What's That Sweetener? (a cheat sheet to natural and unnatural sweeteners) Sweetener Looks like Also known as How to use Notes White sugar: from You know white Beet sugar, cane Sugar sweetens ...it is destructive sugar cane or sugar sugar, right? sugar, granulated anything and to the human beets; all the sugar everything with system and molasses content ease, but... addictive in many (with its minerals) ways. More here: is stripped away http://bit.ly/UquV and it's generally Cf bleached. No nutrient value. Evaporated cane Just a shade darker Organic sugar, Subs 1:1 with A good choice if juice: slightly less than white sugar, evaporated cane white sugar and organic, non- refined cane sugar; often slightly sugar, sometimes doesn't change the GMO or fair trade a small step up larger grained but confused with flavor much if at sugar is from white sugar; not necessarily Turbinado all; may make important to you. still very little to white cakes or It's a large step no nutritional value cookies just up in price for a slightly darker off- small step in white color nutrition. Sucanat (SUgar Medium caramel Rapadura, Panela, As a dry sweetener, Will change the CAne NATural): brown in color, a Jaggery, unrefined sucanat can sub 1:1 flavor and color whole cane sugar bit like brown whole cane sugar, in any recipe that compared to white with about 13% sugar but coarser dehydrated cane calls for white sugar; imparts a molasses content and larger grained. sugar (juice) sugar. You can also deeper molasses (none is removed). whiz it in a blender tone to recipes. In More here: to make an recipes heavy on http://bit.ly/ofF3lQ unrefined the chocolate, powdered sugar. It pumpkin, spices, will caramelize in or cinnamon, a cooked sauce. sucanat is hardly noticeable. Coconut sugar: Medium brown in Palm sugar, Use 1:1 in place of Supposedly dehydrated or color, generally coconut palm white sugar in sustainable, but evaporated nectar large granules. sugar, coconut recipes; will have a expensive. Some from palm tree Looks almost crystals, bit richer flavor say it competes flowers; lower exactly like crystalized coconut and of course, with availability of glycemic index sucanat to me. sap, jaggery, aren color. Pairs other coconut than sugar/honey; sugar. Coconut especially well products. some mineral nectar is the same with cinnamon content. thing in liquid spiced baked More here: form. goods. Does not http://bit.ly/Uqw7p crystalize/carameli f ze, so may change texture of cookies and not work in certain recipes. Honey: flavor Sticky, viscous Sweeter than sugar, Has more health changes depending liquid; amber so you need less. benefits than white on what flowers colored. Raw Follow the sugar, although the the bees visited. honey solidifies directions on this glycemic index is Raw local honey over time. page to substitute fairly high. may help seasonal for white sugar. More here: allergies. http://bit.ly/iXc9s M Maple syrup: Thick, dark brown Grade A vs. Grade Substitute any time Has the best boiled down sap of liquid, although B describes how a liquid sweetener mineral profile of sugar maple trees. thinner than honey. concentrated the is used, or sub for the sweeteners and 40 gallons sap = 1 flavors (and also white sugar but cut better for diabetics gallon syrup. minerals) are. A is down on the liquid. than honey. sweeter, B has More here: more minerals. http://bit.ly/o9cE5k Molasses: from Veru thick, very Blackstrap Molasses has a lot High in iron; sugar cane; taken dark brown liquid. molasses is darker of flavor, but it's generally seen as a out to make white and has lots of nice as part of the good sweetener. sugar. iron. sweetener in anything with pumpkin, spice, or even used lightly in red meat dishes or tomato sauces. Sorghum syrup: Very thick, dark Great over Quite high in from “sweet brown, sticky cornbread or calcium, sorghum” plant; liquid. Hearty, pancakes, use in magnesium, the juice from the deep flavor. baking in place of potassium, zinc, stalk is boiled any liquid and almost as down to sweetener. Ideal much iron as concentrate the for chocolate cakes blackstrap sweetness. or brownies (use ½ molasses. Used to More here: as much as white be one of the main http://bit.ly/12qQA sugar called for), sweeteners in the xr as well as savory U.S., especially in dishes that need a the South. little sweet. Brown