Naturally Sweet: 4 Chemical-Free Sugar Substitutes
Meet four sugar substitutes that don't come in pink, blue, or yellow packets.
By Ashley Gartland
Photo: Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images
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Honey
The scoop: This kitchen staple provides a concentrated dose of antioxidants, and it appears to be easy on the heart and hips: In one study, people who had about ten teaspoons of honey every day for a month lowered their cholesterol by up to 3.3 percent while maintaining or even losing weight.
How to enjoy it: There are more than 300 kinds to sample—from blueberry to buckwheat. Darker honeys have more nutrients and are more flavorful. Try different varieties with cheeses or winter squash. In baked goods, Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking, recommends substituting ½ cup honey for every cup of sugar, reducing the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup, and increasing the baking soda by ¼ tsp.*
* When baking with agave, honey, or molasses, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees to avoid overbrowning.
From the
April 2012 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
