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We all like a little treatment from time to time, but people’s intake of refined sugars has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average adult consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugars daily, well above recommended levels. Ann ideal diet consists of no more than 10% of calories from added sugar, which would be 12 teaspoons in an average 2,000 calorie intake.
Many people already agree with what the data confirms: people are eating too much sugar. If you’re looking for ways to eliminate added sugar from your diet, read on to learn about some of the best sugar alternatives.
What are sugar substitutes?
Before we get into sugar alternatives, it’s important to get this sugar straight not bad for you. In fact, it is vital to your health. Your body converts carbohydrates into glucose, a form of sugar, and this is a major source of energy to keep your body moving and your brain functioning. Despite what some popular fad diets recommend, going without carbs and sugars can leave you with health problems and symptoms such as low energy, sleep problems and brain fog.
The goal should not be to avoid sugar, but to consume it exactly kinds from sugar. Much of today’s American diet consists of added sugars that are processed and refined to add intense sweetness without much substance. Ultra-refined white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are common ingredients in sodas, sweets, breads and condiments. They are delivered quickly into your bloodstream without adding any other nutritional value along the way. Excessive consumption of these sugars can lead to serious health complicationsincluding high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease.
You can find the amount of added sugars on the nutrition facts label and ingredients list of each food product. The higher the added sugar in the ingredients list, the more sugar there is in the product. Added sugars go by many different names, such as brown sugar, corn sweeteners, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, maltose, and sucrose.
In contrast, natural sugars are unrefined or only lightly processed and occur naturally in many foods. Fruits contain fructose, for example, but are also high in fiber, providing a balanced mix of nutrients for your body. Honey and Maple syrup are naturally sweet but also rich in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
There are also a variety of natural sweeteners and sugar substitutes you can add to foods and drinks that provide sweetness without the drawbacks of refined sugar. Examples of these alternative sugars include sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and natural sweeteners such as stevia.
The best natural alternatives to sugar
Here’s the good news: If you’re looking to cut back on sugar, you still have plenty of options to keep things sweet. Below are six of the best natural sugar alternatives you can add to your diet instead of refined sugars.
Honey
Honey has long been valued not only for its natural sweetness, but also for its nutritional value. Because it is produced by bees from plant nectar in the pollination process, honey contains a range of beneficial plant compounds and antioxidants.
Raw and darker honey, which are minimally processed, are especially rich in flavonoids and phenolic acids. These offer many benefits, including positive effects on the health of the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract and the respiratory system. It has even been proven reducing seasonal allergies.
Maple syrup
Another popular natural sweetener, maple syrup, has taken its place on top of many pancakes. If you’re cutting back on sugar, you may want to skip the pancakes, but stick with the syrup, which is produced from the juice from sugar maple trees.
This is because maple syrup, like honey, contains antioxidants and minerals that can be good for your health. Many of the unique compounds found in maple syrup have actually been shown to help fight cancer and diabetes. The the darker the maple syrupthe less refined it is — and the more of these benefits it can provide.
Stevia
If you’re not a fan of the taste of maple syrup or honey, but still want a way to sweeten drinks and recipes, stevia is a great natural sugar alternative to try. This sweetener is made from the stevia plant and is 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar.
As a sugar substitute, stevia is non-nutritive, meaning it contains almost no calories. It adds sweetness without much else, and that might be just what you’re looking for when you’re cutting back on sugar. Stevia has also been correlates with reduced blood sugar and cholesterol. Be aware that many stevia products on the market contain other processed ingredients or sugar alcohols, so it’s important to do your research before using them.
Pureed fruit
If you’re looking for a more nutritionally balanced form of sugar, it’s hard to beat raw fruit. Dietary fiber present in raw fruits aids digestion and slows down sugar metabolism, reducing the spikes in blood sugar that you might see from fruit juice or sugary supplements. Eating fiber-rich foods can also help reduce your total calorie intake and reduce your risk of heart disease.
Pureed fruit gives you many of the same benefits and can serve as a sweetener to add to other foods. Applesauce works as an egg substitute in many recipes, for example, and pureed fruit is a great addition to plain, unsweetened yogurt.
Monk fruit
Monk fruit is another plant-based sugar alternative. This is derived from monk fruit, also known as luo han guo, a small round fruit commonly found in Southeast Asia. Although monk fruit itself contains fructose and glucose, they are actually removed during extraction process, creating a non-nutritive sweetener that is about 100 times sweeter than table sugar.
Monk fruit is relatively new to the market, so it needs more research to determine all of its potential health benefits. However, research on other non-nutritive sweeteners has shown promising results in terms of weight management and preventing diabetes. Naturally sweet mogrosides in monk fruit too contain antioxidantswhich can help with immune health and cancer prevention.
Fruit juice
Fruit juice is a natural sweetener that you can drink on its own or add to other drinks or condiments, or even use in cooking. 100% fruit juice is a much better option than refined table sugar or high fructose corn syrup because fruit juice is natural and unprocessed. That too contains a huge amount of vitamins and nutrients.
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