Natural Sugars: What are Your Coices?There are many choices for what are considered natural sugars. Some are healthier than others, some maybe not so healthy. Read on…… Depending on the natural sugar used (cane or beet) the menu of chemicals used to squeeze every last trace of nutrients out of the original product to bring that perfect white bowl of sweetness to your table is Yum. Can I have some of each? Does that really sound like a natural sugar to you? The result is a perfectly sweet teaspoon of snow white sugar containing 16 calories and absolutely not one shred of food value. Empty calories. We all need more of those, dontcha think? The bulk of the nutrients refined from cane sugar are available at your supermarket. They are called molasses. All the minerals and other good stuff are there. Molasses are a natural sugar that comes from sugar cane during the refining process. Raw sugar, also called turbinado, comes from one of the phases of refining cane sugar and has a trace of some of the good stuff. I use it, sparingly, in my morning coffee. I also use it, sparingly, if I have to satisfy my family’s sweet tooth with a sweet treat such as my natural peanut butter pie. Sometimes fruit just isn’t enough for them. Traitors! (Okay, I like the pie, too!) HONEY Honey is a very natural sweet alternative to table sugar manufactured by God’s own bees. No dealings with the FDA. I doubt He has any high paying jobs in His organization for former FDA execs. I am actually surprised that the FDA hasn’t banned it as unsafe! In moderation, honey is one of the safest sugars to use. Honey also has 16 calories per teaspoon. Its flavor is derived from the source of pollen the bees use. It is said that eating local honey will help your body resist seasonal allergies. A word of caution: children under 12 months of age should not be given honey because of their immature intestinal tracts. It can be toxic to infants if certain bacteria are present. Honey is a great natural sweetener and natural cough syrup! MAPLE SYRUP Another natural sugar is maple syrup. It is boiled down sap from the maple tree. It contains carbohydrates, sugar and traces of minerals. STEVIA Stevia is a natural herbal sweetener used widely in other countries. The FDA, at one time, banned it’s importation but later reversed that saying that it cannot be a used as a food additive. It must be labeled a supplement. It has not been “generally recognized as safe”, even though it has been used for centuries in South America. Recently Cargill and CocaCola as well as Pepsi decided they wanted to use stevia as a sweetener. Gee, I guess they have enough money because suddenly it is OK to use it as an additive! God bless the FDA! CocaCola's sweetener, made by Cargill, is called Truvia. Pepsico and Whole Earth Sweetener Co. now have Purevia. Purevia is not genetically modified and is certified as kosher. Stevia is many times sweeter than sugar, has natural nutrients, and zero calories with a slight aftertaste. AGAVE NECTAR This is a topic I have not studied as I only recently heard of it from a friend. I did find this article in the St.Petersburg Times “Agave syrup is naturally sweet” .There are recipes that sound yummy if not completely healthy. (It’s okay to stray now and again for a special treat!) Agave, according to this article, has the same calorie count per teaspoon as sugar, but is sweeter. If you adjust the amount for sweetness you can reduce the calorie content. I’ve not tried agave nor these recipes but plan to in the future. If you try them please let me know what you think. Go to my contact page and send me a message! Xylitol The little bit of study I have done on this substance shows that it is a natural low calorie sweetener that is not only safe but good for you. It is recommended to use certain sugar free gums and candies containing xylitol for healthy teeth. It has been shown to actually reverse dental cavities. Who woulda thunk it!
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