My Natural Sweeteners of Choice

Archived in the category: Diet Aids
Posted by Jorja Moloney on 25 Apr 11 - 0 Comments

In the past, Ive railed against agave nectar, truvia and splenda. Ive even dogged on natural sweeteners because lets face it on a metabolic level too much sugar is bad for you.

I get it. I really do. But I still want to know which natural sweeteners you use. What do you think about maple syrup? Or raw honey? How about stevia? I get variations on this question in my inbox at least once a week, often times more. So, for those of you dying to know how I sweeten my foods, here it goes.

Agave Nectar? NOT NATURAL
Maple Syrup? NATURAL
Miel de Agave (traditionally made agave nectar)? NATURAL
Honey? NATURAL
Truvia? NOT NATURAL
Sorghum Syrup? NATURAL
Turbinado Sugar? NOT NATURAL
Sucanat? NATURAL
Sugar Alcohols (like xylitol and erythritol) NOT NATURAL

Are you starting to get the idea? While I dont actually grow or process any of these natural sweeteners myself, I know *how* its done and know that I could do it myself. I dont live in Vermont or the Carribean, and while I could raise honey bees, I dont want to. The point here isnt that I actually make all my own natural sweeteners, just that I could (given the right circumstances).

Stevia

Stevia is an herb that tastes sweet on the tongue without any actual sugar molecules to send your metabolism into a tailspin. As such, its awfully nice to use when youre trying to reduce sugar intake or go low-carb. The white, powdered versions of Stevia out there are highly refined mysteries and therefore suspect. Im not saying its impossible to make a white, powdered version of Stevia in my own kitchen, but I just dont know how Id do it. And unfortunately for most of the companies selling the stuff, theyre not willing to disclose how they do it either. So, for now, Ill assume its some kind of weird, chemically-enhanced refining process and stay away from the stuff.

That said, the green-leaf stevia is a plant that I have actually grown on my own patio. Ive used it for the following:

1) Adding fresh or dried leaves to tea leaves or other herbal teas before brewing in order to add a natural sweetness without the use of sugar.
2) Making a liquid stevia extract using vodka, which I then use to do things like making homemade chocolate milk for my kids or sweeten already brewed beverages. I also use it in my better barbeque sauce recipe.

Coconut Palm Sugar and/or Sucanat/Muscovado

I use these in baked goods or other recipes that call for granulated sugar. I can substitute these fairly well for sugar without it dramatically altering the final consistency or flavor of the recipe. Although these are still sugar and still bad for you, at least theyre unrefined and have the naturally-occurring trace minerals present.

Raw Honey

I stir this into hot beverages, use it to sweeten dips or dressings, and use it to make my favorite ice cream. I very rarely substitute honey for granulated sugar in recipes as it has a strong (and different!) flavor as well as a different consistency. As a rule, though, if you do try to substitute it, youll want to follow the tips in this how-to.

Maple Syrup

This occasionally gets used to top our grain-free pancakes. Im sure there are other uses for it, but thats all this sweetener does in our house.

Sorghum Syrup

This, too, occasionally gets used to top our pancakes. Sorghum syrup is a traditional natural sweetener used in the South, but originally hails from Africa. I use it over these almond flour biscuits and in my pecan pie (instead of corn syrup).

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