Instead of Sugar: 10 Safe Sweeteners (Not Just Agave and Stevia)

Why sugar is dangerous

A wide range of sugar substitutes and sweeteners (both natural and artificial) can help reduce the amount of table sugar in your diet.
Limiting sugar intake is especially important for older adults. Excessive consumption of added sugar can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Sugar is also associated with cognitive decline, affecting memory with an increased risk of dementia. Sugar sweetens, preserves and enhances the flavor of food. It can be difficult to avoid, but the health benefits of reducing your sugar intake are clear. A diet high in sugar is associated with a wide range of health problems, either directly through its effects on the body or indirectly through complications associated with obesity.

What is sugar

Sugar is a common food product. Its main component is sucrose. But besides this, it may contain various impurities. In white sugar they can be up to 0.25%, in refined sugar - up to 0.1%. Sugars are the same as low molecular weight carbohydrates, some of which have a sweet taste.

Source Wikipedia

In modern Russia, its history begins with the 11th-12th centuries. When it was first introduced, it was only available to the nobility. The first “sugar chamber” was opened by Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century; raw materials for it were imported from abroad. From domestic raw materials - sugar beets - its production began to improve in 1809. Yakov Stepanovich Esipov in 1799-1801 developed a technology for producing sugar from beets on an industrial scale, for the first time using the method of purifying beet juice with lime, which is still used today.

Sugar is a carbohydrate. Sucrose quickly dissolves in the digestive tract into fructose and glucose, then enters the bloodstream. Glucose provides more than half of the body's energy expenditure. The normal concentration of glucose in the blood is 80-120 mg of sugar per 10 ml. It is able to support the liver barrier function against toxic substances. Injecting glucose into a vein is recommended for poisoning and some liver diseases.

The daily intake of sugar is: for women 25 g, maximum – 50 g. For men – 30 g, maximum – 60 g.

Acesulfame potassium

Type: artificial sweetener

Possible Benefits
As an artificial sweetener, acesulfame potassium does not cause tooth decay, raise blood sugar, or add calories.

How to use

In addition to adding it to prepared foods, you can use it in cooking and baking - it does not break down when heated. It is also often used in frozen desserts, candies and drinks.

Acesulfame potassium is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar, but is added in less volume, so be sure to adjust your recipe accordingly when using it in the kitchen.

What are artificial sweeteners?

And one more answer to the question: how can you replace sugar in your diet?
Artificial sweeteners are listed below. While these sugar substitutes may tempt you with their zero-calorie count, research shows they bode bad news for your health. A study published in October 2014 in the journal Nature found that consumption of saccharin, aspartame and sucralose in both mice and humans may increase the risk of glucose intolerance (a risk factor for diabetes) by altering our gut microbiome in favor of harmful bacteria.

And an April 2021 study reported in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that sweetening your diet with no-calorie artificial sweeteners like saccharin isn't magic for weight loss.

Glycemic index: 0

1. Sucralose

Sucralose is a sweetener that can withstand high temperatures, making it attractive for baking. It is used in the preparation of a wide range of industrial foods, perhaps because it has a taste similar to table sugar and lacks the off-flavor that some other sweeteners have.

Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than table sugar and is considered an artificial sweetener because it is a chemically modified form of sugar made in a laboratory.

1. Saccharin

Saccharin is a synthetic sweetener that is approximately 300-500 times sweeter than table sugar.

It is used in some processed foods, although one of the disadvantages of saccharin for some people is its aftertaste.

Saccharin fell into disrepute in the 1970s when the Food and Drug Administration proposed removing it from the market, citing studies linking consumption of the sweetener to cancer in laboratory animals. That proposal failed, and a meta-analysis published in April 2015 in the journal Advances in Food Sciences said the evidence on whether it causes cancer in humans is still up in the air.

1. Aspartame

Aspartame, another artificial sweetener, is one of the most popular. Aspartame is made up of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartate, and is 200 times sweeter than table sugar.

It doesn't have much of a flavor, and people use it to cut sugar calories in their diet in hopes of losing weight and better controlling their blood sugar. High-intensity sweeteners, including aspartame, are safe to consume in amounts that people typically eat or drink. The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of aspartame in 1981. However, watchdog groups are not convinced and have expressed concern that animal studies link the sweetener to cancer.

People with phenylketonuria, a rare genetic disorder that prevents them from metabolizing a component of aspartame known as phenylalanine, should avoid aspartame.

