Where my fellow sweet tooth's at?! This email is for you!
Let’s face it, most of us have a sweet tooth (guilty!), we are actually designed to enjoy sweet foods! However, there is a difference between foods that have naturally occurring sweetness and foods that have added
sweeteners, like refined sugars. Because of its addictive properties, refined sugar has actually been called a drug, therefore the less refined sugar you eat, the less you will crave it. The more natural real, whole, plant based foods you eat, which have naturally occurring sugars, the more you will crave those foods instead. Any food with carbohydrates will contain natural sugars like, fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy.
When it comes to added sweeteners, there’s a lot of confusion, understandably so given there are so many of them now. I do recommend limiting your intake of added sugars/sweeteners as much as possible, as they can wreck havoc on the gut over time. However, if you are using a sweetener, some options are better than others.
Below, I’ve broken down the most common sweeteners and the pros and cons of each. I believe knowledge is power, so I hope by reading this you will feel equipped to make healthier choices when grocery shopping or ordering that latte. Read to the end to find out which sweetener I deem as the best/healthiest option!
HONEY:
About: a natural sweetener from bees
Pros: none to little processing (depending on where you buy it), lower fructose content, more natural than agave, more health benefits than agave, the darker the honey the more antioxidants it has however the taste will be stronger the darker, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and can help reduce seasonal allergens
Cons: higher glycemic index than agave, higher calories than agave
AGAVE:
About: a syrup from the blue agave plant
Pros: lower glycemic index than honey and refined sugar, slightly lower calories than honey, vegan (not really a pro or con but if you’re vegan you can have agave)
Cons: more processed than honey, higher fructose content
MAPLE SYRUP:
About: derived from the sap of sugar maple trees. When buying maple syrup be sure to read the label to ensure you're getting real maple syrup and not just flavored maple syrup, which will contain lots of added sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup, meaning it’s not natural!
Pros: contains minerals and antioxidants but these don’t offset it’s high sugar content, more natural than refined sugar, lower glycemic index than refined sugar
Cons: high in natural sugar content
DATES:
About: derived from date palm tree
Pros: natural plant derived, whole food, excellent nutritional profile contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, low glycemic index
Cons: high in calories and natural sugars
STEVIA:
About: is a plant. Be careful with this one, there isn’t a ton of information regarding how to determine if a product has real stevia in it
Pros: zero calories, plant based, in moderation it’s a good alternative to sugar for weight management, low glycemic index
Cons: not a lot of clear research on health benefits and risks, much sweeter than refined sugar so you only need little bit
COCONUT SUGAR:
About: derived from coconut palm tree
Pros: natural plant derived, contains minor amounts of nutrients like minerals and short-chained fatty acids, contains a fiber called inulin which may slow glucose absorption, lower glycemic index than refined sugar
Cons: high in calories, high fructose content, overall not too different than refined sugar but is natural vs. processed
REFINED/CANE/WHITE SUGAR:
About: a processed sugar
Pros: none that we know of
Cons: eating too much sugar can cause several health problems, not a required nutrient in your diet, avoid foods with any of these listed in the label, brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar
SUGAR ALCOHOL:
About: hybrid of sugar molecules and alcohol molecules. Types of sugar alcohols include: Xylitol, Erythritol, Sorbitol, Maltitol. Erythritol seems to produce the fewest side effects.
Pros: low glycemic index, not artificial
Cons: fewer calories than refined sugar, can cause digestive problems and inflammation depending on the individual
BROWN RICE SYRUP:
About: derived from brown rice
Pros: 100% glucose, no fructose, health benefits such as dental health
Cons: high glycemic index higher than most other sweeteners on the market, little nutrients, high sugar content, arsenic has been found rice syrups and products sweetened with them
If I had to pick the healthiest option out of those listed above, I choose dates because they're a whole food and have the most health benefits. There you have it, I hope this helps!
Sources: Healthline, Food network, Livestrong, Live science, Harvard Health