Favorite sweeteners & sugar substitutes?

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kdubby22
kdubby22 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Recently I decided to ditch refined sugars and artificial sweeteners from my diet. I drink several cups of tea a day and sometimes coffee and I've been experimenting with different types of sweeteners. I was interested in getting your opinions on what you enjoy and if I'm missing any hidden gems out there? Here's what I've tried so far:

Stevia--to me it tastes like Sweet N Low which is disgusting, the flavor is too sweet and too much for me

Honey--probably my favorite sweetener, but I can easily go through a bottle a week. Is that really unhealthy?

Agave nectar--I currently use raw blue and the flavor is very pungent and only works in certain teas for me. In other teas, the flavor is ruined. I found it works best in a vanilla chai but not much else.

Any personal experiences would be greatly appreciated :)

Replies

  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I just use plain old sugar, just not a lot of it.
  • elsyoommen
    elsyoommen Posts: 155 Member
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    I've decreased my intake of all sugars overall gradually (over years) so that I need less sweetness overall. I also often use fruit as a substitute. For example I will have plain greek yogurt with berries rather than with honey or other sweetener, or I will use bananas, apples, prunes or other fruit to sweeten muffins and reduce or eliminate the sweetener used.

    ETA: with chai I gradually reduced the amount of sugar and now I don't like sugar in it at all. With other teas I have done the same. If I want some sweetness I will have some food on the side that is sweet. I find that I am more aware of sugar in foods that are solid and I try to avoid any sweeteners in liquids since I don't seem to really register it.
  • animalldy
    animalldy Posts: 140 Member
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    I occasionally use stevia, you need to use a lot less because it is so sweet. Try using 1/2 or 1/3 of what you would use of an artificial sweetener or regular sugar. My favorite stevia is Sweet Leaf, its just stevia no other additives (like Truvia), I find it in the organic section of my regular grocery store.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Sugar or stevia.
  • Jlmervin03
    Jlmervin03 Posts: 152 Member
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    Sugar, honey, or agave syrup
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    organic raw sugar, local raw honey, maple syrup, agave, stevia, molasses, medjool dates
  • jilliangetsit
    jilliangetsit Posts: 97 Member
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    TORANI 0 calorie sugar free coffee syrup - French Vanilla- I use it to sweeten up smoothies, baked items, coffee
    and honey :) seriously try the torani coffee syrup! It's sold at walmart just make sure you go fo sugar free = 0 calories.
    Awesome for when you but frozen fruit (no sugar added) for smoothies! Cheers!
  • Kanuenue
    Kanuenue Posts: 253 Member
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    I used pureed fruit whenever I can. Dates are a fave of mine because of the fiber and rich taste. You don't need a lot to make a difference. Not great for coffee but good for baking and smoothies.

    Coconut sugar is also lovely. Similar taste & nutritional profile to agave nectar with some fiber but is less processed than the syrup.
  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
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    Stevia, but I normally use half a package per tea.
  • rayraex
    rayraex Posts: 50
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    Stevia is still an artificial sweetener. I use honey sometimes but in moderation, otherwise just fruits. Your tastes adjust to not using sugar after a while.
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    Stevia is still an artificial sweetener. I use honey sometimes but in moderation, otherwise just fruits. Your tastes adjust to not using sugar after a while.

    Stevia is a natural sweetener "made from the leaves of a plant, Stevia rebaudiana, native to South America. Stevia leaves get their sweet taste – about 10 to 15 times sweeter than sugar – from natural compounds called steviol glycosides."
  • KETOGENICGURL
    KETOGENICGURL Posts: 687 Member
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    Stevia is a natural sweetener "made from the leaves of a plant, Stevia rebaudiana

    It may start as a natural plant, used for hundreds of years in SA, but what is done to it in processing usually means adding sugars like maltodextrose.

    a pure liquid stevia ( Sweet leaf) as mentioned with no additives MAY be safe, but a 1985 study (below) component of the leaf DID cause mutagenic problems in testing, and the conclusion was we do not KNOW if this conversion affecting our DNA happens in our own gut- ( I'd be worried I w I was < age 40-50) during the processing of it in the digestive system. I can't find any NEW studies that have refuted this…

    So I also would use only the pure leaf ( a green powder, but not sweet- more like adding herbs to coffee) and you can make your own from the plant thru a simple process (search online)…

    I like the liquid best..But KAL, in UT, a major brand took the word "natural" off the label in the last 3 months and added maltodextrose (sugar made from GMO corn) in unknown quantity..BAH! So I will try the Sweet Leaf, or not at all.

    Metabolically Activated Steviol, the Aglycone of Stevioside, is Mutagenic
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/25123?&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
  • fatai88
    fatai88 Posts: 1 Member
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    I use Xylotol as alternative to sugar- it does the job.. got it from organic store so assume it's legit LOL

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