Agave nectar

Type: natural sweetener

Possible Benefits
Contains more nutrients than regular sugar, but less than honey. It is very fragrant, so you only need a small amount. However, it is high in calories and contains a lot of fructose (even more than high fructose corn syrup), which can lead to excessive weight gain and obesity. Agave nectar is not the best choice for people with diabetes.

How to use

Agave is sweeter than sugar, has a long shelf life, and can be used in place of other sweeteners in almost any dish. Its taste is similar to honey and lacks the bitter aftertaste associated with some sugar substitutes. But since it is a liquid, you may need to make adjustments to recipes, especially when baking.

Its effect on health

Excessive consumption of sweets increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. In old age, excess sugar consumption contributes to disruption of fat metabolism, increased cholesterol and glucose in the blood, and disrupts cell function. Nutritionists recommend that in the diet of older people, especially those who are overweight, the amount of sugar should not exceed 15% of the total daily amount of carbohydrates.

In people who do not engage in physical labor, as a result of increasing calorie intake due to sweets, conditions are created for weight gain and the rapid development of atherosclerosis.

But it should be borne in mind that carbohydrates are contained in cereals, flour products, fruits, and honey. Cane, beet, and grape sugar easily dissolve in water and are quickly absorbed into the blood. To slow down the transfer of glucose from the blood, it is recommended to replace confectionery and other sweets with polysaccharides, for example, starch.

People who excessively consume sweets are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, because excess glucose disrupts the production of an enzyme that helps prevent the disease at an early stage.

Eating sweets only increases cravings for sweets and leads to sugar addiction.

3.Coconut sugar

Type: natural sweetener

Possible Benefits
Coconut sugar is unrefined, so it retains all the vitamins and minerals and does not cause fluctuations in blood glucose levels. However, coconut sugar has the same number of calories as table sugar and is high in carbohydrates and fructose. This means that people who want to lose weight should limit it. Additionally, it may not be the best option for those with diabetes.

How to use

As a 1:1 replacement for white or brown sugar, it is easy to use in the kitchen. However, he can be very rude. You can puree it in a blender or food processor for a few seconds before using it in baking or in place of powdered sugar.

What can you replace white sugar with?

There are many alternatives to sugar. Not all options are equally useful. But in any case, with the help of substitutes you can reduce the harm caused to the body.

Honey

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about replacing refined sugar is honey. In fact, this is by no means a flawless alternative. Unlike the “white death”, the bee product contains useful substances - vitamins C and B, iron, potassium and many other trace elements. Honey copes well with viruses and bacteria, so it is used in the fight against diseases.

This is exactly how it should be treated – as a medicine. The fact that honey “producers” are bees does not make the product any less sweet or harmful. The average percentage of sugar content in honey is 70%. The amount can reach up to 85%. In other words, a teaspoon of honey (with a conventional slide) in this sense is approximately equal to a teaspoon of sugar without a slide.

In addition, the amber product is high in calories. Those who want to lose weight should limit themselves to it. The conclusion is this: by consuming honey, we receive considerable benefits, but we cannot completely avoid harm.

Stevia

Many nutritionists are confident that stevia is the best sweetener. The leaves of the plant are very sweet, although their consumption is not reflected by a spike in blood glucose. A huge advantage of this option is the absence of side effects. Stevia is successfully used in the production of baby food - it is completely safe.

But there are still disadvantages. A healthy sugar replacement requires habituation. The plant has a characteristic taste, and if you eat too many leaves, you may experience bitterness. To find your dosage, you will have to experiment.

In addition, this plant is not easy for confectioners to work with. Stevia can sweeten baked goods, but at the same time it makes them too bulky. But the leaves go perfectly with tea or coffee.

To replace a teaspoon of sugar, you need:

• a quarter teaspoon of ground leaves of the plant;
• stevioside on the tip of a knife;
• 2-6 drops of liquid extract.

Agave syrup

Agave has more calories than sugar. Abuse of syrup leads to excess cholesterol. And yet this substitute is more useful than the original. Agave is characterized by a low glycemic index - unlike sugar, the product is absorbed by the body slowly. The syrup is perfect for vegetarians, since it consists of 9/10 fructose.

