What IS the Healthy Substitute for Sugar?
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Mommiana
Posts: 7 Member
Suggestions please...artificial sweeteners aren't good for you; sugar isn't either...what does one use for sweetener in tea, coffee, or in baking? Thanks!
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Replies
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Sugar ... unless you have a medical condition.0
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Whatever you can fit into your diet, whether it's sugar or artificial sweeteners (which are fine, as is everything else, in moderation)0
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Sugar.0
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i use alot of honey coconut sugar and maple syrup. now i do also sometimes use sugar. u wont save much as far as calories go i just prefer them. to each theyre own. if ur looking for something less processed then sugar maple syrup and honey are good options0
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Listen, we've been using sugar for CENTURIES and just now it's becoming considered "bad for you." That's because the main problem is that we've been eating too much food in general - we've gotten way used to eating TONS of calories, sugar, everything. and our portion sizes are out of control.
Sugar in and of itself is not terrible. It's how much sugar (or anything else, to be honest) that is the problem0 -
Sugar - it really isn't that many calories unless you're using a ton of it. Personally I don't worry about chemical scare tactics so I use Truvia or Pure Via in my coffee or tea at home - but I use actual sugar in baking/cooking.0
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If you want a 0 cal sweetener that's not terrible, stevia's better than aspertame/splenda/whatever.0
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EXCESS sugar is unhealthy. Artificial sweeteners aren't unhealthy either, they've been proven safe. Use whichever you prefer.0
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Sugar. I won't touch any of that fake crap knowingly.0
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I use Sweet n Low in my tea but real sugar for everything else.0
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Suggestions please...artificial sweeteners aren't good for you; sugar isn't either...what does one use for sweetener in tea, coffee, or in baking? Thanks!
Sugar is not generally bad for a healthy person and if I need a sweetener to cook or bake that is what I use, because in the country where I live sugar is usually unbleached or popular as unprocessed sugar and of a very dark brown color with it's few minerals and nutrients ( that disappear in more processing ) intact. In 2014 I have used just over one pound of sugar.
The problem is that the average American eats 25-30 % of their already high calorie intake from processed hidden sugars ( even processed, frozen and canned foods, or foods that are not sweet and really need no sugar often have hidden HFCS ) and also feel they are entitled to a mostly sugary treat every day, while our ancestors only had " treats " on special days like holidays, or birthdays. I am always surprised that here in the different threads everything gets lumped under sugar, even though a lot of the processed food in the US is actually sweetened with HFCS which is metabolized differently than sugar.
Also, if artificial sweeteners don't give you problems like head aches, there is no reason to not use them in moderation. There are things that are much worse ( like in many places the air we breathe ) than the occasional sachet of Splenda or something similar, even though I personally would not bake with Splenda , even if I had diabetes. Luckily I am spared sugar problems , because I have as good as no sweet tooth.
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After doing some reading recently I discovered that there are artificial sweeteners, and there are also sweeteners that fall into the category of sugar alcohols.
One sugar alcohol that I use is Erythritol. It tastes good, has zero calories and does not raise blood sugar levels. It also has antioxidants. If you are looking for a good substitute for sugar (but not low calorie), date sugar is an excellent one. It is simply ground up dates which have a lot of health benefits. My husband has date sugar and honey on his oatmeal every morning.
Here is some information on erythritol: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant
Here is another video that ranks the various sweeteners by their health benefits. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener
FYI - I just have to add that the source of the videos (NutritionFacts.Org) - seems to promote vegetarianism.
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Have you tried Stevia?0
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I am a fan of stevia. To everyone yelling "SUGAR!!!!"- for those of us who need to stick to a low carb diet such as keto for health reasons (in my case PCOS), sugar is pretty much right out except for tiny amounts and isn't going to work out for cooking needs. I'm in no way opposed to sugar for any reason other than I am insulin resistant and every bit of it sticks to my ever increasing bum. Stevia has been the best thing ever (natural, from a plant, no calories or carbs, and no funky headaches like I get with artificial sweeteners). It doesn't taste exactly like sugar but it's really growing on me. I just made a batch of low carb friendly cookies with it, and they are awesome. It's super amazing in blueberry tea.0
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brianpperkins wrote: »Sugar ... unless you have a medical condition.
this0 -
I like Organic Sugar Florida Crystals for my coffee. As far as 0 cal I use Stevia. ( There are different manufacturers, they don't all taste the same to me. I like Stevia in the Raw. Buy the small packets of them to try them out). But as everyone said Sugar isn't "bad" it's the amount. Blackstrap molasses is the healthiest sweetener, if there is such a thing, (good on my oatmeal or yogurt) but it doesn't go good in my coffee.0
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Stevia does take a little getting used to, though. It can have an aftertaste if you use too much.0
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As others said, if you have the calories (and no diabetes) for sugar then there is nothing wrong in moderation.
The one artificial sweetener with the best research is splenda. By best I mean it hasn't been linked to to cancer or other issues. Recently there was a blog linking it to organ failure, but they wouldn't provide the research reference backing up their claim. When I finally found the paper, the doses used by the researchers were ridiculously high. The scientist were establishing an upper limit for splenda intake. The bloggers were fear mongering and didn't understand the science.
The only one listed as an anticipated human carcinogen is saccharin. Stevia has not gone through the FDA testing process so isn't sold as a sweetener. I know it is, but its supposed to be labeled as a herbal supplement. Its been used for centuries in South America and 3 decades in Japan.
Personally I allocate some calories to have honey in my tea. I also use some stevia and splenda. I like both and that way I'm not using to much of one or the other.0 -
brianpperkins wrote: »Sugar ... unless you have a medical condition.
this
double this.0 -
GoPerfectHealth wrote: »After doing some reading recently I discovered that there are artificial sweeteners, and there are also sweeteners that fall into the category of sugar alcohols.
One sugar alcohol that I use is Erythritol. It tastes good, has zero calories and does not raise blood sugar levels. It also has antioxidants. If you are looking for a good substitute for sugar (but not low calorie), date sugar is an excellent one. It is simply ground up dates which have a lot of health benefits. My husband has date sugar and honey on his oatmeal every morning.
Here is some information on erythritol: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant
Here is another video that ranks the various sweeteners by their health benefits. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener
FYI - I just have to add that the source of the videos (NutritionFacts.Org) - seems to promote vegetarianism.
Date sugar? Wow, that's great! I've never heard of it. I've never seen it in the store either so I'll have to look harder. My husband will absolutely love it. Thanks for sharing
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