Sugar Source Comparison..Which is Healthiest?
These days, sweeteners have come to develop a bad name. That said, regardless of what you think of sugars as a whole, there are certain options that are definitely better than others. By conducting a sugar source comparison, you can better understand your sweeteners. This will allow you to make more informed and healthy choices.
Before you get started with a sugar source comparison, it’s important to recognize that there are actually dozens upon dozens of different options. Therefore, it’s better to understand the ones you are most likely to use. That way, you can know whether or not they are worth keeping or whether it’s time to start looking for alternatives.
So while the vast majority of sweeteners need to be acknowledged as essentially bad for us, a sugar source comparison will make it possible to find the least problematic options.
Here are some sweeteners worth trying:
· Stevia – This one can be great for light sweetening such as in coffee, tea, or even smoothies. It has zero calories. That said, it isn’t a great option for baking, so it has limited uses. Be careful of products using Truvia, which is a sweetener made from an extract of stevia combined with sugar alcohol. It’s not necessarily the same thing.
· Local raw honey – Honey has a number of incredible properties including being a natural antiseptic. Raw honey hasn’t been pasteurized, which means that important enzymes haven’t been broken down through high heat. Moreover, when you eat local honey, you may help to ease allergy symptoms because it will provide a tiny exposure to local pollens, which may help the body to acclimate to them.
· Blackstrap molasses – Aside from providing a sweet flavor, blackstrap molasses is also high in calcium, potassium and iron. This is an impressive feature as most sweeteners are made of empty calories.
· Pure maple syrup – This is not the same as the pancake syrup you buy in the supermarket that is made of any number of other types of syrup, most commonly corn syrup. Instead, it is real maple syrup made from boiled maple sap. It is known to have antioxidant and even anti-cancer properties and can help in battling inflammation.
At the same time that you add these sweeteners to your diet, try to reduce your use of: aspartame, agave nectar, sucralose, refined white sugar, brown sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. Among the sweeteners you do use, work on using as little as possible. That will help to keep their negative impact to a minimum.
