Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you crave sweets? I’m not here to tell you I’m not or don’t… I love my chocolate! However, throughout my career as a health coach, I’ve come to learn that sugar has many negative effects on the health of your brain and gut. You can also train your gut to lessen or alter your cravings too… more on that in a future blog post.
You may understand that carbohydrates turn into sugar in the body as well. In my blog post, The Difference Between Simple and Complex Carbohydrates, I explain that there are different kinds of carbohydrates (or sugar) and why they are better or worse for your health.
Sugar raises your blood sugar levels – some foods more than others. It depends on their glycemic index (GI). “The glycemic index is a scale that ranks the number of carbohydrates in foods from zero to 100, indicating how quickly a food causes a person’s blood sugar to rise” (Medical News Today). Consequently, pure sugar would have a GI of 100. This is especially important information to pay attention to for someone who has diabetes.
In general, it is still important to be educated on what effects sugar has on the body. I am going to share the natural sugar substitutes that I use when baking, cooking or even just snacking.
1. Dark Chocolate
I love, love, love chocolate. I only eat dark chocolate (there are actually some health benefits to it) now and I have learned to enjoy it even more than milk chocolate! I usually find dark chocolate that has a high cacao content and is sweetened with stevia or something natural. I like these or these on Amazon.
2. Stevia
Stevia is a low glycemic (GI of 0) sweetener that comes from the stevia plant. This would be a safe sugar alternative for a diabetic or someone looking to loose weight by decreasing sugar intake. Stevia can be found in a few different forms; leaves, granules or liquid.
3. Monk Fruit
Monk fruit also has a GI of 0 and is gaining popularity as a healthier sugar alternative. I always have a bag of monk fruit (in the form of granules) on hand in my cupboard for homemade lemonade.
4. Coconut Sugar (aka Coconut Palm Sugar)
I will always and forevermore use coconut sugar when baking. Not only is it relatively low glycemic (GI of 35-55) but I just think that it’s a great alternative to table sugar. Coconut is also low allergenic. You can substitute coconut sugar 1:1 to table sugar when baking.
5. Fruit
Some fruits have a higher glycemic index than others, like bananas or pineapples, but overall fruit is a “healthy sugar”. 2-3 servings of fruit a day would be a good amount for the Average Joe or Jane.
6. Pure Honey
Honey has a moderate GI score of about 58. It will raise your blood sugar levels, however, in moderation, honey is a natural sweetener that you can feel good about eating. I’ve used honey in many dessert and drink recipes. When buying honey, you want to be sure that you read the ingredients list on the nutrition label to make sure that “honey” is the only ingredient listed.
7. Pure Maple Syrup
Maple syrup has many of the same characteristics as honey. It’s GI is about 54. Again, when shopping for maple syrup, you want to make sure that “pure maple syrup” is the only ingredient listed. Many commercial syrups are filled with artificial sweeteners and ingredients that we don’t want to consume.
Using more natural forms of sugar (still in moderation of course) is ultimately healthier because there aren’t any chemicals going into our bodies. Not only are artificial sweeteners a refined/simple carbohydrate, they are also jam packed with icky preservatives and other ingredients.
Heidi says
I will give coconut sugar a try. I’ve not tried it before and if you can use it 1:1 that sounds great. I love fruit and honey too. Monk fruit, eh? Not tried it but heard that it was a lot sweeter than sugar… hmmm.