Sweeteners
Rei1988
Posts: 412 Member
I'm curious to know what type of sweeteners you use, if any & which you think is the cleanest/most natural? ( other than maple & honey)
Like Stevia etc.? Which brand IF you were to use it?
Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
Like Stevia etc.? Which brand IF you were to use it?
Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
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Replies
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I prefer to use local raw honey or organic maple syrup when using a sweetener. I did pick up some coconut crystals today because I am testing some tea based dessert recipes with a friend who has a huge intolerance to most sugars of any sort, even in fruit. Hopefully she can digest this.....I will let you know if I end up liking it, it tastes really sweet...0
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I use horrible rotgut white cane sugar... but only to brew kombucha and water kefir. How the little beasties can brew incredible probiotics from nasty sugar (and in the case of kombucha, cheap tea) boggles my mind, but they do. As a matter of fact, they seem to do better with that than with organic sugar.
For me, I use very small amounts of local raw honey when I absolutely have to, like in my coleslaw recipe, or hot honey and lemon for a cold.0 -
I hate the stevia aftertaste , so I do not use that one. I use raw honey in baking, and here and there maple syrup for the taste If the recipe calls for it. I also use blackstrap molasses in baking. I mainly bake for my family though, and eat those very rarely. I also use organic palm coconut sugar if a main dish calls for some sweetener. I probably have maybe one or two dish a week which needs like one tbsp "sugar" in the entire dish though.
I used agave until a few months ago in fat bombs, but I always ended up in a carb craving binge after, so I stopped using it. Plus I read that agave syrup is just high fructose agave syrup, and practically has a same effect as HFCS. It definitely had that kind of effect on me, so I said goodbye.
My dirtiest food is protein powder which use xylitol I think . I try to use only when I am very hungry or my day end up really low in protein0 -
I try to stick to stevia, although on occasion it does seem to have a bitter after taste. I am trying to do away with all sugars, but right now I just make sure my white sugar is cane sugar. I am probably not much help. Hope you find something.0
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Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
Too bad, punkin. If you are adding sweeteners to the things you ingest - you're doing it wrong. You shouldn't be eating sugar unless there's a plant wrapped around it.0 -
Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
Too bad, punkin. If you are adding sweeteners to the things you ingest - you're doing it wrong. You shouldn't be eating sugar unless there's a plant wrapped around it.
I knew some of you couldn't resist. I'm Not paleo yet, just learning about what others do. Stevia IS a plant, but so IS sugar cane. How it is processed ( if any) makes the difference.0 -
I don't use much in the way of sweeners at all - If I'm baking I'll usually use an unrefined cane sugar. I did look at coconut sugar and almost died at the price (£10.99 for 250g in our local health food shop). 4 good sized lamb shanks from the butcher were cheaper. I very occasionally use some stevia in a coffee or if I'm having my tea black with lemon. I also sometimes use honey - I've got a great local heather honey at the moment and it is delicious
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I have water kefir grains and have been trying to find a good recipe/method for getting started.I use horrible rotgut white cane sugar... but only to brew kombucha and water kefir. How the little beasties can brew incredible probiotics from nasty sugar (and in the case of kombucha, cheap tea) boggles my mind, but they do. As a matter of fact, they seem to do better with that than with organic sugar.
For me, I use very small amounts of local raw honey when I absolutely have to, like in my coleslaw recipe, or hot honey and lemon for a cold.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!0 -
When baking for my child I use local honey or coconut sugar,or a high graded maple syrup.
Prior to going to AIP Whole 30,I was using a liquid stevia that is vanilla flavoured.
I have read that stevia has a similar molecular structure to steroids
I think any time you see mass marketing behind a product,chances are it will come out not safe in the end.0 -
We keep trying stevia in our treats and then all agree, it ruins the food. I thought stevia was supposed to be healthy???
Seems unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut milk is sweet enough for us. Or almond paste.
And if you eat fruit, then dried dates or raisins will do the trick.
My daughter was using 100% applejuice as a sweetener.0 -
When baking for my child I use local honey or coconut sugar,or a high graded maple syrup.
Prior to going to AIP Whole 30,I was using a liquid stevia that is vanilla flavoured.
I have read that stevia has a similar molecular structure to steroids
I think any time you see mass marketing behind a product,chances are it will come out not safe in the end.
I do organic maple or local raw honey.
Honestly, though, I did a Whole30 and it totally changed my palette. I don't need a lot to make things really sweet.0 -
For my family I generally stick to raw honey or maple syrup, or dates if possible. I'm diabetic, so none of those work for me. I use SweetLeaf liquid stevia in my coffee and tea.0
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Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
Too bad, punkin. If you are adding sweeteners to the things you ingest - you're doing it wrong. You shouldn't be eating sugar unless there's a plant wrapped around it.
I knew some of you couldn't resist. I'm Not paleo yet, just learning about what others do. Stevia IS a plant, but so IS sugar cane. How it is processed ( if any) makes the difference.