rice syrup: Thick, sticky Use as any liquid a grain sweetener brown liquid. sweetener. made similarly as sorghum; any grain can be malted into sweet, maltose- rich syrup. More here: http://bit.ly/12rqOJ z Stevia: a green Can be a green Sold under trade Use the green Extracts can be plant whose leaves powder, which is names such as powder to sweeten made with are 30-50x as just the dried leaf “Truvia” and tea or hot liquids; chemicals or not; I sweet as table like any herb, or a “Purevia,” neither steep with the tea recommend sugar. Zero white powder, for of which is pure leaves. Use the Sweetleaf or calories, but not an which the sweetest stevia – both are white powder or NuNaturals brands artificial sweetener. part is extracted mainly corn sugars liquid (3-4 drops) as less processed. Used for centuries and is 300x as and should be to sweeten The brown liquid in other countries. sweet as sugar. avoided. Any beverages, yogurt, is less sweet but More here: Also a brown or “baking blend” that or anything that less refined than http://bit.ly/12rtPt6 clear liquid extract, subs 1:1 for sugar doesn't need the the clear, which is also 300x as sweet. is bulked up with bulk of sugar. less refined than something, often Difficult to use in the white powder. erythritol or baking. Less than a dextrose. teaspoon is equal to a cup of sugar. More here: http://bit.ly/12ruN8 O High fructose Not often seen sold Because of good 55% fructose (the corn syrup: Made alone for home marketing by those bad sugar) and from corn in a use; typically an who stand to profit 45% glucose (the multi-step, 40-hour ingredient in (just from it, you'll see potentiallly helpful process that one about every) “corn sugar” on sugar). Linked to could not replicate processed food. some ingredients liver damage, in the home lists. “Corn syrup” cancer, diabetes, kitchen. More is similar to HFCS obesity, etc. here: but with slightly Almost always http://bit.ly/16EYG less processing. genetically oD Still a very refined modified and sugar. known as a marker of processed (unhealthy) foods. May or may not be any worse than white sugar, but still to be avoided. Agave nectar: Somewhat thick Agave syrup Can use in place of Not recommended Made by boiling syrup, slightly less any liquid because it's very down the juice of so than honey, light sweetener; I high in fructose, up the agave plant, a brown or clear. choose to simply to 95% (compare relative of the avoid it. to HFCS at 55%), yucca. Relatively generally highly “new” in the world processed, and a of food. More here: relatively new food http://bit.ly/QWrF3 with little long- N term data. If you can find truly raw agave, not heated over 116F, that may be a good sign. Sugar alcohols: Usually a white sorbitol Use typically 1:1 Not quite calorie xylitol, erythritol, powder for home xylitol for white sugar, free, although sorbitol: all start use; often seen in erythritol although certain often listed as “0 with a sugar or ingredients list on mannitol sugar alcohols are calories” because starch, then are sugar-free lactitol less sweet than of a labeling fermented, chocolates and as isomalt sugar while others loophole. In reality, hydrolyzed or fillers in other maltitol are about equal. they have 1/2-1/20 hydrogenated into “healthy” hydrogenated the calories of a sugar alcohol, sweeteners like starch hydrolysates white sugar. They which is not stevia blends. (HSH) – a family aren't absorbed by alcohol but not of sweeteners the gut and sguar. including therefore have More here: hydrogenated fewer calories and http://bit.ly/12rwxy glucose syrup, glycemic load. Can Y maltitol or sorbitol cause gas, bloating, syrup and diarrhea, plus painful cramping in many individuals with just a small amount. Artificial Typically a white Nutrasweet Don't bother using Various artificial sweeteners: powder, sometimes (aspartame), them; they're sweeteners have Created by bulked up to equal Splenda poison. been linked to scientists in the last 1:1 mass with (sucralose), cancer, digestive few decades; white sugar acesulfame disorders, even Nutrasweet, for potassium, obesity (because example, was eating sweets discovered when a without calories researcher confuses our accidentally licked bodies and tells us his fingers while to eat MORE). researching an More here: ulcer medication. http://bit.ly/yxNe5r.