Alternatives to Refined Sugar
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- Project Idea Name: Alternatives to Refined Sugar
- Date: 5/10/2024 2:56:26 AM
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Project Idea Description
The next time that you want to add a touch of sweetness to your favorite food or drink, you may want to carefully consider the sweetener you use.
Most Americans consume far too much added sugar in the form of refined sweeteners like white sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). These sweeteners are often added to sweetened beverages, sugary cereals, sweet snacks, and desserts.
Although sweets taste delicious, eating too much added sugar may take a toll on your health.
For example, diets high in added sugar are strongly linked to medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease
While it’s perfectly healthy to enjoy foods that contain a small amount of added sugar on occasion, keeping your total sugar intake to a minimum may help reduce your risk of these conditions and improve your health in other ways.
If you want to cut your intake of common refined sweeteners like white sugar and HFCS, there are many alternatives to choose from. Some of these even contain zero or very few calories (10Trusted Source
).
Here are 10 alternatives to refined sugar.
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1. Stevia
Stevia is a natural sweetener that’s derived from the leaves of the South American shrub Stevia rebaudiana.
This plant-based sweetener can be extracted from one of two compounds called glycosides — stevioside and rebaudioside A. These compounds don’t contain any calories, are up to 450 times sweeter than sugar, and may taste slightly different than sugar.
Human and animal research indicates that replacing sugar with stevia may help prevent weight gain and reduce blood sugar levels.
While stevia is considered generally safe, some studies suggest that it may harm your gut microbiome. Overall, more research is needed .
2. Sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are a type of carbohydrate naturally found in fruits and vegetables .
Popular sugar alcohols used as sugar alternatives include erythritol, xylitol, and maltitol.
The bacteria in your mouth don’t ferment sugar alcohols, so they don’t damage your teeth the way that regular sugar does. Plus, they have substantially fewer calories and don’t significantly affect blood sugar levels, making them a smart alternative for those with diabetes.
Erythritol contains just 0.2 calories per gram, while xylitol provides 2.4 calories per gram. For reference, sucrose — or table sugar — packs 4 calories per gram .
Although sugar alcohols are considered generally safe, some may cause digestive upset when eaten in large amounts.
For example, sorbitol may trigger laxative effects in doses of 20–50 grams, while erythritol may cause stomach upset if you eat over 455 mg per pound (1,000 mg per kg) of body weight.
Finally, xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. If you live with a dog, you may want to keep xylitol out of reach or avoid it completely.
3. Monk fruit sweetener
Monk fruit extract is obtained from the Siraitia grosvenorii plant, which is native to China.
Even though monk fruit is about 300 times sweeter than table sugar, it doesn’t contain any calories. This sweetness comes from compounds called mogrosides, primarily mogroside V.
Because monk fruit doesn’t have any calories or affect blood sugar levels, it may promote weight loss and improve blood sugar levels if used in place of regular sugar. However, there’s currently a lack of human studies on this sweetener.
Keep in mind that monk fruit extract is often mixed with other sweeteners, so be sure to read the label before consuming it.
4. Allulose
Allulose, also known as D-allulose, is a monosaccharide (or sugar) that exists naturally in certain fruits .
It has 70% of the sweetness of table sugar and provides just 0.2 calories per gram.
Unlike many other zero and low calorie sweeteners, allulose closely mimics the taste of regular sugar.
Plus — while more research is needed — human studies suggest that allulose may help reduce blood sugar and insulin levels in people with and without diabetes .
Keep in mind that large doses may lead to symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, so you should stick to a maximum single dose of 0.19 grams per pound (0.4 grams per kg) of body weight and a maximum daily dose of 0.4 grams per pound (0.9 grams per kg) .
SUMMARY
Stevia, monk fruit, certain sugar alcohols, and allulose are much lower in calories than table sugar and do not significantly affect blood sugar levels, making them a smart alternative to refined sugar.
5. Dates
Dates are the dried fruits of the date palm tree. These sweet, chewy fruits are an excellent alternative to refined sugar and offer several health benefits.
Unlike refined sugar and many other sweeteners, dates are a good source of nutrients, including fiber, potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6, and carotenoid and polyphenol antioxidants.
Because of their sweet taste, you can use dates in place of sugar in recipes for energy bars, cakes, and cookies. Furthermore, you can blend them to flavor homemade nut milks and smoothies.
Some people make dates into a thick paste, which can be used as a 1-to-1 replacement for refined sugar.
Dates are high in calories and natural sugars, but studies note that they don’t significantly affect blood sugar levels like table sugar does, even among people with diabetes.
In a 16-week study in 100 people with type 2 diabetes, one group ate 3 dates daily while the other ate none. The date group had significant reductions in total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, while their HbA1c — a marker of long-term blood sugar control — remained unchanged
You may be able to add sweetness to food and drinks with natural sweeteners, including maple syrup, stevia, and dates.