As a child of Barbados, I'm happy to say that cane sugar is a go to for me. These days I'm more along the lines of PrimalRunner. Since going paleo (never did the whole 30 personally, just jumped straight into paleo) my tastes have changed and I find that I am able to do without sugar/sweeteners 99.9% of the time. I do use a tsp of raw brown cane sugar in my BPC to cut the bitter and enhance the flavors of the other ingredients, but not enough to make it a sweet coffee.
As for the brown cane sugar, there really isn't that much effort that goes into the process. The juice is extracted, a little lime juice is added to cut impurities etc, it is boiled and separated, you then get the crystals and the molasses. Obviously the process is a little more involved, but for explanation purposes, that's the basics. There are no real tricks to getting the sugar from the sugar cane and for me, it's pretty damn natural. I personally really dislike the taste of sweeteners and would rather steer clear.0 -
I haven't gotten too far below 20-25% carbs yet (those being mostly veggies & fruit), so I can't claim 100% Primal or Paleo yet. With that in mind, I rarely use sugar though. Most things I sweeten with fruit. Once I stopped soda, junk food & prepackaged sweets, I really didn't crave "sugar".
An easy fruit source is natural unsweetened applesauce, and I'll use that in meals requiring a little bit of sugar, like in homemade spaghetti or lasagna sauce. IMO, it tastes much better. It also works great in baking for reducing sugar, but I'll add other fruits too. (when I actually bake anymore lol)
I still do have "pure cane" white sugar, but I'll only get C&H...it takes almost a year to get through a 5# bag. I stay far away from bleached beet sugar. (years back, I heard the exact process from someone working at a beat sugar plant, & I was told and chose to never to buy it.) Otherwise, I get Sugar in the Raw pure cane sugar. That also takes a long time to use up. --These are mainly just for baking, but in lesser amounts & mixed with other sources of purer forms of "sugars".
For the most part, we try to use mainly local raw honey, organic maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, non-local honey and sometimes stevia (but not very keen on the aftertaste). --I will have to pick up some coconut crystals and give those a try too.
The only beverage I actually like sweetened is hot cocoa and only occasionally.
We stay far away from artificial sweeteners.
I have never tried water kefir, but will have to look that up! It sounds very interesting.
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My go to is 100% Birch Xylitol. But I also use Kal brand Stevia powder as it's the best that I've tried.
I do use pure maple syrup and raw unfiltered honey in some of my recipes, but I use them very sparingly.0 -
What do you mean no "rants"!!!?? Surely we know each other enough that I can rant... and you are posting in the Primal/Paleo group... which do not support the use of sweeteners generally speaking.
Anyway, I don't personally use any. Because I am now super sensitive to sweet, lots of things taste extremely sweet to me such as fruit, cinnamon, even carrots etc. My child's treat foods usually are sweetened with bananas or dates (and I limit that stuff-not all she can eat!). However, I think there is a time and place to use unprocessed raw honey, maple syrup, raw sugar etc. I'm no big fan of stevia, but in small amounts if people choose to use it, no biggie to me. There is xylitol in some of the products that I have at home. It's not a staple, but I'm not hugely concerned about it in gum etc.
The thing to keep in mind about sweeteners is our body's tendency to increase tolerance so that we crave things sweeter and sweeter over time. As a ketogenic Paleo person, I want to minimize the need for sweet.
As for aspartame, sucralose (Splenda) etc? Those are deal-breakers for me. Since Paleo/Primal is about health first and foremost, I think it is completely illogical to continue to consume those products. That's why I bailed on the low carb forum. I'm keto but it's a no brainer that a ketogenic lifestyle should be based on real food. Seriously, am I the only person who's pissed that dangerous products are put in our food and we are told it's perfectly "safe"? So, I don't buy that crap. Voting with my dollars.0 -
Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
Too bad, punkin. If you are adding sweeteners to the things you ingest - you're doing it wrong. You shouldn't be eating sugar unless there's a plant wrapped around it.
Oh, monkey, I love you.
I completely agree, and that wasn't a rant. 0 -
Thanks everyone for their input! Nice to hear the many options you guys use. 0
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I use horrible rotgut white cane sugar... but only to brew kombucha and water kefir. How the little beasties can brew incredible probiotics from nasty sugar (and in the case of kombucha, cheap tea) boggles my mind, but they do. As a matter of fact, they seem to do better with that than with organic sugar.
For me, I use very small amounts of local raw honey when I absolutely have to, like in my coleslaw recipe, or hot honey and lemon for a cold.
You should see how yeast reacts to agave nectar. o.o
Like the others, I don't generally use much in the way of sweeteners anymore, though I stock a variety for different purposes, including raw local wildflower honey, local pure maple syrup, stevia (I highly recommend NOT using Stevia in the Raw, it tastes horrible), molasses, and even plain old white sugar (it's generally used for stuff that's not mine, or things like BPC to bring out the other flavors and I'll probably switch to cane sugar now that we're largely away from needing it for anything).
