The natural sweeteners are perfect for living a sugar-free life. By getting to know them, it’s much easier to improve your diet by eliminating chemicals and refined products from your meals.
Including them in your diet is one of the best things you can do to take care of your health, and it’s very simple to use them daily.
Since natural sweeteners have many advantages, properties, and benefits compared to artificial ones, in this article, we’ve prepared a list of the best, simple, and delicious natural sweeteners you can use without harming your diet.
Contents
Types of sweeteners
It should be said that not all products called “sweeteners” are equally healthy.
On one hand, there are those that come directly from a plant and can be eaten unprocessed, the so-called “natural sweeteners” and the “artificial sweeteners”.
The latter undergo a refining process in which their state changes and undergoes some chemical transformations, or they do not exist in nature as such. While they may be good, their properties generally cannot compare to natural ones.
What are the benefits of natural sweeteners?
The simple sugars in products that sweeten raise blood glucose levels. This isn’t dangerous in the short term, but if consumed regularly, it can cause serious health problems over time.
So, the best thing, if we’re sweet-toothed and love sweets, is to make use of the natural options we can find in stores.
Taking natural sweeteners has many advantages, eliminating the drawbacks and side effects of processed or artificial ones.
The benefits of natural sweeteners are:
- Provide sweetness without chemicals.
- Provide vitamins and minerals.
- Are a source of natural fiber.
- Have fewer calories.
Although we’ve mentioned their advantages, you’re probably wondering what their virtues and differences are, so let’s compare each type of sweetener.
Differences between natural and artificial sweeteners
The substitutes for traditional sugar are products that avoid sucrose and provide a higher level of sweetness. This means less product is needed to achieve the same goal, which is to sweeten.
In the food industry, less raw material means lower costs, and when tons of products are used, it’s a factor to keep in mind.
The lower price of artificial sweeteners is one of the main reasons they are widely used in the processed food industry.
Just like with the differences between dextrose and sugar, if they are manipulated at certain temperatures, their properties and benefits change. Something similar happens with synthetic sweeteners and those extracted from plants.
This is why most companies that produce sugary soft drinks and industrial bakery goods use artificial or synthetic sweeteners. They cost little money and are easy to manipulate when preparing sugary foods, replacing table sugar (sucrose) or more expensive natural alternatives, contributing a sweet taste to the final product.
Some of the most used artificial sweeteners are:
- Saccharin.
- Cyclamate.
- Aspartame, which is a derivative of aspartic acid and phenylalanine.
It’s worth mentioning that they generally have a very bad reputation, and there are many publications, myths, truths, and lies about them. However, they are still commonly used to produce foods available on the market.
Natural sweeteners to replace sugar
- Honey.
- Stevia.
- Unprocessed brown sugar from cane.
- Agave.
- Erythritol.
- Xylitol.
Depending on how you want to use it, you can choose one or another. For example, honey works great for sweetening teas and giving them a smoother touch, but for other types of foods, you might prefer adding a different natural sweetener.
Honey
Honey is produced by bees and can be harvested at different times. It’s a mixture of glucose and fructose. It’s worth mentioning that cheap honey sold in supermarkets is just as bad as white sugar. This means it’s far from natural honey. Do you remember the old ad with the jingle? Well, that’s the one you shouldn’t buy as it’s highly processed and has lost many of its properties.
If you compare beekeeper honey or honey from a specialized store where it’s sold naturally, you’ll immediately realize that you’ve been buying a product that isn’t actually “honey.”
Natural honey has a similar color but tastes different, much sweeter. It’s more delicate on the palate, intense, and pleasant to take. It works great to add to teas.
The downside of honey is that it doesn’t mix well with cold beverages as it needs heat to dissolve. The advantage of using honey as a natural sweetener is that it lasts for months. A jar lasts a very long time if you can resist the temptation. Something that can sometimes be difficult…
The advantages are that because it’s made from flower pollen, it can have different properties. There’s orange blossom honey, rosemary honey, propolis. There are as many varieties as there are flower species with pollen. Some even come from wild plant mixtures, and depending on the area, they can offer a little of what those plants provide. You can find relaxing ones, those that help the stomach, boost the immune system, etc.
Honey is one of the most complete foods, containing antibacterial enzymes, vitamin B, and many health benefits. The downside is that diabetics cannot consume it because it contains sucrose.
Stevia
Stevia is perhaps the most famous and trendy natural sweetener because it’s very powerful. A small amount can sweeten a lot.
It has 0 calories and is over 200 times sweeter than table sugar. So it’s truly sweet.
Some people may find its taste too strong, and it can overwhelm the taste buds. However, if you’re looking for a sweetener that won’t add weight, the properties of stevia are wonderful.
It’s very well known in South America, China, Japan, and some Asian countries. Right now, it’s used in many homes in Spain. It comes from the plant called Stevia rebaudiana, and studies indicate that it helps regulate blood glucose levels, making it good for hypertension.
Diabetics are recommended to take stevia. Also, it’s a non-addictive product, unlike white sugar, which is addictive.
