What is a natural sweetener? Sweetness has always been a favorite of many people in the diet. However, adding too much sugar causes many bad effects to the body. However, these extremely safe natural sweeteners below will help you relieve your fear of sugar!
If you want to eat sugar while keeping it healthy, you can try replacing white sugar with these natural sweeteners. They have many different levels of sweetness and use to help you freely choose for your dishes without affecting your health.
A note on the nutritional value of natural sweeteners
All sweeteners are high in calories, with an average of 15 to 20 calories per teaspoon. However, each type of natural sweetener can contain different amounts of nutrients and calories, less processed than traditional white sugar, so using an appropriate amount can still satisfy sweet cravings without no harm to health.
In addition, many of the sweeteners below can also provide a number of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B, iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and calcium. However, you need to control your intake so do not rely on these substances for nutrition.
Natural sweeteners
1. Honey
Honey has always been known as the most nutritious and healthiest natural sweetener. They are usually yellow-brown in color, fragrant and sweet in taste.
Honey also comes in many varieties with different flavors and colors
Although the most common use is to sweeten dishes, honey comes in many different varieties with a variety of colors and flavors. This depends on the variety of flower that produces this nectar. Nowadays, you can easily find white honey, black honey, mint honey… with more flavors besides sweetness.
Not only do this honey contain many beneficial trace minerals, they also provide a large amount of antioxidants that protect cells and improve health. Generally, the darker the honey, the higher the antioxidant content.
Because it is a liquid and thick sweetener, honey can be used in sweet dishes, however it will change the texture of the cake and be more suitable for soft sponge cakes. Honey is also suitable for sauces, donuts (pancakes) or whole grain bread.
Although it has many health benefits and is suitable for almost all ages, you should not give honey to children under 1 year old to avoid exposure to toxic spores if the quality of honey is not controlled.
Suggestion to use: Used to marinate meats, make pies, sauces and make tea.
2. Coconut sugar
Coconut sugar is also in the form of brown crystalline granules similar to regular sugar. This type of sweetener is made from the sap of the coconut tree. They will be less sweet than white sugar and have a brown sugar-like color.
When it comes to flavor, coconut sugar has a very natural taste, which makes it perfect for flavored foods like marinades or coffee. However, coconut sugar costs much more than white sugars.
Suggestion to use: Cook cookies, season with whipped cream, make drinks like cappuccino.
3. Date sugar
As the name suggests, date sugar is made from crushed dried dates. Date sugar can be used as a substitute for brown sugar and is chosen by many manufacturers for instant cereals and oats to avoid clumping.
Date sugar has a higher fiber content than other sweeteners
Date sugar is much higher in fiber than other sweeteners, but that also means it’s less soluble.
This option is made from dried dates that have been ground into a coarse and slightly grainy powder. Date sugar can be used as a substitute for brown sugar, and some brands also contain oatmeal or other grains to prevent clumping.
Date sugar is higher in fiber than many other sweeteners, but this prevents it from dissolving well. You can take advantage of this feature to add date sugar to crunchy dishes.
Suggestion to use: Cookies, oatmeal and granola.
4. Maple syrup
This syrup is extremely popular when used for sweet dishes, served with toast or pancakes. They also come in different varieties, for example some are usually thick and smoky, others are thin and sweet.
Maple syrup is incredibly delicious and perfect for baking. Not only replacing sugar, you can combine syrup and honey in a 1:1 ratio to bring out the best flavor and texture for the dish.
An important note is that you should find out the quality and origin of the maple syrup before buying. Many syrups are just “fake goods” made from colored and flavored corn syrup. Choosing the right natural syrup not only ensures the taste but also safer for health.
Suggestion to use: Muffins, custards, puddings, oatmeal.
5. Molasses
Molasses is the molasses that is concentrated from cane or beet sugar. This type of honey is dark brown, dense and sweeter than other sweeteners.
Molasses is still a form of sugar, so it should be used sparingly
Molasses contains quite a lot of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants. This type of bile also contains significant amounts of potassium, calcium and iron which are beneficial for heart and bone health.
You can use molasses in place of refined sugar, but limit the amount as they are still a form of sugar.
Suggestion to use: Drinks, biscuits, sauces, energy bars.
6. Yaco Syrup
Yacon syrup is extracted from the yacon plant, which is native to South America and scientifically known as Smallanthus sonchifolius. It has a sweet taste, a deep color and a high consistency similar to molasses.
What’s more, one study found that fructooligosaccharides can increase feelings of fullness, which can help you feel full faster, as well as eat less. Besides, fructooligosaccharides also feed the healthy bacteria in the gut, which is extremely important for your overall health. Having a healthy gut microbiome reduces the risk of diabetes and obesity, as well as improves immunity and brain function.
7. Monk fruit sweetener
This product is extracted from arhat, a small round fruit grown in Southeast Asia. Arhat fruit contains zero calories and is 100 times 250 times sweeter than sugar. Arhats contain natural sugars such as fructose and glucose, but it gets its sweet taste from antioxidants called mogrosides.
Please see more articles Arhat fruit: A gift from nature for you
8. Erythritol
Like xylitol, erythritol is a sugar alcohol, but contains fewer calories. At just 0.24 calories per gram, erythritol contains 6% of the calories of regular sugar. This substance also tastes almost like sugar so you can easily switch from sugar to using this product.
Erythritol is generally considered a safe alternative to sugar, but commercial production of erythritol is time consuming and expensive, making this product a less available option.
9. Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is similar in sweetness to sugar. This substance is extracted from corn or birch wood and is found in many fruits and vegetables.
Xylitol contains 2.4 calories per gram, 40% fewer calories than sugar. What makes xylitol a promising alternative to sugar is because the product itself lacks fructose, which is the main ingredient responsible for most of the harmful effects of sugar.
10. Stevia
Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the leaves of a South American shrub scientifically known as Stevia rebaudiana. This plant-based sweetener can be extracted from one of two compounds, stevioside and rebaudioside A. Each contains zero calories, can be 350 times sweeter than natural sugar, and can have taste slightly different from sugar.
The above natural sweeteners all have their own characteristics in terms of taste, color, texture and nutritional value. Therefore, you can choose the one that works best for you to replace the refined white sugars.
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Reference source
Cooking With Sugar Alternatives. https://www.verywellfit.com/cooking-with-sugar-alternatives. Access date: September 26, 2020
Hi everyone, I’m Tony Scotti, an expert in the field of height increase with many years of experience researching and applying height increase methods, and have achieved promising results. I have created increase height blog as a personal blog to share knowledge and experience about what I have learned during the process of improving my own height.