At this point, I view "sweeteners" a lot like any other spice - you add a little bit to bring a certain flavor profile to a dish, not to overpower everything else and make everything taste like candy.0 -
Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
Too bad, punkin. If you are adding sweeteners to the things you ingest - you're doing it wrong. You shouldn't be eating sugar unless there's a plant wrapped around it.
I knew some of you couldn't resist. I'm Not paleo yet, just learning about what others do. Stevia IS a plant, but so IS sugar cane. How it is processed ( if any) makes the difference.
That's pretty much my point. I eat fruits and sweet vegetables like tomatoes and carrots - but I do not drink fruit or vegetable juice. Extracting the juice concentrates the sugars and turns a moderate glycemic load into a high one. Drinking a glass of apple juice is the equivalent of eating four or five apples. I know almost no one would eat that many apples in one sitting - but there are plenty of people who will drink the equivalent amount of sugar in one sitting - and head to the fridge for a refill.
Stevia IS a plant - if you had a stevia plant in the yard and were chewing on the leaf for a touch of sweetness, I wouldn't quibble. How it is used, however is that (old school) the steviol glycosides are extracted by being steeped in alcohol, or (new school) an artificial sweetener using erythritol and rebiana (derived from stevia). Either way, it is an artificial construct of the plant - although 'old school' is more 'natural - and even though it is non-caloric, the body still responds to it like it does with any other sweetener.
Sugar cane IS a plant - but sugar is the extracted and condensed juice of it. Often as a kid, my dad would give me a hunk of cane as a treat; but it was a hard and pithy piece of 'wood' that I spent all afternoon sucking on to get little doses of sweet sap as I went about my day. It was the same amount of sugar as an apple, and it took all afternoon to get at it. That's a far cry from putting a couple of teaspoons of sugar into your coffee and having it hit you in the space of time it takes to drink it.
Akimajuktuq's comments are right on, but I will say that while my wife and I don't use sweeteners at all, we DO have some high-quality honey and boo-hiss Truvia around for when the kids come over. I may serve berries and yogurt for dessert, and they'll add a little honey to make it palatable for them; and the Truvia's for my stepdaughter, who just has to make her coffee annoyingly sweet - but doesn't want the calories from honey. They are adults and make their own food choices; and while I have no problem saying "if you want to stay for dinner, you have to eat our way", I'm also a nice guy and willing to toss 'em a frickin' bone here, y'know?
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Please no rants/advice on how all sweeteners are all bad. I just want simple answers of what you would choose.
Too bad, punkin. If you are adding sweeteners to the things you ingest - you're doing it wrong. You shouldn't be eating sugar unless there's a plant wrapped around it.
I knew some of you couldn't resist. I'm Not paleo yet, just learning about what others do. Stevia IS a plant, but so IS sugar cane. How it is processed ( if any) makes the difference.
That's pretty much my point. I eat fruits and sweet vegetables like tomatoes and carrots - but I do not drink fruit or vegetable juice. Extracting the juice concentrates the sugars and turns a moderate glycemic load into a high one. Drinking a glass of apple juice is the equivalent of eating four or five apples. I know almost no one would eat that many apples in one sitting - but there are plenty of people who will drink the equivalent amount of sugar in one sitting - and head to the fridge for a refill.
Stevia IS a plant - if you had a stevia plant in the yard and were chewing on the leaf for a touch of sweetness, I wouldn't quibble. How it is used, however is that (old school) the steviol glycosides are extracted by being steeped in alcohol, or (new school) an artificial sweetener using erythritol and rebiana (derived from stevia). Either way, it is an artificial construct of the plant - although 'old school' is more 'natural - and even though it is non-caloric, the body still responds to it like it does with any other sweetener.
Sugar cane IS a plant - but sugar is the extracted and condensed juice of it. Often as a kid, my dad would give me a hunk of cane as a treat; but it was a hard and pithy piece of 'wood' that I spent all afternoon sucking on to get little doses of sweet sap as I went about my day. It was the same amount of sugar as an apple, and it took all afternoon to get at it. That's a far cry from putting a couple of teaspoons of sugar into your coffee and having it hit you in the space of time it takes to drink it.
Akimajuktuq's comments are right on, but I will say that while my wife and I don't use sweeteners at all, we DO have some high-quality honey and boo-hiss Truvia around for when the kids come over. I may serve berries and yogurt for dessert, and they'll add a little honey to make it palatable for them; and the Truvia's for my stepdaughter, who just has to make her coffee annoyingly sweet - but doesn't want the calories from honey. They are adults and make their own food choices; and while I have no problem saying "if you want to stay for dinner, you have to eat our way", I'm also a nice guy and willing to toss 'em a frickin' bone here, y'know?
Good to know. I remember chewing on sugar cane, I live in Hawaii, as a child it was easy to come by 0 -
I pretty much just use raw honey, maple syrup, or dates when I'm making treats. I don't use sweeteners in my day-to-day cooking.0
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I use organic stevia (sweetleaf brand) and coconut crystals occasionally.0