Because stevia doesn’t change with high temperatures, unlike honey, it’s a good alternative depending on what you want to sweeten.
The downside of stevia is that it’s very strong, and some people find the aftertaste bitter. This is quite unpleasant. On the other hand, some people, after a trial process, can get used to its flavor and sensations on the palate, so in the end, they end up taking it regularly.
Agave
Agave is a desert plant, and its name is Agave Americanus. It provides as many calories as traditional sugar, but the good thing is that almost 90% of it is fructose. When compared, it’s much better and healthier for your health. It doesn’t affect blood glucose levels.
The disadvantages of agave used as a natural sweetener are that women should monitor their intake if they are trying to get pregnant. It contains two steroids similar to estrogen.
Consuming agave may hinder conception and act as a natural abortifacient in some cases.
When consuming a lot of agave to sweeten, it may produce the side effects mentioned. Therefore, it’s always recommended to consume it in moderation.
Also, during menopause, its use should be avoided as it increases the risk of cancer, both breast and ovarian, due to its high phytoestrogen content. It interferes with testosterone production and has laxative effects.
Erythritol
Erythritol is another natural sweetener that is produced by fermenting yeasts with sugar. It’s safe, healthy, and widely used in baking. It’s also a common sweetener in beverages and chewing gum.
The advantages of erythritol as a sweetener are that it has 0 calories and is not carcinogenic. It doesn’t cause cavities and is safe to consume daily. Additionally, it is considered an antioxidant. Many fruits contain it naturally, making it highly absorbable by the intestines.
The disadvantages are that it is milder than sugar and has thickening properties. These two characteristics can be either good or bad, depending on the use or results you’re aiming for.
Erythritol is extracted from organic sugar, corn, or wheat starch by fermenting the sugar. Since the goal is to achieve a natural product, the process involves adding water and allowing it to ferment. Then, there is another step involving evaporation of water and dehydration to obtain nearly 100% pure erythritol.
Another disadvantage of natural sweeteners like erythritol is their price, which is higher than other sweeteners. Therefore, it is used more specifically, generally in industrial processes, where it is mixed with other sweetening products.
Also, people with Type 1 diabetes should monitor their erythritol consumption as it alters blood glucose levels.
Lo Han Guo
Lo Han Guo is a Chinese sweetener derived from the Monk plant (S. Grosvenori).
Although it is well known in the Asian country for its sweetening power, it is more commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine since, in addition to sweetening, it has other medicinal properties.
Some of the medicinal properties of Lo Han Guo include combating respiratory infections, throat discomfort, and issues related to the respiratory tract, according to Chinese medicine.
Additionally, Lo Han Guo sweetener is used for intestinal discomfort caused by enteritis or infections caused by microorganisms. It contains mogrosides, substances as sweet as stevia. It also works as an antioxidant similar to beta-carotene.
The disadvantages of using Lo Han Guo as a sweetener include its laxative properties. Excessive consumption may cause diarrhea.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar in its unrefined form is the original and authentic sugar.
It has a toasted color, is sticky, and becomes very compact due to the humidity in the air.
Brown sugar is more expensive compared to white sugar. If you find it cheap, it likely means it is refined sugar to which molasses has been added as a coloring agent to mask its low purity.
People who aren’t used to natural sugar usually find it has an odd taste and need time to adjust to the true flavor of cane sugar.
It’s important to note that there are significant nutritional and organoleptic differences between natural sugar and the white sugar commonly sold. It contains fewer calories than refined sugar. The drawbacks are the price and the fact that it affects blood glucose levels. It can also cause cavities and may contribute to obesity.
Xylitol
Xylitol is widely used in the food industry as a sugar substitute and is derived from birch wood. This is why it is also known as birch sugar. It is one of the more recent and widely used natural sweeteners in Europe, although it is already well-established in the food industry.
Xylitol belongs to the group of sweeteners for diabetics and has fewer issues with cavities than other types of sugars.
You can find xylitol in candies, chewing gum, and sweets. It has the property of sweetening and provides other benefits, but it also has some aspects that make it delicate. It can cause gastrointestinal discomfort, so it should be consumed in moderation.
Which natural sweetener is best?
Stevia is considered one of the best natural sweeteners, although, as with anything, there are critics and fans—people who love it and others who dislike it.
The key to choosing the best sweetener is to check if it has any side effects, whether you can use it safely every day, and if it doesn’t alter blood glucose levels. This is great for diabetics.
If it raises blood sugar, you know you need to be careful, consume it in small amounts, and, if possible, only occasionally. Consuming products that increase blood glucose is dangerous and, in the long run, can lead to serious health issues.
To avoid the side effects of some natural sweeteners, it’s best to alternate their use. That is, use one or another depending on what you want to sweeten, but vary your consumption between different ones.
One of the best options is to use stevia, brown sugar, and honey. Some days you use one sweetener and on other days you switch.
At certain times, you can use another type of product to add a sweet touch to your palate. But with these three, you’ll have all your sweet flavor needs covered.