This is also not an option for baking. But the product combines perfectly with drinks. You can drink agave in syrup form, but only dilute it with water. 100 g of agave contains 60-70 g of sugar. That is, one and a half tsp. nectar - approximately a spoonful of refined sugar.

Maple syrup

Unlike North America, it is not popular here. The cost of the product also does not contribute to its distribution in our latitudes. But this is exactly the case when it is worth overpaying. Pros of syrup:

• instead of low-use sucrose, “maple” contains its alternative - dextrose;
• a large amount of polyphenols and antioxidants: syrup is used as a preventive and therapeutic agent - it helps fight cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.;
• a large amount of minerals;
• the glycemic index is the same as that of honey, but, unlike the latter, maple nectar has almost no contraindications.

The product can be used in preparing any dishes. It does not lose properties during heat treatment. True, most Russians will have to get used to the caramel-woody taste of the syrup.

The proportions of relatively refined sugar in this case are approximately the same as for agave syrup.

Artificial sweeteners

Synthetic substitutes have no value for the body other than psychological. None of them are fully absorbed. The sweet taste of artificial alternatives leads to a reflex - the body expects the arrival of carbohydrates. Having “guessed” that he had been deceived, he will demand normal food - hunger appears. Therefore, those losing weight who rely on the absence of calories should carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Features of some substitutes:

• saccharin – contains carcinogens and can harm the gastrointestinal tract;
• aspartame – leads to increased heart rate, headaches, food poisoning;
• cyclamate is a good help in the fight against fat, but can cause kidney failure;
• sucrasite – contains toxins.

An artificial sugar substitute is tens and hundreds of times sweeter than the table original. Therefore, when using these options we are talking about milligrams.

Sugar alcohols

Another name is polyols. They belong to a special category of sugary substances. While essentially low-calorie sweeteners, at the chemical level polyols are alcohols.

Benefits for the body:

• low amount of calories;
• slow and incomplete absorption - the likelihood of fat deposits is low;
• a good alternative to refined sugar for diabetics - almost no insulin is needed to absorb polyols.

Sugar alcohols are naturally found in vegetables, berries and fruits. In artificial - in many food products (from ice cream to chewing gum), in some medicines, hygiene products.

Polyols are almost completely safe. They are even added to mouth rinses - the components do not cause caries. And the sweetness of alcohols is variable - within 25-100% of the sweetness of white sugar. In many cases, to obtain a brighter taste, manufacturers combine alcohols with synthetic substitutes - saccharin or aspartame.

Fructose

Fructose is one of the components of sugar. Like glucose, it is a monosaccharide. The main feature of fructose is its relatively slow absorption, but rapid breakdown by the intestines. The substance is obtained from honey, fruits and berries.

Advantages of this option:

• low calorie content;
• Possibility of use by diabetics and people prone to gaining excess weight;
• no negative impact on teeth;
• energy value - fructose is “prescribed” for athletes and people whose work involves increased physical activity.

Fructose is also indicated for pregnant women. The substance is able to some extent neutralize the characteristic unpleasant symptoms - nausea, vomiting, dizziness.

The daily norm of the component is 20-30 g. Abuse can provoke the appearance of a number of diseases. In terms of the ratio of fructose to white sugar, the monosaccharide is approximately twice as sweet. To replace tsp. refined sugar requires half a spoon of fructose.

Cane sugar

The brown analogue of white refined sugar is made from sugar cane. The energy value of our usual beet sugar and cane sugar are the same. If we compare the degree of sweetness, it is also similar. But in both cases it can vary within certain limits - depending on the size of the crystals and other factors.

The benefit of “reed” is the presence of a number of minerals and elements that are not found in the refined product. Thanks to this, cane sugar helps regulate metabolism, strengthen bone tissue, and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, circulatory and nervous systems.

The scope of use of brown sugar is extensive - it is widely used in the preparation of confectionery products designed for a beneficial effect. But you need to beware of fakes - ordinary colored beet product is often found on sale.

Dried fruits and fruits

Fruits are a natural source of sugar. The table shows the amount of sugar in fruits:

The following table shows the sugar content in dried fruits:

Honey

Type: natural sweetener

Possible Benefits
Contains more nutrients than table sugar, including antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. In addition, it is easier to digest than regular sugar. But like table sugar, honey is high in calories and breaks down into glucose and fructose, so it poses the same health risks.

