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Healthy sugar substitutes?

As we are now fully launched into the Holiday season, we should be looking to find ways to consume our delicious sweets while still bypassing the damaging effects regular refined sugar and artificial sweeteners offer. A great way to do this is by using healthy sugar substitutes. There are quite a few healthy sugar substitutes available in most stores now which means that making the switch has never been easier. 

What’s wrong with sugar?

The problem with sugar is that it is addictive, just like a drug. And consuming excessive amounts of sugar can trigger numerous health issues. In her book, Feeding You Lies: How to Unravel the Food Industry’s Playbook and Reclaim Your Health, Vani Hari lists some of the health issues consuming too much sugar can lead to:

  • Weight gain
  • Aging
  • Inflammation
  • Liver problems
  • Tooth decay
  • Fatigue and irritability
  • Brain dangers
  • Poor immunity
  • Heart troubles

Healthy sugar substitutes to buy

Healthy sugar substitutes are not to be consumed in excess either. But they do have the advantage to satisfy your sweet tooth without the side effects refined sugar, artificial sweeteners (and high fructose corn syrup) can trigger. On his website, Dr. Axe lists 11 natural sweeteners that can be used as sugar substitutes:

  • Raw honey
  • Stevia
  • Dates
  • Coconut sugar
  • Maple syrup
  • Blackstrap molasses
  • Balsamic glaze
  • Banana puree
  • Brown rice syrup
  • Real fruit jam
  • Monk fruit

The sugar substitutes I use

Being now that I’m fifty and have a high carbohydrate sensitivity (as mentioned in my first blog post), I have to constantly watch my carbohydrate intake. I am doing this very rigorously by eating a low-carb diet (almost borderline keto diet) and as a result my hemoglobin A1C (a measure of blood sugar levels of three straight months) is 5.1 (the range being 4.8 – 5.6). I bought a blood glucose monitor to help me see which foods tend to raise blood sugar too much. This is really helpful to get a clear picture of what is okay to eat and no one has to wait to have diabetes in order to do that. I have monk fruit at home. Stevia is another option I would consume. When I eat something slightly sweet, right away it makes me want to eat more. So I really stay away from anything sugary at this point. Healthy fats can be way more satisfying anyway!

Are you consuming healthy sugar substitutes? What are your favorite ones?

References

Axe, Josh. “11 Best Sugar Substitutes (the Healthiest Natural Sweeteners).” Dr. Axe, 9 May 2019, draxe.com/nutrition/ sugar-substitutes. Accessed 28 Nov. 2019.

Vani Hari. FEEDING YOU LIES : How to Unravel the Food Industry’s Playbook and Reclaim Your Health. Carlsbad, California, Hay House, Inc., 2019, pp. 81–88.

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