: An herb native to Paraguay, it is extraordinarily sweet, up to 300 times that of sugar but has zero calories. While the FDA has yet to approve it as stand-alone sweetener, it is approved as a supplement. In fact, stevia extract is now found in many beverages, such as teas and colas, but beware of additional additives. It can instead be found in powder/sweetener form at some health food stores, such as Trader Joes’s and though it is a bit pricey, a little goes a long way. There is also a new product from Suncrystals which mixes both stevia and regular sugar. A link to a free sample is included below. One packet is twice as sweet as sugar, but has only five calories.
Free samples of Suncrystals with Stevia
Date Sugar: This is not an actual sugar, but it is sweet and especially good for baking because it can replace sugar measure for measure. On average, it has about 10 cal. per tsp. (granulated white sugar has 15cal/tsp.) However be sure to read the packaging since different brands vary. Even better, dates are naturally high in fiber, have a healthy mix of carbohydrates (which is good for blood sugar), and are loaded with nutrients such as folic acid and iron.
Agave nectar: With an average of 10 cal / tsp., agave nectar is similar to honey in that it is sweet and syrupy, but with a lot less calories (Honey has about 60 cal / tsp). It is also as much as 4 times sweeter than regular sugar, and may be used for cooking, as well as sweetening liquids. It is created by reducing the juice of the agave plant.
Free agave nectar sample:
All three of these are low in calories and can be found as naturally-derived products. If you have any other ideas or suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments. Thanks!
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Yes, I agree that natural is the way to go, as whenever I take artificial sweetener (I no longer) I get some side effects such as headache, tiredness, or just an overall unwell feeling. If you want a sweetener that is low GI, use unprocessed honey (preferably cold pressed), instead of sugar. It tastes delicious! And low GI foods have been found to cause less aging on the skin than high GI foods such as white bread and refined sugar, as high GI foods cause oxidative damage as well as sugar coating (glycation) to collagen making it brittle and making your skin age faster.
I have not known some of the natural ones before
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I have always wondered if the chemically produced sweeteners are healthy for you. This is even more information for me to consider, and I think I will stay away from them as a whole.
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