What IS the Healthy Substitute for Sugar?

Mommiana
Mommiana Posts: 7 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
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

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Sugar ... unless you have a medical condition.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Whatever you can fit into your diet, whether it's sugar or artificial sweeteners (which are fine, as is everything else, in moderation)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Sugar.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    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 options
  • MindySaysWhaaat
    MindySaysWhaaat Posts: 401 Member
    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 problem
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    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.
  • SoulOfRusalka
    SoulOfRusalka Posts: 1,201 Member
    If you want a 0 cal sweetener that's not terrible, stevia's better than aspertame/splenda/whatever.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    EXCESS sugar is unhealthy. Artificial sweeteners aren't unhealthy either, they've been proven safe. Use whichever you prefer.
  • rosiorama
    rosiorama Posts: 300 Member
    Sugar. I won't touch any of that fake crap knowingly.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I use Sweet n Low in my tea but real sugar for everything else.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,706 Member
    edited March 2015
    Mommiana wrote: »
    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.

  • GoPerfectHealth
    GoPerfectHealth Posts: 254 Member
    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.

  • indyrunning
    indyrunning Posts: 136 Member
    Have you tried Stevia?
  • trashheap
    trashheap Posts: 9 Member
    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.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    Sugar ... unless you have a medical condition.

    this
  • Markguns
    Markguns Posts: 554 Member
    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. ;)
  • indyrunning
    indyrunning Posts: 136 Member
    Stevia does take a little getting used to, though. It can have an aftertaste if you use too much.
  • phogbear
    phogbear Posts: 30 Member
    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.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    Sugar ... unless you have a medical condition.

    this

    double this.
  • Barbs2222
    Barbs2222 Posts: 433 Member
    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 :)

  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    I use Sweet n Low. Sugar has calories and coats teeth. Fine in moderation and all, but there are certainly more concrete downsides to drinking sugared water than there are to drinking artificially sweetened water. I know of no concrete downsides to the latter, in fact.
  • GoPerfectHealth
    GoPerfectHealth Posts: 254 Member
    Barbs2222 wrote: »
    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 :)

    You can get it at health food stores and also on Amazon. I made pumpkin muffins with it once. They were delicious!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I use sugar where sugar is called for...I just don't eat a *kitten* ton of sugar. I don't eat a lot of baked goods and whatnot...that kind of stuff is special occasion stuff for me...so I don't worry about it. I have a soda every once in awhile...so I really don't worry about it. Most of my daily sugar intake comes by way of fruits and veg.

    Sugar in and of itself isn't evil...it occurs naturally in many things we eat. The problem is simply over consumption...so the healthy alternative is to simply moderate consumption to a reasonable level.
  • ausf
    ausf Posts: 51
    Splends i only use 3 aday on my 3 cup coffee
  • ausf
    ausf Posts: 51
    Splenda
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Sweet 'n Low in tea, Splenda on grapefruit, sugar on everything else. Stay at your calorie goal barring any medical condition. I also do not believe the scare tactics about reasonable consumption of artificial sweeteners. They are among the most studied substances on the planet.
  • HereLieWe
    HereLieWe Posts: 233 Member
    Do any of you know of a low carb, zero calorie sweetener? I use splenda to make my Atkins treats, but splenda has carbs in it.
  • andalite4412
    andalite4412 Posts: 6 Member
    Xylitol has been the closest I've found to tasting like sugar and it's heat stable so you can bake with it. I've also made powdered sugar out of it to make frosting. It's good for your teeth too, something about not feeding and reducing the growth of harmful mouth bacteria. Just be extra careful if you have pets that they don't steal any of the treats you make with it/put it in cause it's more toxic to them than chocolate is. I've also read it can cause excess gas in some people but it's never bothered me.

    Erythritol is good too, though definitely has a different taste than real sugar. I don't get much of an aftertaste with it though. This is what Sobe uses in their Lifewater 0's that you find at convenience stores. Love those drinks.

    Stevia is okay. It can taste bitter if you use too much and has a more pronounced aftertaste, but I sometimes use Truvia packets and it's a mix of stevia and erythritol so any aftertaste is minimized. I actually prefer this to sweeten my tea than regular sugar. It's got a.. cleaner taste? I dunno, I'm just used to it.
  • lyndsayfletch
    lyndsayfletch Posts: 26 Member
    Stevia is a plant based sweetner...not bad for u at all :-)
  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
    Mommiana wrote: »
    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!

    I'll tell you a secret: tea and coffee taste great without any sweeteners. Actually sugar and other sweeteners "kill" the taste of your drink. If you cut them out completely, you will start to appreciate good quality teas and coffees and enjoy your Darjeeling or your Earl Grey much better. You may want to start by gradually reducing the amount until you can cut it out altogether.
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