How to use

Honey can be especially delicious in smoothies, baked goods, sauces, marinades and salad dressings. It is sweeter than sugar, so you may need to reduce the amount. It has water in it, you need to reduce the amount of liquid you use when replacing honey in baked goods.

Monk Fruit Extract

Type: new sweetener (natural)

Possible Benefits
Fruits can be a useful sugar substitute if you need to limit your calorie intake. Monk fruit extract is 250-300 times sweeter than sugar and can be used in minimal quantities.

It is a zero sugar, zero calorie sweetener with no harmful side effects. However, all commercially available monk fruit extracts have been processed to some extent and may contain other sugars or sweeteners, so be sure to check the label.

How to use

Some people believe that monk fruit sweeteners have an aftertaste. If you have a sensitivity to this type of flavoring, be careful when adding it to dishes and baked goods. As with any high-intensity sweetener, you may need to make changes to your recipes.

Natural sugars

We often divide sugar into “good” and “bad”. Good foods include vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, nuts, whole grains, and so on. They provide a slow release of sugar into the blood, so they are considered healthier. Bad sugars for us are most often various kinds of sweets and confectionery products made on the basis of white sugar, chocolate, white bread, white rice. These foods, in turn, cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket after consumption. However, we should not forget that the abuse of any carbohydrates, whatever their nature, is not good.

Let's figure out what we consider sugar. Sugar or sugars are often referred to as all simple short-chain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates include a number of substances. Monosaccharides

- these are simple carbohydrates that are not broken down by hydrolysis, the most important of which are hexoses:

• glucose;
• fructose;
• galactose.

If you imagine carbohydrates as a construction set made of cubes, then monosaccharides are the smallest construction cubes. Oligosaccharides

- These are carbohydrates that consist of several monosaccharide residues - from 2 to 10.

The most important disaccharides for us

:

• sucrose;
• maltose;
• lactose.

Disaccharides consist of 2 cubes together, and other oligosaccharides include up to 10 cubes together. It is mono- and disaccharides that are called “sugars”

because they have a sweet taste. In nature, the most common free form is D-glucose (grape sugar or dextrose, C6H12O6).

All sugars, after absorption in the intestines, enter the blood in the form of one structural unit - monomer - glucose

. It is glucose that is part of the disaccharides - sucrose, maltose and lactose; long-chain polysaccharides are built from glucose: glycogen, starch, cellulose. Both fructose and galactose are also sources of glucose, which is formed from them in the liver.

Thus, it turns out that for the body it does not matter

:

• did you eat a lump of sugar (contains sucrose);
• Did you drink a glass of milk (contains lactose);
• whether you ate fruit or honey (contains glucose, sucrose and fructose);
• potatoes or pasta (contain starch).

He will still receive the energy contained in these carbohydrates, and it will enter the blood only in the form of one structural unit - a monomer - glucose.

Now that we've cleared up the concepts, let's take a look at the store shelves. If you regularly study food labels, you have definitely noticed how more and more unfamiliar ingredients appear on many products. Often hidden behind them are added sugars - those substances that should be avoided at all costs or completely excluded from the diet. Sugar can be natural or it can be artificial - it is important to see this difference.

How to distinguish one from the other? Added sugar is any sugar that has been added

into food during its preparation. Natural sugar is found in nature and is essentially already found in food. Naturally occurring sugars are already found in all fruits, no matter in what form they are consumed (frozen, fresh, canned, juice). Natural sugars are also found in various dairy products, such as yogurt and milk. They are present in some vegetables and juices.

In addition, we ourselves can include sugar in our diet, adding it as an ingredient for preparing various dishes: baked goods, sauces, desserts, porridge, and so on.

Date paste

Type: natural sweetener

Possible Benefits
Dates are rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins, so using date paste as a sweetener can add more nutritional value to your diet than simply using regular sugar.

Date paste is a lighter alternative to sugar that can be made at home in a blender using 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and about 1 cup pitted dates.

How to use

Dates can be especially delicious in smoothies, baked goods, sauces, marinades and salad dressings. Date paste can be sweeter than sugar, so you will need to reduce both the amount of paste and the amount of liquid when baking.

Sugar replacement for diabetes

If you have diabetes, you must eat in moderation. Products for people suffering from diabetes can be divided into healthy, restricted and prohibited. One of these prohibited products is granulated sugar, so you need to know how to replace sugar in a healthy diet so as not to aggravate your condition.

