Natural Sugar Alternatives That Are Good For You

By Esther George

As concern grows regarding diabetes and obesity in the population, many consumers have begun shopping for sugar alternatives, both for a healthier lifestyle and dietary changes. Everyone enjoys the sweet taste of sugar, but the refined white sugar found in most of our foods is not a healthy option. While refined sugars are not the best option health-wise, there are sugar alternatives that allow you to still eat the foods you love.

Natural sugar for one is a much better choice than refined white sugar. Natural sugar can benefit your body in small amounts as it provides easy to digest energy. As long as you do not eat too much at which point your body will store the excess as fat. And that is what we are all trying to avoid.

There are other sugar alternatives available as well, and some of them are better for you than others. First there are the artificial sweeteners like saccharine. This can be found in the Sweet and Low packets on the table in just about every restaurant in the country. This artificial sugar alternative is very sweet so you use a lot less to get the same level of sweetness than you would need with real sugar.

The problem with these sugar alternatives is that they may not be very good for you. Some people think that they cause cancer, but this has not been proven in any scientific studies yet. More importantly, they encourage your body to want more sugar, so they do not help you to eat healthier and avoid sugar at other times. Also, since they are tricking your body into thinking it is getting sugar, it stores the empty calories as fat, so the effects are just the same.

Artificial sugar alternatives are not generally good for cooking with. While they may work for sweetening tea and coffee, they often get a chemical taste during cooking. This is why most homes will have refined sugar in the pantry, even when artificial sweeteners are used.

But there are other natural sugar alternatives that you can use that are great for baking and all your other sweetener needs. Honey is one good choice. It is all natural and good for you in moderation, of course. It is great for baking and as an added bonus it thickens things up as well.

Honey is also a good option for coffee or tea. You can get honey crystals that have been dried, making them easy to use. These honey crystals are perfect to use in beverages or over cereal.

Another great choice is Agave. Also derived from a plant, it is a concentrated liquid sweetener. It usually comes in smaller bottles because it is sweet enough you only need a few drops to replace spoonfuls of sugar!

With all the natural sugar alternatives out there, make sure you do your research well. Natural sugar alternatives like Honey Crystals offer the additional benefit of being dry and easy to use. It replaces sugar 1:1 and is great for keeping your weight in check and your health in shape. - 29887

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here