One of the hardest parts about eating healthily is giving up sugar. This comes as no surprise, especially since many recent studies have shown that sugar is as addictive as any drug.
The problem with sugar is that it tastes so good, but causes so much harm to the body.
One solution that many dieters use to help their sugar cravings is to use artificial sweeteners, which are usually worse for health than regular sugar.
Thankfully, there are plenty of healthy sugar alternatives on the market that will help curb cravings and not sabotage weight loss efforts.
1. Honey
Honey in its raw form is one of the healthiest and most natural sugar alternatives available. It works well for most of the things that sugar would be used for, like coffee, tea, etc.
While it can be used in baking, it changes the texture, so each recipe should be looked at individually to decide if raw honey would be a good sugar replacement.
Honey isn’t only sweet and delicious, it also has a host of health benefits, which put it above and beyond sugar. Honey is a natural anti-bacterial and boosts the immune system.
In fact, multiple studies have found that honey can be spread on wounds to keep them clean and help them heal.
Honey also helps boost digest health and balance blood sugar. All these benefits make honey one of the best healthy alternatives to sugar.
2. Maple Syrup
Pure maple syrup is another sauce option for a sugar substitute. However, if you want to use maple syrup as a healthy alternative, it needs to be pure.
The maple syrups for pancakes that are sold in most grocery stores are full of artificial colorings, sweeteners, and high-fructose corn syrup.
Pure maple syrup is the syrup in its most natural form. It’s great for those who want a sugar alternative that has a little flavor.
Pure maple syrup, however, is full of nutrients and vitamins that are beneficial to health and weight loss. It has high levels of manganese and zinc, offering large amounts of the recommended daily value in every 100 grams.
Zinc helps keep the immune system working at optimum and manganese is full of antioxidants and adds a little boost of energy to the body.
3. Molasses
The final sticky alternative to sugar is molasses. When sugar is being processed, all that is leftover when the sugar is extracted is molasses. That means that all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that aren’t in sugar are found in molasses.
Molasses, unlike sugar, has huge amounts of iron, which is especially beneficial for women. It also contains copper, magnesium, and calcium. Molasses works as a strong antioxidant.
On top of all these benefits, this healthy alternative to sugar also has copper, which is important for keeping skin and hair healthy. For those who want an extra healthy version of molasses, blackstrap molasses is a great option.
4. Stevia
Unlike other artificial sweeteners, stevia is 100% natural. It’s made from stevia leaves and has been used for centuries in different parts of Asia. In its liquid form, Stevia contains nothing else but the extracts of the leaf.
However, the powdered version does have a few fillers. Even with those fillers, Stevia is still an amazing sugar alternative.
Stevia doesn’t have many of the health benefits that the above products have, but it is much closer to sugar in taste and texture. And, since it’s calorie-free, it can be used without the guilt that unhealthy sugar alternatives give.
5. Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar also has the same texture as sugar, making it a great replacement for cooking and baking. However, unlike sugar, coconut sugar is full of potassium, iron, zinc, and calcium, making it a great healthy alternative.
Leave a Reply