Thanks to increased awareness of how much sugar is hidden in packaged foods and new research on how harmful sweet things can be to our health, many people are trying to eat less sugar. The problem is that the sweeteners offered as replacement are often as bad for your health as the sugar itself, although among those of natural origin we can find some healthier sweeteners. The ones we should definitely avoid are artificial ones like Splenda and sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol, which can wreak havoc on digestion.
The best plan, of course, is to break up the sugar altogether. But for times when you really just need a little sweetness, there are healthy options available. Keep reading and you will find out which are the healthiest sweeteners with which you can substitute it.
The 4 healthiest sweeteners of natural origin
1. Honey
- What it is : Natural sweetened nectar made by bees.
- Advantages : Natural raw honey (that is, totally unprocessed) contains many beneficial nutrients such as B vitamins and iron. It can also act as an immune system booster thanks to antibacterial compounds that help fight infection.
- Disadvantages : Its caloric content is higher than most other alternatives (60 per tablespoon), so it must be consumed in moderation.
- It is advisable? : Used in not very large quantities, it can have beneficial effects, especially in tea dissolved in infusions during cold and flu season.
2. Agave syrup
- What it is : A syrup that comes from agave, a plant similar to aloe vera (and from which tequila is made).
- Advantages: Agave has a fairly neutral taste and stands out for its low glycemic index, which means that it cannot raise blood sugar as much as other sweeteners. It’s also 1.5 times sweeter than sugar, so you could theoretically use less.
- Disadvantages : It has more calories than sugar – although in the long run it does not matter, because less is used – and its fructose content is higher than that of the rest of the sweeteners on the list.
- It is advisable? : Best in moderation, as fructose is linked to long-term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems.
3. Stevia
- What it is : Stevia is one of the healthiest sweeteners of natural origin, coming from a powder that comes from the leaf of a plant native to South America.
- Advantages : It is practically calorie-free and is about 100 times sweeter than sugar, so you can use much less. It doesn’t affect blood sugar like industrial sugar or fructose, and one study showed that it can even help lower blood pressure. After initial concerns about its health effects were raised in the 1990s, many studies have shown that it is safe.
- Disadvantages : Often mixed with sugar alcohols like erythritol, so read the ingredient list.
- It is advisable? : As long as it is pure, it is the most recommended option if you are not going to stop consuming sugar or sweeteners in the long term.
4. Coconut sugar
- What it is : A healthy natural sweetener made from the sap of the cut flowers of the coconut palm tree.
- Pros: Coconut sugar has a low glycemic index and is also low in fructose. It also has a neutral flavor that is closer to cane sugar and works great for making desserts where other sugar substitutes (like liquids) don’t work as well.
- Disadvantages : It has about the same number of calories as white sugar, and it can be a bit expensive.
- It is advisable? : Yes, it is the best option to make cookies and cakes a little healthier.
