7 Healthy Sugar Alternatives

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It’s a fact that most people love sweet foods. Most people craved foods with a sweet taste. But you all know that refined sugar is not good for us. That is why we have gathered the below 7 Healthy sugar alternatives.

But what is sugar really? Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that occurs naturally in foods such as beans, grains, fruits and vegetables. Unprocessed sugar contains a enzymes, vitamins, minerals and proteins. Refined sugar on the other hand is extracted from either beets or sugar cane. It lacks fiber, vitamins, minerals and is hard to digest.

7 Natural Sweeteners

1. Balsamic Glaze

Balsamic vinegar is rich in antioxidants that help destroy free radicals and are rich in the enzyme pepsin, that helps to promote healthy digestion. One tablespoon balsamic glaze contains 20-40 calories depending on thickness.

How to Use:
You can buy balsamic glazes at your local natural health food and gourmet stores or you can also make your own glaze at home. To make them, simply simmer two cups of balsamic vinegar using medium-low heat. Stir frequently, until it’s reduced to one-half cup.

2. Banana Puree

Bananas are rich in potassium, fiber and a good source of vitamins B6 and C. It is also considered to be naturally sweet with a subtle flavor, therefore making them a perfect natural sweetener. 1 cup of banana puree is equal to 200 calories.

How to Use:
Overripe bananas are best to use when you are replacing refined sugar in recipes. It is much sweeter and puree well.

3. Raw Honey

Raw honey are packed with cancer-defending antioxidants and is known to help alleviate allergy symptoms. One tablespoon of raw honey has 64 calories.

How to Use:
You can use raw honey with your tea, toast, breakfast cereal and salad dressing. Another way is to use it to help speed up the healing of burns, and as a natural antiseptic on scrapes and cuts.

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4. Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap Molasses are rich in calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin B6 and selenium. Molasses is the syrupy by-product wherein the sugar cane turns into refined white table sugar. One tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses is equivalent to 47 calories.

How to Use:
Due to its unique and rich flavor, it may not be appealing for some people to be in porridge, topping toast or other concentrated applications. But it is a perfect sweetener for marinades and for use in baking.

5. Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is rich in zinc, potassium, calcium and manganese. It is rich in antioxidants, which helps to neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative damage. For more nutritional benefits, choose darker, Grade B maple syrups, as it contains more beneficial antioxidants than the lighter syrups. One tablespoon of maple syrup equals to 52 calories.

How to Use:
You can use maple syrup in any cooking application because it is heat stable. You can add it to glazes, marinades, sauces and even use it for baking.

6. Stevia

Stevia contains zero carbohydrates, zero calories and none of the nasty side effects of artificial sweeteners. This makes them an ideal natural sweetener. However its leaves, stevioside, makes it more than 200 times as sweet as sugar.

Stevia is available in packets, liquid drops, baking blends and dissolvable tablets.

How to Use:
Stevia is heat stable, so you can use it in any way you desire. Just remember that it is 200 times sweeter than sugar.

7. Brown Rice Syrup

Brown rice syrup is brown rice that is fermented with enzymes to breakdown the starch. Then it is heated until the consistency of the syrup is achieved

How to Use:
Brown rice syrup is a good replacement in recipes that uses corn syrup. Remember to use a one-to-one ratio.

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