We all love to indulge in the sweetness of life. At the same time for many the enjoyment of sugar often comes at a pretty high price. Sugar has gotten a bad rap having been linked to many serious diseases, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Nonetheless, there are some healthier ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. Here are 5 healthy natural alternative sweeteners. These alternatives are all scientifically proven to be healthier than sugar.
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar, aka coconut palm sugar, is made from the dehydrated sap of the coconut palm. Contrary to table sugar, coconut sugar retains many of its nutrients. So you get more than just empty calories. Most notably, coconut sugar contains iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, along with some short-chain fatty acids like polyphenols and antioxidants. Also, distinguishing coconut sugar from table sure is that it has a lower glycemic index thanks to a fiber in it’s arsenal called inulin. Now as good as coconut sugar sounds it’s still high in calories so be sure to indulge in moderation.
Xylitol
Xylitol is another all naturale option that is found in small amounts in many fruits and vegetables. According to Healthline, humans even produce small quantities of it via normal metabolism. In terms of sweetness, xylitol is just as sweet as table sugar. However, the benefit of xylitol is that it contains 40% fewer calories than table sugar. Now unlike coconut sugar, xylitol undergoes quite a bit of processing. Thus, it doesn’t retain any nutrients and is essentially empty calories. Yet similar to coconut sugar, xylitol has a very low glycemic index (GI). Xylitol’s GI is an impressive rate of 7.
Stevia
The use of stevia dates back as far as the 16th century. Stevia is a bushy shrub that is part of the sunflower family. It’s an intensely sweet-tasting plant originally native to Paraguay and Brazil. In fact, according to Medical News Today, stevia is 200 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. Unlike coconut sugar, stevia is classified as a “zero-calorie” food because the calories per serving are so low.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is definitely one of the more common sugar substitutes. As the name suggests, maple syrup is made from the circulating fluid or sap of sugar maple trees. Contrary to table sugar, maple syrup contains minerals and antioxidants some of which include calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and manganese. Now unlike most other natural alternative sweeteners on this list, maple syrup does not offer the benefit of being a low calorie food. In fact, maple syrup is kind of excessive in that regard, having a 2/3 sucrose composition. It’s also not exactly low GI shy either, having a glycemic index of around 54. So as good as maple syrup is it’s definitely an indulgence that is best observed in moderation.
Agave
Agave has got to be one of my favorite natural sweeteners. The agave plant grows from the southwestern U.S. through the northern part of South America. It’s high in fructose and low on the glycemic index. Also, it’s 1.5 times sweeter than table sugar. Now this extra sweetness comes at a cost. Agave is a bit high in calories. It has 60 calories per tablespoon compared to 40 calories for the same amount of table sugar. Also, its best to know that most agave that you see in the store is heavily processed. So if you’re looking to gain the health benefits it’s best to choose raw agave. Ultimately, agave is another delicious indulgence best observed in moderation.
Whichever of these 5 healthy natural alternative sweeteners you decide to try its always best to choose what best suits your individual needs. They are all nature’s sweet gift to us and definitely worth the try.
What is your favorite natural sweetener?
