Reducing sugar or even better ditching its use is one of the best decisions you can make. By now, we all know how harmful sugar can be to our health and overall well-being, so cutting it from your diet is one of the first steps that you can undertake towards improving your health. Fortunately, there are several natural sweeteners that you can use as a sugar substitute without feeling any difference in the taste.
What Are Natural Sweeteners?
Natural sweeteners are natural sugars coming from natural plants, just like refined sugar, but with one huge difference - they aren’t chemically refined like sugar, meaning that they won’t lose their natural value.
The Most Popular Healthy Natural Sweeteners
Honey
Honey is a natural sweetener produced by bees which is particularly great for sore throat. Although it has a limited amount of vitamins and minerals, still, it has flavonoids and phenolic acids which, on the other hand, can provide strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Being rich in antioxidants means that they can help your body and immune system fight against inflammation and diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even cancer.
Stevia
The first and most important thing that needs to be said about stevia is that it’s low in calories. In fact, it’s known as a zero-calorie sweetener that is extracted from the leaves of a plant known as Stevia rebaudiana. This plant is quite known, especially in South America for its medical uses, but also for its amazing sweetness. Stevia pure healthy natural sweeteners have several sweet compounds out of which stevioside and rebaudioside are known for their extreme sweetness, which is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. But the greatest benefit of all is that stevia has numerous health benefits out of which two are extremely important. First, it’s said that stevia can lower high blood pressure in people with hypertension, and secondly, stevia is great for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. This property makes it ideal for people with diabetes. As you can see, stevia is a great sugar substitute, but the only thing you’ll need to get used to is its taste. Even though sweet, stevia has a different taste of sweetness than sugar, so you should certainly give yourself some time to get used to it. In the end, this really pays off since it's a healthier option.
Xylitol
Unlike stevia, the taste of xylitol resembles more of the taste of refined sugar. Generally speaking, xylitol is a sugar alcohol that seems to be quite beneficial for your dental health. It’s said that xylitol has proven great in reducing the risk of cavities and dental decay. It’s said that xylitol can also improve bone density and it seems helpful in preventing osteoporosis. This natural sweetener can also support your gut microbiome and it’s also great in keeping steady the insulin and blood sugar levels. The one thing you should be aware of when using xylitol as a substitute is using it in moderation because if taken in higher doses, xylitol can cause diarrhoea, cramps, abdominal gases and digestive problems.
Erythritol
Just like xylitol, erythritol is a low-calorie sweetener, and sugar alcohol found naturally in certain types of fruit. This natural sweetener tastes almost the same as sugar and it has almost no aftertaste. Being healthy, this healthy substitute for sugar also won’t spike your blood sugar and insulin levels, but it can also positively affect your triglycerides and cholesterol. Just like the other natural sweeteners, erythritol may also cause some digestive problems like gas and diarrhoea.
Monk Fruit Sweetener
The last but not least popular natural sweetener these days is monk fruit sweetener. This sweetener comes from monk fruit which is native to Southeast Asia and it has no calories at all. Practice shows that this amazing natural sweetener can also support better blood sugar management. Just like honey, this natural sweetener contains antioxidants like mogrosides which are great in reducing inflammation. Unlike some of the aforementioned natural sweeteners, it’s said that monk fruit isn’t associated with causing any problems with health.
As you can see, the choice of natural sweeteners is huge, and their health benefits are many. So, it really pays off to ditch sugar and turn to one of the many amazing natural sweeteners. All of them are quite similar and just as sweet as sugar, so finding the closest option to sugar is possible. Just make sure that you buy them from trusted and reliable stores. This, in fact, is paramount, since there are lots of manufacturers who mix natural sweeteners with sugar.
While these are the most popular sugar substitutes, you can always invest and try some other sugar substitutes like maple syrup, coconut sugar, agave syrup and molasses. One thing is certain, regardless of the types of natural sweetener you choose, taking it in moderate amounts is recommended.
