Sugar Alternatives
Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash
I often get asked about sugar replacements. People know that they should not be eating so much processed sugar and are quickly learning that it is nearly impossible to avoid it if they eat any packaged foods. Sugar is in literally everything regardless of what you purchase. If you don’t believe me, I challenge you to go to your kitchen cupboard, grab 2–3 food items and look at the ingredients. Not the nutrition facts (because all food contains some sugars), but the actual ingredients. All of the following are considered processed sugar, beet sugar, cane sugar, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and maltodextrin — to name a few. Seventy-six percent of the 134 lbs of sugar the average person eats is hidden in foods (Teresa Paul, from HW, Vol. 28). What is a person to do?
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners on the market are not considered natural or healthy. Amazingly, all artificial sweeteners were discovered by accident. The first artificial sweetener was saccharin, invented over 130 years ago by two chemists experimenting with coal tar derivatives. Coal tar is the liquid by-product of the distillation of coal to make coke. It is a very viscous brown or black liquid, with the smell of naphthalene or mothballs. It can be made into coal tar soap, which is used to treat eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and other skin disorders via prescription. Many people still believe that saccharine is dangerous because of the “cancer warning” on saccharine packages. This scare was because some researchers tested rats on saccharine in dosages 1000 times more than would be “normal” for a human in the same weight/size ratio.
Further testing by many laboratories has since changed this, and this label has recently been removed. It can leave a yucky aftertaste, which many people don’t like. Saccharine, which is 300 times sweeter than sugar, is also known as Sweet N’ Low, or “the pink stuff” and amazingly is the number-one-selling brand today in terms of units and volume. A sweetener from coal — no thanks, I’ll pass.
The next big artificial sweetener to hit the market was Aspartame, also known as Nutra-Sweet, or Equal — documented in many books and many sites on the web as unhealthy, causing everything from digestive problems and brain tumors, etc. You may want to check out Exotoxins that Kill by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon for the past 25 years. Aspartame was discovered by accident by a medical chemist investigating a drug for ulcers. More and more people are noticing health problems from these sweeteners. If you want to know if it may be affecting your health — stop using all of these sweeteners for one month. See if you notice a difference in your health. In addition, the companies that make these products must add fillers to the product because the sweetener is so potent, 200 times sweeter than sugar. Some add cornstarch, which is terrible for people with corn allergies, and others add silica or sand — I learned about that in a semiconductor class I took many years back at the University of Berkeley. If you think all those “lite” drinks and “diet” products you are eating are healthy for you, they are not.
Another popular artificial sweetener discovered is sucralose, or Splenda, discovered in 1976 by a graduate student. The August Issue of Discover Magazine, 2005 has an article on all of these artificial sweeteners with pictures of each in their chemical structure, and states that the graduate student’s “… head researcher had told him to test some compounds, but he misunderstood and tasted them instead. Of the three sweeteners, sucralose has been touted as the most natural, but that claim has more to do with clever marketing than with chemistry. In fact, a very humorous note is both the sugar association and Merisant Worldwide, manufacturer of the artificial sweetener Equal, are suing to stop Splenda from making a claim ‘made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar.’ They say the phrase misleads consumers into thinking Splenda is natural when it is ‘a highly processed chemical compound.’ Adding fuel to the fire is this Internet poll: In a poll of 426 people, 47 percent of respondents thought Splenda was natural. Only 8 percent knew it was made from sucralose, which is made by chlorinating sucrose, or sugar.” (Dale Buss, April 28, 2003) Yes, you read that right — chlorinating — with chlorine. I don’t recommend Splenda and am waiting to see all the harmful things it does to people when research is published in the forthcoming years.
Another popular new sweetener is Acesulfame-K — also known as Sunette, Sweet One, and Sweet’ n Safe. Suzanne Somers uses this in her SomerSweet product. Acesulfame-K was discovered in 1967 and is 150–200 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame-K is a highly stable, crystalline sweetener with a chemical structure similar to saccharin. Acesulfame-K is usually used in combination with Aspartame or other sweeteners because it has a synergistic effect to enhance and sustain the sweet taste of foods and beverages. Acesulfame-K is found in many foods, and it was approved for use by the FDA in 1988. “Even compared to Aspartame and saccharin, which are afflicted with their own safety problems, Acesulfame K is the worst. The additive is inadequately tested. The FDA based its approval on tests of Acesulfame K that fell short of the FDA’s standards. But even those tests indicate that the additive causes cancer in animals, which may increase cancer risk in humans. In l987, CSPI (The Center for Science in the Public Interest) urged the FDA not to approve Acesulfame K, but was ignored. After the FDA gave the chemical it’s blessing, CSPI urged that it be banned. The FDA hasn’t yet ruled on that request.” See reference: http://www.holisticmed.com/acek/. It isn’t something I want to take a chance with for my health.
