4 Sweeteners I like

Do you, like me, try to stay away from sugar and carbs?  Here are 4 sweeteners I like because they are more natural.

Sugar

Sugar is an addiction!  So many people are addicted to this readily available substance.  Foods that include sugar taste so good to us and so we crave these foods.  It’s understandable but we know that we shouldn’t consume so much.  Here are 4 sweeteners I like because they are more natural.

4 Sweeteners I like

These are in no particular order.  I like them all but I have different uses for them and I do try to limit each one.

1. Coconut palm sugar – this one has a lower glycemic index, depending on how it was processed.  To me, it has the same sweetness as regular sugar and I put this in my coffee in the morning.  When I first started to ween myself off of sugar, I started to use this and gradually decreased my amount.
2. Honey – nature’s sugar!  Made by bees!  So sweet and delicious.  I’ll put this in my tea every now and again.  Also great as an antibiotic.  Choose raw honey.
3. Stevia – this one has really gained popularity in recent years.  Buy a stevia plant (organic) and use the leaves.  You can dry them and powder them to put in your lemonade for sweetness!
4. Maple syrup – who doesn’t love the taste of maple syrup.  If you’ve been on the pancake syrup train, try real maple syrup.  It is pricey but so worth it.  And, I notice that I won’t use it in excess since it is so expensive – which limits my carb intake.

Why these sweeteners

Limiting sugar and carbs is necessary because we do consume too much.  It’s hidden in our other foods so we’re getting more of it than we need.  Rather than trying to eliminate it altogether, I choose to limit my intake by choosing better, more natural options.

Sweeteners I don’t like:

And, then there are sweeteners I don’t like.  The two that I stay away from are:

1. Regular sugar – the kind you buy in 8# bags in the grocery store
2. Agave nectar – you may be surprised about this one but agave nectar isn’t what you think.  Find out the truth about agave nectar.  

If you aren’t eating a raw or healthful diet, there are so many other sugars to stay away from.  Start looking at food ingredients and learn what to avoid.