Sugar Alternatives?

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00Angela00
00Angela00 Posts: 1,077 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What are some healthy alternatives to adding sugar to foods? Is honey any better?

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  • Allibaba
    Allibaba Posts: 457 Member
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    I use stevia it is a natural sweetener, it is pretty good.
  • absie107
    absie107 Posts: 290
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    I would recommend attempting to ditch the adding sugar in general thing. Try some fresh fruit, a bit of honey now and then... stuff with one ingredient. Sugar is sugar, artificial sweetners... well, those aren't food. They're engineered to be food products.

    It's hard... but just attempt to cut down on sugar in general. The artificial stuff is just as bad for you, just like how regular butter is better than margarine. Whole foods, not Frankenfoods.
  • amtrust
    amtrust Posts: 178
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    Ditto to what absie107 said. I've been trying to "Eat Clean" for a couple weeks now....no sugar, no processed foods, etc. Much better for the bod. I like what she said, "Whole food, not Frankenfood." =)
  • shellgib
    shellgib Posts: 196 Member
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    well, for those of us who like to add a little bit of something to our tea or whatever.... :wink:

    I switched from using the pink stuff to using splenda to my current favorite....Sun Crystals!!! :love: they are all natural, no chemicals and only 5 calories per packet. I use them for my tea as well as sprinkled over strawberries that just aren't sweet enough sometimes and it tastes great. very little is needed as it is from pure cane sugar. i have never tried to use it for baking and not really sure if it is recommended that way, but I do very little baking and would just use regular sugar for that purpose.

    HTH! :flowerforyou:
  • Mirlyn
    Mirlyn Posts: 256
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    well, for those of us who like to add a little bit of something to our tea or whatever.... :wink:

    I switched from using the pink stuff to using splenda to my current favorite....Sun Crystals!!! :love: they are all natural, no chemicals and only 5 calories per packet. I use them for my tea as well as sprinkled over strawberries that just aren't sweet enough sometimes and it tastes great. very little is needed as it is from pure cane sugar. i have never tried to use it for baking and not really sure if it is recommended that way, but I do very little baking and would just use regular sugar for that purpose.

    HTH! :flowerforyou:

    I use sun crystal packets for anything that needs a tidbit of sugar. I use honey for some things too. I don't like the idea of "frankenfoods" but I think for the occasional treat sweetening with these products isn't really going to do harm to you. You can also use agave, I haven't yet but I've seen many healthy chefs recommend using it and I know it's part of the whole clean eating thing.
  • Phera
    Phera Posts: 269 Member
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    If I need something sweet I like to add honey or unprocessed sugar based on what I've read about the body's inability to recognize and break down "fake" sugar and processed sugars. However, I'm trying to wean myself off adding sweet stuff entirely and eating fruit instead.

    Oh I forgot to add that honey is a natural antibiotic and really how bad can it be for you then?
  • Pinksapphire74
    Pinksapphire74 Posts: 35
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    I use stevia raw to sweeten my tea or whatever else I wish, it is all natural and comes from a plant so it is not processed like the others:)
  • Fausttt
    Fausttt Posts: 101
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    opium, cocaine, and most of the world's deadliest toxins are "natural". That means nothing. The fact that some studied have shown POSSIBLE mutagenic effects with stevia (studies are still inconclusive) is enough to have me avoid it until it has been more thoroughly tested.
  • 00Angela00
    00Angela00 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    Has anyone heard of agave nectar? I've heard of a lot of people who use this instead of sugar or honey. Is it any better than sugar or honey?
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Agave is pretty good. I've used it in the past. Sucannat is also pretty good as long as you don't mind a strong molasses taste (I use it more often when baking). Stevia is really good and I use honey when replacing white sugar. I try to stick to as natural as I can but sometimes white sugar is fine...it's much better than the chemical crap.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    we use Truvia (stevia) to add to fresh fruit for some added sweetness
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    Sorry, I just use old-fashioned sweeteners, cannot stand unsweetened tea or coffee, tastes like poison to me :sick: . One teaspoon of sugar is 20 calories, I like two in my cup of tea and that would mean 40 calories and that does not include the milk (even though it's skimmed, it's still more calories). Two calories in one sweetener means I can have my tea and coffee without throwing up :laugh:

    I know, I know, it is manufactured, but if it means I can enjoy my tea first thing in the morning, that suits me. I gave up cigarettes and cut right back on my drinking, cut out chocolate, cakes and biscuits and if I restrict myself on much more I may as well sit in the wardrobe and tap on the door when I want to go to the toilet :laugh:
  • Becka77
    Becka77 Posts: 284 Member
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    I've been trying to give up using sweeteners all together. I just read too much bad stuff about them, Stevia included. I know I can't eliminate it all together because it's in so much stuff, but I can avoid adding any more.

    I use local honey some because it is suppose to help with my allergies and I also use Organic Agave Nectar. The Agave takes a little getting used to, especially in coffee, but once your used to it, it is fine.

    Here is some info on Agave:

    Agave syrup is a low-glycemic sweetener
    What makes agave superior to sugar? Sugar is a processed sweetener that has no nutritive value, other than calories. And agave, as compared to other sweeteners, has a desirable low-glycemic index. This means that when consumed, it won’t cause a sharp rise or fall in blood sugar.

    Here is a list of sweeteners and corresponding glycemic values. The higher the value, the bigger the impact on blood sugar.

    GLYCEMIC VALUES
    Organic Agave Nectar 27
    Fructose (fruit sugar) 32
    Lactose (milk sugar) 65
    Honey 83
    High fructose corn syrup 89
    Sucrose (sugar) 92
    Glucose 137
    Glucose tablets 146
    Maltodextrin 150
    Maltose 150

    Full Article:

    http://www.sheknows.com/articles/804491/the-health-benefits-of-agave-nectar

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