You can use xylitol, fructose, saccharin, sorbitol, and aspartame as sweeteners. However, it is worth remembering that regular use of synthetic sweeteners is undesirable, as they can provoke allergies. Dishes for diabetics can be prepared very tasty and varied. You can eat unsweetened fruits, natural juices and fresh juices, and dried fruits.

Stevia extracts

Type: new sweetener (very sweet)

Possible Benefits
This is a plant extract that contains virtually no calories. It's also much sweeter than sugar, so less of it is needed to provide the same amount of sweetness.

It is very low in calories, making it a healthy alternative to sugar for those who have diabetes or want to control their weight.

How to use

Even though it is a non-chemical extract, it has a noticeable aftertaste even after purification, which is why some people don't like to use it as a sweetener for coffee or tea.

It comes in a variety of forms, including powder and liquid, so you may need to experiment to find out which ones work best for different recipes. Stevia extract is also relatively stable when heated, so it can be used in cakes, sauces and baked goods.

Liquid sweeteners

The main advantage of this type of additive is that they can be used to sweeten foods and dishes. Unfortunately, this cannot be done with tablets. But when using such syrups, you need to take into account that the concentration of sugar in them is much higher than the sweetness of the white crystals.

Let's look at the main liquid sweeteners.

Honey

You may have heard ardent opponents of sugar claim that honey in any quantity is much healthier. However, we hasten to dispel this misconception. For example, a tablespoon of natural sweetener contains about 65 kcal, while sugar in the same volume contains only 45 kcal.

And here the main advantage of honey comes into play - it is much sweeter than “white poison”, which means less of it is required. For this reason, you need to strictly limit the amount of liquid saxam you eat per day.

1 tbsp. l. sugar = ¼ tsp. honey In this proportion, the latter can be consumed without harm to health.

By the way, a mug of warm water with honey in the morning helps you lose weight!

Maple syrup

Very popular in the west. Canadians and Americans actively use maple syrup in the preparation of various dishes and as an additive to desserts. You've probably seen in films how actors flavor their morning pancakes with something. This is maple syrup.

This substitute is obtained from the tree of the same name. Almost zero calories. I wonder if Americans love it for its benefits to the figure or for its sweet taste?

Agave syrup

Traditionally, agave is used in Mexico for the preparation of strong alcoholic drinks (tequila, mezcal).

The sweet version of this plant contains:

• fructose;
• inulin;
• sucrose;
• dextrose (glucose).

Moreover, the first one has a concentration of almost 90%!

Agave syrup is popular among those losing weight and diabetics because it has a low glycemic index.

The calorie content of this syrup is 310 kcal. per 100 g. But due to the fact that it is sweeter than simple sugar, the volumes consumed, and with them the calories, are reduced.

Corn syrup

This liquid substitute is based on corn starch. The substance helps preserve the original appearance of desserts and baked goods and gives them a unique taste, different from sugar. Therefore, the substance is widely distributed in the confectionery market.

Corn syrup does not saturate the body at all; no matter how many dishes you eat with this ingredient, you will want more and more.

There are 286 kcal in 100 g of product.

Invert and Jerusalem artichoke syrup and maltose molasses are also used as liquid sweeteners.

Sucralose

Type: artificial sweetener

Possible benefits
Contains no calories and is 600 times sweeter than sugar. It has been widely studied and approved by the FDA as a safe alternative to sugar for people trying to limit their calorie intake, people with diabetes, and pregnant or nursing mothers.

How to use

There is a wide range of products with sucralose, including baking mixes, as it is heat stable. It can also be added to drinks and food at the table.

Pay attention to the quantity: Even with a cake mix, you usually don't need to use a lot to enhance the flavor.

Benefits and features of maple syrup

If you are interested in how to replace sugar with a healthy diet, you can use maple syrup, which is made from maple sap. The juice is collected, evaporated and concentrated without adding any additional products. The sweetness of this product is obtained due to the fact that it contains natural sugars.

It is a concentrated, sticky, sweet mixture, so you need to limit your consumption of syrup, as it contributes to weight gain. It is worth noting that with moderate consumption of this product you can get health benefits, since the composition contains vitamins, organic acids and mineral salts. It has anti-inflammatory, antitumor properties and contains many valuable antioxidants. It should be noted that this drug helps in the fight against type 2 diabetes. It can also be used in baking, as a good alternative to regular sugar.