Another new sweetener is coming on the market called neotame, which is 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Why we need that, I have no idea.
So what is wrong with Honey?
There are many natural sweeteners. These include simple sugars such as honey, molasses, Agave nectar, date sugar or syrup, turbinado sugar (raw sugar, they take the sugar cane, dry it, and crush it making actual brown sugar — the popular brown sugar you purchase in the grocery store is white sugar with molasses added after the fact. True raw sugar has the molasses still intact without removing valuable minerals). Examples of natural sugars are Sorghum (a grain syrup) and Succanat (dried cane juice where they take the sugar cane and extract out the juice), maple sugar or syrup, and fructose (fruit sugar) or fruit juice concentrate. Another natural brand of fruit juice concentrate is Mystic Lake Syrup. These sweeteners act like sugar in the body but are typically richer in minerals than regular sugar. Coconut sugar is another sweetener that is rich in minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium, as well as phytonutrients such as polyphenols and antioxidants).
Some other complex sugars are brown rice syrup and barley malt. Some people use fruit substituted in recipes (for example, replace applesauce for oil in banana bread), as fruit is 33% complex sugar. The complex sugars take your body longer to break down and are considered healthier than simple sugars. There are complex sugars in all whole grains as well.
The problem with these natural sweeteners is that they still act like sugar in the body. They raise blood sugar levels are high on the glycemic index scale, which is bad for diabetics and others with blood sugar issues. People trying to get rid of fungus, parasites, or other health issues can feed these organisms and make it harder to rid the body of these unfriendly body guests. The biggest problem of all is weight loss. All sugar turns to carbohydrates and must be burned by the body. And let’s face it, people like to eat sweets but don’t like to exercise — so sweeteners that don’t affect the glycemic index are considered beneficial for weight loss.
Raw honey is a healthier choice, and although it will spike blood sugars, it offers natural probiotics and natural antibiotics to help the immune system. Used in moderation, it can help a plethora of illnesses, especially when it has bee pollen & propolis included. Manuka honey, which has a unique taste of its own, is richer in probiotics and nutrients, can be used in wounds for healing.
To learn more about how sugar is used by your body, watch the video “Sugar: the bitter truth”.
Sugar Alcohols
Xylitol (wood/birch sugar)
Xylitol is approved for use as a sugar substitute in 35 countries and has been in the U.S. since the 1960’s. Xylitol is an all-natural wood sugar and is naturally extracted without chemicals using steam. The human body naturally produces xylitol, and it is also a natural carbohydrate found in fibrous fruits and vegetables.
The benefits of xylitol include: stops the growth of yeast (including Candida Albicans), safe for people with diabetes, very low on the glycemic index scale — 7, fights plaque, improves breath odor, strengthens tooth enamel, 40% fewer calories than sugar (9.6 calories per serving), 75% fewer carbohydrates than sugar, reduces infections in the mouth and relieves dry mouth.
Xylitol can be used in all baking except where yeast is involved. Also note that it doesn’t dissolve well in cold water. It can be replace 1:1 in regular recipes.
Xylitol was originally made from birch trees, but many companies have now switched to corncobs after damaging many birch forests, with no other use for the extracted wood. Some companies use non-GMO corn, and others do not. Check where you purchase xylitol as each source is different and many of our customers notice the difference between the brand names.
Xylitol is unique to all the sweeteners as it helps your teeth. It is now used as a sweetener in many gums and candy products, toothpaste, mouthwash, and even nose spray, as it is beneficial for sinus and ear infections because it kills the fungus and bacteria that cause these conditions.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, and there are many other sugar alcohols on the market; sorbitol comes from cherries, maltitol comes from malt sugar, mannitol comes from seaweed and lactitol from milk sugar. The negatives for xylitol are that when you use too much xylitol in some baking, there is a cooling effect aftertaste, which is perfect for gum, candy, or other products with mint present. In some baking it is not good — fudge, for example, came out well, but the aftertaste was a little much for me.
