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: Martin Barraud/Getty Images
Got a late afternoon craving? You could satisfy it with nutrient-poor white sugar or chemical-based fake sugar. Or you could indulge in a rich, natural alternative that comes with an added perk—like the power to lower your cholesterol, or a potent dose of iron. Here's the skinny on a handful of healthier sweeteners.
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Agave Nectar
The scoop: Made from the agave plant (which also gives us tequila), this syrup with notes of caramel has slightly more calories than table sugar but is about 25 percent sweeter, so you can get away with less of it. Plus: Agave nectar does good things for your gut. It contains a type of dietary fiber, known as a prebiotic, that nourishes intestinal bacteria.
How to enjoy it: Drizzle over yogurt with active cultures to give those friendly flora an extra boost. The syrup also goes well with drinks (from coffee to cocktails) because it dissolves easily in liquids. When cooking, remember that 3/4 cup adds the same sweetness as 1 cup sugar.*
* When baking with agave, honey, or molasses, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees to avoid overbrowning.
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Stevia
The scoop: The powdered extract of the South American stevia plant is a zero-calorie sugar substitute that's 100 percent natural. While it's 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar, stevia doesn't cause a spike in blood glucose levels—sparing you the crash that follows a spoonful of the white stuff.
How to enjoy it: Some brands have a licorice aftertaste, so experiment until you find one you like. When baking, replace all but ¼ cup sugar in the recipe; for each ½ cup sugar removed, use 3½ Tbsp. stevia. To add a sweet finish to muffins, dust the tops with 1 Tbsp. stevia, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon.
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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.
Blackstrap Molasses
The scoop: A tablespoon of viscous molasses—a by-product of sugarcane processing—packs about 15 percent of the daily iron requirement for premenopausal women, as well as vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, and more antioxidants than any other natural sweetener.
How to enjoy it: David Grotto, author of
101 Foods That Could Save Your Life!, stirs a few tablespoons into baked beans. When cooking with molasses, consider blending it with other sweeteners to temper its acidic flavor: Swanson replaces up to half the sugar in a recipe; every cup of sugar removed becomes 1¼ cups molasses. She also cuts the liquid by up to ⅓ cup and adds 1 tsp. baking soda per cup of molasses.*
*
When baking with agave, honey, or molasses, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees to avoid overbrowning.
Keep Reading: Beat fruit fatigue with 8 fresh alternatives
From the
April 2012 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
