A Guide to Choosing Healthy Sweeteners
- In place of regular white, refined sugar, opt for natural sugars like Sucanat or Rapadura (dehydrated sugar cane), pure maple syrup (Grade B is sweeter and you can use less), or locally produced raw honey.
- Fruit can also be used to sweeten recipes- dates/date sugar, dried fruit (unsulphured) or even applesauce or smashed bananas.
- Strictly avoid all artificial sweeteners- aspartame (Nutra-Sweet, AminoSweet), saccharin (Sweet n Low), sucralose (Splenda) and industrially produce stevia derived sweeteners (TruVia and PureVia)
- Herbal sweetener stevia, can be used in a minimally processed form. Stevita or Mother Nature’s Original is a good brand and liquid is preferable to dried, powdered forms.
- Agave nectar is not an acceptable or healthy sweetener. It is extremely high in fructose, which is taxing to the liver; it is generally highly refined and is not a real or traditional food. It is best avoided.
- Sweeteners should be used in strict moderation, and may need to be avoided for some time with people with blood sugar handling problems.
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