Sugar Substitutions to Avoid Artificial Sweeteners

Modern times are filled with many alternatives to sugar - some natural and some artificial.

Sugars, or carbohydrates, are a regular part of almost any food source, but the manufactured processing of sugars can leach the food of vital nutrients. For example, regular table sugar comes from sugar cane, but it takes nearly 3 feet of sugar cane to produce one tablespoon of table sugar! The sugar has lost its minerals, nutrients, and integrity by stripping it away during the processing. In fact, since the sugar is devoid of the minerals and nutrients that it contains in nature, it actually leaches minerals from the body as our bodies utilize nutrients to metabolize the sugar for energy. Moreover, sugar should actually have a brown color - the white color of standard table sugar comes from the literal bleaching of the sugar prior to packaging and later consumption.

Since refined and processed sugar is not the best for consumption, humans have devised to mimic nature by creating artificial sweeteners - NutraSweet, Splenda, Sweet'N Low, and Aspartame. Splenda, designed to be more similar to sugar since aspartame is difficult to cook with, is actually a chlorinated form of sucrose called 1,6 dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-β-D-fructo-furanosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside. Sound natural to you? Just because it was derived from sugar does not mean that makes it safe to consume! Fecal matter also is derived from sugar, but I would not get close to eating it.

There are even forms of "natural" sweeteners that are not good for the body such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), high maltose corn syrup, and artificial maple syrup. High fructose corn syrup is a processed sugar derived from corn in which the fructose and the glucose that are naturally found in the corn are chemically separated and condensed. In regular table sugar, the fructose and the glucose are are chemically bound. HFCS is similar to table sugar as the Corn Refiner's Association claims, but the sugars are now "free" sugars. Free sugars take little work for the body to metabolize and create metabolic disturbances that lead to increased heath risks. Moreover, many products that contain HFCS also contain traces of mercury as mercury is utilized in the refining process.

With all of these "sweetened" up problems, the following information can guide you in choosing better sweeteners:

Agave Nectar
Agave Nectar is a natural sweetener extracted from the agave plant. Agave nectar is sweeter than honey and has a very low glycemic index of 32. Agave nectar has an equivalent sweetness to refined sugar with half the calories! In addition, it does not stimulate the release of insulin as it does not spike the blood sugar levels and is mostly fructose, making it an excellent sugar substitute for diabetics.

Substitution:
Replace table sugar with agave nectar by using 1/3 of the desired amount of sugar.

Stevia
Stevia is a sweet herb that is native to the subtropical and tropical climates of Central and South America. The Stevia leaf is so intensely sweet that it is often times called the "honey leaf" by the natives of the region. Extracts of stevia leaf are 300 times sweeter than standard sugar.

Substitution:
1 tsp. powdered Stevia = 1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. Stevia = 1 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch of Stevia = 1 tsp. sugar

Sucanat
Sucanat is an excellent replacement for common, refined brown sugar. Due to the manner by which it is prepared, Sucanat retains its molasses content; it is basically dried cane juice. Unlike processed and refined sugars, Sucanat retains excellent nutritional value since it is minimally processed. There are no artificial chemical reactions used to process the sugar to its final product.

Substitution:
The substitution for Sucanat is 1:1. Use exact measurements of Sucanat as you would for brown sugar.

Raw Sugar
Raw sugar is derived from the same sources - sugar cane and sugar beets - as refined sugar , but is not refined or bleached. It may be sold as raw sugar, turbinado, or demerara.

Substitution:
Add equal amount of raw sugar as you would standard sugar. For example: 1 cup table sugar = 1 cup "raw" sugar.

Pure Maple syrup
Most inexpensive maple syrups sold commercially are imitation maple syrup and are made from high fructose corn syrup and artificial maple flavor! Pure maple syrup is a sweetener naturally made from the sap of black maple or sugar maple trees. Approximately ten gallons of sap are needed to yield one quart of syrup after boiling! Pure maple syrup is mostly sucrose, the same sugar as standard table sugar.

Substitution:
Use ¾ cup for every cup of white sugar and decrease the amount of liquid in your recipe by 3 tablespoons.

Honey
Honey is the most archaic sweetener, having been documented in use for many millennia. Honey that is prepared for harvest has a long shelf life and will not ferment. The composition of honey is fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose. It also contains trace amounts of several minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants: chrysin, pinobanksin, vitamin C, catalase, and pinocembrin. Honey may be the easiest sugar substitution as it is easily available at any grocery store and quite inexpensive! Moreover, local honey can usually be found quite easily and this actually serves to strengthen ones immune system against local allergens.

Substitution:
To substitute honey into recipes in place of sugar, use ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey for every 1 cup of sugar. In addition, reduce the other liquid ingredients by 2 tablespoons.

By no means is this a complete list of sugar substitutions, but it is a good start. Give your life a bit more of wonderful "sweetness" by using sugars that actually benefit your body and your health!