I’ve posted a fair amount on here about the ills of sugar. Hopefully, you’ve already started to reduce or eliminate your consumption of fructose, high fructose corn syrup, Sucrose (table sugar), and the many guises that sugar hides under, like “beet sugar” and “agave syrup.” Please check out this article for a comprehensive list of all the names sugar hides under on labels.
Unless you practically never eat out, it’s almost impossible to eliminate your intake of these substances because they are in nearly everything, including sauces, bread, spices, condiments, and beverages. Just because that salad is chock full of whole, unprocessed foods don’t mean the dressing you are slathering it with is. That is why reading labels, eating natural, unprocessed foods, and eating at home, where you can control what you eat, are so important. It’s unlikely you will be able to eliminate your sugar intake, but you can significantly reduce it.
But what if you crave that sweet taste as most human beings do? What if you want to sweeten your coffee? Or have some dark chocolate for its benefits but can’t stand the chalky, bitter taste of unsweetened dark chocolate? What if you still want to bake sweet things for the holidays or birthdays; what to do?
Lucky for us, we live in a golden age of ‘alternative sweeteners.’ I’ve been living in this world since the 00s when the only real choices I was aware of were Xylitol, honey, and molasses, all of which have potential downsides. But today, four great choices can be used independently or together to help you replace table sugar at home so you can still enjoy the sweet things without the adverse effects on your health and longevity. The linked article above will outline the differences between these four choices and help you decide which ones are right for your sweetening needs.
Douglas Johnson E-RYT 500, YACEP, OM, CKIF