Xylitol can cause digestive disorders for some people, and it works as an excellent laxative. It can also be used on rashes (diluted in water) and in vaginal douches for yeast infections. Xylitol can cause hypoglycemic issues in some people, so it is best to try a little before you try a lot. And many sugar alcohols are not considered optimally healthy as they can cause issues with the liver long term.
Erythritol
There is another sugar alcohol called Erythritol. It doesn’t cause intestinal problems like the other sugar alcohols. It has some of the benefits of xylitol. It can be purchased at most health food stores and it is less sweet than sugar. Most stores sell erythritol with Stevia to make it sweeter, this allows the same sugar amount in recipes. The granules of Erythritol are finer than those of xylitol, and it is less wet/clumpy texture-wise. If you decide to use erythritol as a sweetener, be aware that it can cause liver issues with excess use.
Healthier Alternative Sweeteners
Fortunately, there are some healthier sweeteners out on the market today. Some of the most popular are, Lo Han (Monk Fruit), Stevia, Lucuma,
Lo Han (Pure monk fruit)
One of my customers’ favorite sweeteners is Lo Han, marketed as Monk Fruit now. A fruit from China, Lo Han, is so low in calories that one serving has no measurable caloric value, it also has an incredibly low glycemic index. It does not cause sweet or food cravings or stimulate fat storage. Lo Han does not raise blood sugar and is safe for most diabetics and hypoglycemics. Best of all, it tastes great. The flavor is slightly softer or, some would say, more fruity than sugar, a bit like maple syrup. It is often used in cereals, tea, or wherever you would sweeten with sugar. There are recipes often in the box, and several websites online have recipes incorporating Lo Han. Lo Han is 10–15 times as sweet as sugar. Prices have dropped on this product, and it is now much more cost-effective, but it is still considered more expensive than the other sweeteners listed here. Lo Han is sold by TriMedica as SlimSweet. You can find Monk Fruit by itself, you have to search and look at ingredients because most you will find are mixed with Erythritol (see below), which is not always recommended. There are even beverages available by many companies that use Lo Han as a sweetener mostly outside the US.
Stevia
Stevia has been used for over 1500 years in Paraguay and surrounding countries. In the 1970’s, the Japanese developed a method of refining the sweetness out of the plant — creating a new term called steviosides, which are 300 times sweeter than sugar. In fact, when I was in Japan a few years ago, I learned that stevia is sold in most of their soft drinks and many other products, as they do not allow any artificial sweeteners to be used in Japan.
When using the whole leaf extract, there is a bitter taste with the sweetness and an aftertaste of licorice when the product is diluted with water or other liquid. I have many people come into the store and tell me that they have “tried stevia” and don’t like it. I encourage people to try several brands because each is very different from the next. Each brand can vary between 20–200 times sweeter than sugar, some are liquids, and some are powders. When I had my health food store, we let people try various brands in our store, and most people were surprised that they could find one that would work for them.
Cooking with stevia can be a challenge — but there are some great cookbooks out there — check your local library first or Amazon.com for some used ones. I am sure your local health food store will have some of the most recent ones, or surf the Internet as there are many out there. I am amazed that items made with stevia taste better to me than the other sweeteners. It does take a cookbook or some testing to get your favorite recipes, though, as recipes that call for 1 cup of sugar will usually only use 1/8th of a teaspoon of stevia — which of course, changes the bulkiness of the finished product. Cookies, for example, wouldn’t have that much bulk to them — so it is crucial to find a recipe that will give you the result you want. Another important fact is that Stevia is high in oscillates, so if you have kidney stones, you may want to avoid.
You can also buy stevia leaf, or grow it in your garden and then add the crushed tea leaves to your favorite tea, spaghetti sauce, or other recipes with sugar as an ingredient.
Lucuma
Lucuma is a sweet edible fruit from the Lucuma tree grown in Peru, Chile and Ecuador. The texture is very creamy, so it is often used to make ice cream in South America. It can be purchased raw and is popular in raw cooking as a sweetener. It is very low in sugars, and contains beta-carotene, niacin, and iron. It has a maple-like taste and can be used in smoothies, puddings, pies and pastries. I use it to make homemade tootsie-rolls. I encourage you to try these healthy sweeteners and put some wholesome sweetness in your life.
About the Author
Kasara is educated as a Mental Health Therapist, Master Herbalist, Traditional Naturopath and Energy Worker with over 35 years of helping thousands of clients find alternative health options that work. She writes articles on Medium, and on her website http://truhealth.com/. You may subscribe to her Medium account or her newsletter to stay connected.