Cookies, Ice Cream and Candy – some days I treat these as a food group of their very own! A couple of weeks ago, I did a 10 day challenge to cut out added sugars and the not-so-healthy carbohydrates that make me feel fluffy and puffy and I also noticed I’m a lot unhappier with my skin when I have been putting too much sugar into my body. We just don’t need all the added sugars in our diets, my friends.
I knew I had to make a clean break. again!! I don’t like to restrict myself from food groups – I want to be able to eat the things I enjoy!! Foods that taste great and also fuel my body because they are filled with nutrients that fill us and help us avoid cravings. I’m not recommending anyone cut out all fruits and carbs – not the foods that the body actually needs! In fact, some of those are the things on my go-to snack list that you can download here for free.
Natural sugars are the ones found in whole foods, foods that are unprocessed, like the fructose in bananas and berries. The fiber in fruits slows down how quickly our body processes the food, so we don’t get the same sugar rush that we get after eating a half pint of ice cream or a sleeve of Oreos. (Not that I’ve ever done either of those!) You definitely need to check out the information about the glycemic index to better understand the effect sugar has on your body chemistry, and in turn, weight loss and weight gain!
The problem with sugar
It’s a real problem that added sugars are hiding out in A TON of foods — like processed frozen foods, dried fruit, cereal, granola bars, salad dressings, ketchup, pasta sauces, fruity yogurts, protein bars, and more. Did you know that sugar goes by more than 60 names on nutrition labels!! Look out for: brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, rice syrup, dextrose, maltose, barley malt, fructose sweetener, fruit juice concentrates, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, and the list goes on! To identify an added sugar, be on the lookout for words that end with an “-ose,” as well as phrases that contain “syrup” or “malt.”
In addition to satisfying the sweet tooth with fruits, I wanted to share some alternatives to sugar that you may find useful. I’m not talking about the powdery sugar sweetener substitutes – which can be harmful. Those alternative sweeteners are artificially created. Others, like honey or maple syrup, have slightly more health benefits than processed sugar but are still high in naturally occurring types of sugar such as fructose. That means, you still want to be cautious about the amount you’re using. Here are some tips for the alternatives to sugar that I keep on hand.
Keep reading for more information on some of my go-to sugar alternatives!
Honey is Naturally Sweet
You probably know that honey is a substance produced by bees from the nectar of plants. Honey is commonly used as a sweetener in food. It may also be used as a medicine!
Honey has a lower Glycemic Index value than sugar which means that honey does not raise blood sugar levels as quickly as sugar. Less of a sugar rush! Also, honey is sweeter than sugar, so we may use less of it — honey does have slightly more calories per teaspoon so you want to keep a close eye on your portion sizes.
When it comes to honey, try to choose one that is raw. Raw honey will contain more vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants and nutrients than white sugar. Raw honey is only strained before it’s bottled, which means it retains most of the beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that it naturally contains.
Snack Tip: I love to have Fage 0% Greek Yogurt with honey and pineapple! Also, I love this Fruit and Yogurt Parfait!
Maple Syrup is Sweeter than Sugar
Maple syrup is so delicious!! Like honey, maple syrup is sweeter than sugar. I bet you already knew that maple syrup is natural! I mean it’s made by tapping sugar maple trees, then boiling the sap to end up with a thick syrup.
When you’re selecting a maple syrup, make sure to get real maple syrup — not just maple-flavored syrup, which can be full of refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. What makes maple syrup different from the refined sugar we’re most familiar with is its minerals and antioxidants.
Around 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup contains calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and manganese!
Maple syrup still raises blood sugar with a glycemic index of around 54. That’s a lower number than sugar – and remember that maple syrup is sweeter than sugar, so don’t overuse it! I know I did my family a favor by swapping maple syrup in for the processed syrups we used to use. I caution them to use less that’s for sure.
A great recipe I love that uses maple syrup as a sweetener are the protein packed banana egg pancakes.
Liquid Stevia – not the packets!
Stevia is an herb, originally from South America, though it now grows throughout the world. Do you see the pattern here? It’s a plant. From nature! Another natural sweetener.
Stevia is naturally very sweet and considered 100 to 200 times sweeter than sugar, but it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels like sugar and other artificial sweeteners do. There’s that Glycemic Index again!
Stevia has been used as a sweetener and medicinal herb in various cultures around the world for centuries and has recently been getting more popular.
While the stevia leaf in fresh or dried form is a natural herbal sweetener, a lot of the forms of stevia based sweeteners we see are powdered and processed. Those popular powdered stevia sweeteners go through dozens of steps during processing from bleaching to chemical alteration. Liquid Stevia comes in drops and can give you the desired sweetness of sugar but nothing artificial — and no carbs or calories!
Agave Nectar
Agave is a desert plant harvested to make tequila and sweet syrup and It was traditionally believed to have healing properties.
Agave Nectar comes from the sap of the agave plant (a type of cactus native to Mexico) and is a sweet brown liquid. Agave Nectar can be used as an alternative to sugar, honey or maple syrup! Agave has become a popular replacement for table sugar. After the juice is extracted from the plant it is filtered, heated and concentrated into a syrup. In this process, we lose some of the nutrient and antioxidant benefits.
Agave nectar is about one and a half times sweeter than sugar, which means you can achieve the same sweetness by using less. It is super easy to use, good for sweetening hot drinks, in baking recipes, and it can be used in place of other high sugar syrups. Although there are slightly more calories in agave nectar than white sugar you use less than half the amount of agave to achieve the same sweetness, meaning fewer calories overall. That’s a win! I use agave nectar in my homemade tomato sauce.
Quick summary
I’d love to know what alternatives to sugar you have found you enjoy? When in doubt, look for words like natural, 100% and plant-based! Remember that alternatives like honey, maple syrup and agave nectar are sweeter than sugar – so you will want to use less. As with most things in nutrition, balance and moderation are key.
Most people are consuming way too much sugar and often have no idea. Read your labels!