𝘿𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 & 𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙪𝙜𝙖𝙧!

First, let me say that no type of sugar is healthy. I’m telling myself this too because I can get carried away when baking. So no matter what form of sugar you use, it should still be limited, especially with children! What we’re feeding our kids is training their preferences. And we can all stand to reduce our sugar intake!

Now I know it’s unrealistic for most of us to completely remove sugar from our diets, although not impossible if you want to! So let’s just look at the better options.

Ditch –

Traditional white sugar: this was been refined and processed so that any nutrients it had at one time, has been removed. Most white sugar comes from genetically modified sugar beets as that is the most cost effective option.

Agave Syrup: often touted as a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index (doesn’t raise blood sugar as much), but it is highly refined.

Artificial Sweeteners: I actually did a speech freshman year of college on the dangers of artificial sweeteners. In sum, there is no benefit to them over sugar, but can lead to migraines, weight gain, cardiovascular disease and because of their addictive behavior it can lead to type 2 diabetes and possibly more health issues. Even if you’re diabetic, there are better sugarfree options.

Switch –

Raw Honey: a natural sweetener, but many are refined. Look for raw organic honey and if you suffer from seasonal allergies, use a local brand! All the benefits in honey are lost if it’s heated up, so unless I need the flavor of honey, I usually only use this if I won’t be heating it up, like when I make energy balls. *Don’t give to children under 1.*

Maple Syrup: another natural sweetener. If you can find Grade B organic, this is less refined and has more of the nutrients, but I haven’t been able to find it. The most affordable organic option I’ve found is at Costco.

Coconut Sugar: This is what I mainly use when baking if the recipe calls for regular sugar. It does have a caramel flavor as the molasses have not been refined out, but I can’t say I notice a difference other than the color it gives. I use this in place of white & brown sugar.

All three of these options have a lower glycemic index than white sugar.

Dates: The healthiest way to make sweet treats is with dates (or other fruit)! The benefit of dates is that since it’s a whole food, you still have the fiber that you don’t get with the others. Dates are also high in antioxidants, potassium, and magnesium. I haven’t tried converting any recipes yet, but I have made a few recipes that use dates as the sweetener. Everyone in the family still gobbled them up! Usually you’ll soak them a bit & then blend or use a processor to create a paste. You can find date syrup in the store, but verify it doesn’t have added ingredients.

Other fruit: You can also play around with bananas and applesauce to sweeten things up naturally. I usually opt for applesauce over bananas due to flavor, but for my banana muffin recipe, I use both and can make it without added sweetener if the bananas are really ripe.

I know there are a few other natural sweeteners and sugar alcohols like stevia, monk fruit, xylitol and erythritol. I haven’t tried baking with any of these yet so I can’t speak from experience but my one caution with these is to know what you’re buying. While you can buy the natural form of stevia, there are many others that are highly processed. Xylitol can cause some gastrointestinal issues in some individuals, so if you have a history of gut issues, I wouldn’t recommend that one just to be safe.

If you have a hard time switching from white sugar, at least try organic cane sugar!

If you have a favorite recipe, try reducing the sugar a little and see if anyone notices. Ryan knows me too well and sometimes I get a “don’t drop the sugar anymore” and I know I’ve reached the minimum!

What are your favorite sweeteners?