By Owen Walcher
Americans definitely have a sweet tooth. The New York Times reported that in the United States the per capita consumption of refined sugar is almost forty pounds per person, per year. But with obesity rampant and diabetes and related illnesses spiking in the last twenty years, more Americans are scouring store shelves and the internet to find healthy sugar alternatives.
First off, there are several healthy sugar substitutes to sweeten foods and beverages without having to resort to refined white sugar.
Agave nectar is far sweeter than table sugar, and while chemically agave nectar acts much the same as regular sugar, its added sweetness means you can use less of it.
Brown rice syrup comes from heating brown rice and extracting the starches. Once prepared, brown rice syrup is not quite as sweet as regular sugar, but the carbohydrates it contains are much more complex and broken down slower, allowing for steadier energy levels.
Organic raw honey is actually higher in carbs and calories than plain sugar, but also has much more sweetness, meaning you use less. Honey also has many beneficial enzymes as well as vitamins and minerals not found in most sweeteners.
The stevia rebaudiana plant is also a good source of sweetener. Once the stevia is extracted it is nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar and it contains no calories or carbohydrates and has a zero rating on the glycemic index.
The glycemic index measures the amount of glucose in a particular food. The comparative value of the amount of glucose released in a three hour period is quantified into a number so calorie-conscious people or diabetics can gauge their sugar intakes. Low GI foods are either less sweet or contain more complex carbohydrates that digest slower, affecting blood sugar levels less.
Over the last decade or so, consumers have begun to see many more choices to sweeten their foods. The common trait is that they all taste like sugar but most have little or no calories or carbs and produce no appreciable glycemic response. The American Diabetes Association has gotten behind non-nutritive sweeteners because they likely help people lose weight and maintain healthier blood sugar levels.
One of the most well-known sweeteners is aspartame, which is marketed as NutraSweet and Equal. Much sweeter than table sugar, aspartame has just four calories per teaspoon, but the added sweetness means you use less so the calorie impact is insignificant.
Saccharin has also been used as a low calorie sweetener for decades now. Commonly known as Sweet N' Low, saccharin has about 500 times the sweetness of sugar and no calories.
Sucralose and neotame are a couple of newer healthy sugar alternatives. Both products are heat stable so they are great for cooking or baking. Sucralose is marketed as Splenda or Nevella. Nevella's product even contains probiotics to aid digestion. Neotame is hot due to its very high sweetness - nearly 10,000 times as sweet as regular sugar. This means food manufacturers and processors can sweeten their products less expensively and market a much healthier food.
Xylitol has been around since the 19th century and is also much sweeter than sugar. It is widely used in sugar-free gum and toothpastes, as it contains properties that actually reduces plaque.
Most of these healthy sugar alternatives are also available as liquid sweeteners, adding to the convenience.
Owen Walcher lives in Glenwood Springs Colorado and Mazatlan, Mexico. He writes about many topics including home and garden, vacation travel, security, professional services and other topics of interest.
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