| Sugar Alternatives |
Pros |
Cons
|
| Raw honey |
|
- More calories than normal sugar.
|
| Maple syrup |
- Beneficial as a sweetener in baking and in fruit-based recipes. Don’t forget to reduce other liquids by about a quarter.
- High in minerals and nutrients.
- Best to buy organic and in glass.
|
- Conventional maple syrup may actually be coloured water or contain formaldehyde.
|
| Brown rice syrup |
- Made from boiling brown rice. The syrup is gluten and wheat free.
- Suitable for baking or for drizzling over pancakes or porridge.
- Butterscotch flavour.
|
- May contain high levels of arsenic depending on where rice was grown.
- Not suitable for adding to coffee or tea.
- Heavily processed.
|
| Dates |
- High in fibre and other nutrients and tryptophan.
- If using whole, the Medjool dates are best.
- To make date paste, blend or cook fresh dates with a little water over low heat or soak for several hours prior to blending.
|
|
| Fruit |
- Comes in a range of strengths and flavours.
- Great for baking.
|
- Not great in coffee and tea.
- Ensure your fruit sugar doesn’t include added sugar.
|
| Stevia |
- May be sweetener of choice for those with diabetes, candida or cancer.
- Green leaves are better than the white extract.
|
- It is very sweet, so you only need a small amount. (A pinch = 1 tsp. sugar)
- Stevia is often mixed with other fillers. Be sure to read labels.
|
| Yacon (Jerusalem artichoke) |
- Rich in iron and only mildly glycemic.
- Generally available as dehydrated chips and as a syrup.
|
|
| Xylitol |
- May help prevent the growth of bacteria.
- Naturally found in fibrous fruits and vegetables, corn cobs and some hardwood trees.
|
- Man-made chemical.
- In a number of foods, such as gum and supplements.
|
| Coconut sugar |
- Higher nutrient content and lower glycemic index than most sugars.
- Tastes similar to brown sugar, but is slightly richer.
- Distinctive coconut flavour.
|
|
| Molasses |
- Rich in vitamins and minerals.
- Blackstrap molasses is the most beneficial and is a good source of iron and calcium.
- “Waste” product from production of refined sugar.
|
- Produced from and sweeter than sugar.
- Rich flavour. Not suited for all recipes because it is thick and viscous.
- Be sure to select unsulfured, organic sugarcane molasses.
|
| Barley Malt Sugar |
- Similar to molasses in texture with a malty taste.
- Ideal for baking in bread.
- Easily digested with a low glycemic index.
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