Monday 2 November 2009

Types Of Natural Sugar Alternatives

By Esther George

With the growing concern about diabetes and obesity, many people have been looking to sugar alternatives as one way to maintain diet while living a healthier lifestyle. Nearly everyone responds to the sweetness of sugar, but processed regular white sugar used in most of our foods is not good for you and presents a host of health risks. Even though refined sugars are not good for you, there are sugar alternatives so you can still enjoy eating.

Natural sugar for one is a much better choice than refined white sugar. Natural sugar can benefit your body in small amounts as it provides easy to digest energy. As long as you do not eat too much at which point your body will store the excess as fat. And that is what we are all trying to avoid.

Other sugar alternatives are also available. Some of these are better for your body than others. The first option is saccharine. This is found in the pink packets in restaurants around the country. This sugar alternative is much sweeter than regular sugar, so you will use less to get the comparable result as natural sugar.

Sugar alternatives do have a downside; they might not be healthy for you. Many people believe that these sugar alternatives cause cancer, although this hasn't been scientifically proven. The biggest factor is they create an urge for more sugar. This does not make you eat healthier and avoid other sugars. Since these alternatives actually trick your body that it is consuming sugar, the empty calories still get stored as fat.

Artificial sugar alternatives are not generally good for cooking with. While they may work for sweetening tea and coffee, they often get a chemical taste during cooking. This is why most homes will have refined sugar in the pantry, even when artificial sweeteners are used.

But there are other natural sugar alternatives that you can use that are great for baking and all your other sweetener needs. Honey is one good choice. It is all natural and good for you in moderation, of course. It is great for baking and as an added bonus it thickens things up as well.

Honey also works in coffee and tea. Honey crystals are available that are dried, making them easy to use. Honey crystals are good to add over cereal or in beverages.

Another great choice is Agave. Also derived from a plant, it is a concentrated liquid sweetener. It usually comes in smaller bottles because it is sweet enough you only need a few drops to replace spoonfuls of sugar!

With all the natural sugar alternatives on your grocer's aisle, make sure you do your research. With so many options, you want to find the one that is right for your heart, health and weight. Make sure that you have the best natural sugar alternatives in your pantry.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment