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sugar substitutes

The holiday season presents us with tempting treats and desserts that can be hard to resist. The problem with traditionally sweetened desserts is they’re loaded with sugar, which is addictive. The more you eat, the more you want.

Sugar is also high in calories and inflammatory to the body. Excessive consumption is linked to chronic inflammation, autoimmune conditions, energy depletion, skin issues, and heart disease. Sugar contributes to an increased body fat percentage and is also linked to an increased risk of diabetes. If you’re looking to help prevent certain conditions associated with high sugar intake, using natural sweeteners in small amounts can be a healthier alternative.

The Options

Sugar alternatives can be natural or artificial. Artificial sweeteners are fake sugar substitutes, which may come from naturally occurring items like herbs or even sugar itself.

Natural sweeteners can be healthier, but keep in mind that moderation is key. Even natural substitutions can raise your blood sugar, depending on their glycemic indexes and fructose contents. Limit sugar consumption of any kind. Try flavoring and sweetening food with sprinkles of cinnamon and dashes of vanilla extract.

If you have a craving for something sweet, the following alternatives can be healthier options for sweetening baked goods, beverages, and more. For best results, look for recipes that specifically call for a certain sweetener. • Agave syrup. Extracted from the agave plant, this option must be filtered and transformed into glucose. So, although it’s technically a natural sweetener, agave syrup is still quite highly processed.

A popular addition to drinks, teas, and coffees, agave is very sweet. Since agave nectar is 84 percent fructose, it may increase hunger pangs. • Coconut sugar. A plant-based and vegan alternative, this sweetener is made from the sap from the flowers of the coconut palm. Healthier than conventional sugar, coconut sugar contains small amounts of iron, zinc, and inulin, a fiber that can help prevent blood sugar spikes. Coconut sugar adds both texture and color to baked goods, and it does not taste too much like coconuts. Use it as a sugar replacement in your favorite recipes.

To help it dissolve as easily as granulated sugar, grind coconut sugar into a fine powder with a spice grinder before baking with it. • Date sugar. Made by pulverizing dried dates into a powder, this sweetener retains a lot of its nutrients.

Its drawback is that it absorbs a lot of liquid, so it won’t dissolve or melt as well as other dry sugars. If you use date sugar in baked goods, be sure to adjust the liquid or the items will be dense and dry. Better yet, find recipes that have been created specifically with date sugar in mind.

• Honey. Popular with humanity (and bears!) for thousands of years, honey is the ultimate natural sweetener. This viscous liquid is made when bees feed off flower nectar. Traditional honey is mechanically filtered and strained to remove debris and wax. There’s also raw honey, which retains a lot of its pollen and is only lightly filtered.

Trace amounts of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins are present in honey. It’s high in calories, but it’s a popular sugar substitute in beverages, marinades, and dressings. Top pancakes, toast, and yogurt with honey. Use in custards and curds.

Both traditional and raw honey can vary greatly in flavor depending on the bees’ diets. • Maple syrup. This sweet, sticky substance is made by boiling down the sap from maple trees.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup! Depending on processing, different grades are created. Pure maple syrup offers some amounts of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Top breakfast foods with this flavorful ingredient.

Maple syrup makes a great substitute for caramel. • Monk fruit sweetener. Derived from the

Southeast Asian monk fruit, this product gets its sweet flavor from antioxidants known as mogrosides. Look for it in the sweetener aisles and in products such as canned fruit, chocolate, and juice. Monk fruit sweetener is calorie free and is approximately 100 times sweeter than conventional sugar, so a little goes a long way.

Look for unadulterated versions. • Stevia. In liquid or granulated form, this sugar alternative comes from the stevia plant. Stevia is about 350 times sweeter than sugar, so not much is needed. It contains no fructose and has a glycemic index of zero. If the taste of stevia is too strong for you, try the liquid version. Stevia works well in coffee, smoothies, and other beverages. • Xylitol. A naturally occurring sugar alcohol, xylitol can’t be digested by the body so it does not add calories toward the diet. It can be used in baking, and it’s also commonly found in sugar-free gum, mints, and candy. Keep in mind that consuming xylitol may cause gas, bloating, and GI distress for some individuals. ●

SELECTED SOURCES “Healthiest sugar substitutes” by Just Vegan Today, https://JustVeganToday.com, 6/28/21 • Naturally Sweet by America’s Test Kitchen ($26.95, America’s Test Kitchen, 2016) • “Sugar substitutes: Helpful or harmful?” www.NutritionLetter.Tufts.edu, 8/9/19 • “Your comprehensive guide to sugar substitutes, according to nutritionists” by Nikhita Mahtani, www.WomensHealthMag.com, 5/17/21