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In my article on how to get off sugar, the recommended first step is to replace all refined sweeteners with natural sweeteners.
Which natural sweeteners are best? Which ones are optimal for those with blood sugar problems?
In this latest video filmed for the Weston A. Price Foundation, I catalog the list of wholesome sweeteners and discuss which ones to avoid and which ones to use and for what purpose.
Sweet Doesn’t Have to Be Unhealthy!
Sugar is simultaneously demonized and revered in our culture. Most people are hopelessly addicted even if they don’t know it. The key isn’t to abandon all things sweet, but to embrace our need for sweet in a non-addictive way.
Which wholesome sweeteners to use in moderation? Clues come from our healthy, chronic disease free ancestors!
The video below will give you some good starting ideas. If you need more information, there are numerous articles about both natural sweeteners and alternative sweeteners on this blog that dig deep into each one individually discussing both pros and cons.
- Maple syrup
- Monk fruit
- Stevia
- Coconut sugar
- Xylitol
- Malted barley
- Swerve
- Erythritol
- Rice syrup
- Agave
- Yacon syrup
- Turbinado sugar
- Honey
Video on Natural Sweeteners
Be sure to check out my Resources page for places to source quality, wholesome sweeteners – even the hard to find, low glycemic ones mentioned in the video.
For a complete transcript of this video lesson in any language, click here.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
By the way, during the filming of this video, my back was KILLING me! I had foolishly gone roller skating with my kids the day before and had fallen on my bottom several times, really hard too. The show must go on though, right????
It is called Sugar in the Raw. Here is a link: .
Jane, what brand is the raw sugar you are using?
I cannot do sugars in any form. I use stevia, lo han guo, and monkfruit, but all three rarely. If I’m invited to a pitch-in picnic, I’ll make a sugar-free, grain-free cheesecake on a nut/butter crust in order to be able to pass up the brownies and pies, which would be really terrible for me to eat (worse than for others). I use stevia then. I also use it in homemade barbecue sauce, along with a little blackstrap molasses, again so I pass up stuff that would cause havoc immediately in my endocrine system.
http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=16717 This video explains fructose and ill health.
Agave Syrup – it appears to be a real deception. It’s 100% fructose. It is processed like HFCS, but HFCS is 70% fructose (poison in refined sugar). It sells off the shelves at Costco, health food stores, etc. The irony is that it says “Low Glycemic Index” – yes, refined white sugar is 50-50 glucose/fructose. Fructose is the poison that is carried out in the fruit’s fiber when eaten in it’s natural state. Do I have this right – just trying to connect the dots.
Yeah. We should have all known the claims were too good to be true! I saw red flags when so much was produced and had the ol’ USDA label and from Mexico to boot. I think we were and are still being hood winked by all this USDA stuff coming out of Mexico and China. Sorry, there just aren’t that many USDA agents going around the world checking all the products coming here that claim to be organic. I’m such a skeptic any more!
Sarah, thanks for the excellent article. I don’t bake, or add sugar to anything with one exception. Water Kefir. For that I usually use sucanat. Occasionally I use organic “B” maple syrup, as that seems to help grow the grains. I have also used a sugar you may be familiar with – Florida Crystals organic pure cane sugar, that I can buy at my local grocery store. The ingredient list is only organic evaporated cane juice. Any opinion on that product? BTW, I do sometimes add some organic blackstrap molasses to the kefir, and I make another drink that mom always used. Blackstrap molasses, apple cidar vinegar, water and local honey. Great stuff.
Don’t buy Florida Crystals .. they are processed just like turbinado sugar. Misleading advertising for sure! Florida Crystals are not pure cane sugar at all as much of the molasses has been removed.
Gotcha, thanks. Only used it as a backup if I ran out of sucanat. I guess I’ll have to look for those 50lb buckets 🙂
the one I get “sugar in the raw” I do not believe is processed, is it?
Yes (though I love it!). Anything crystallized has been processed.
Be careful with the raw sugar. This is a misleading name frequently used by sugar manufacturers. Raw sugar (turbinado) is processed and should be avoided (this is discussed in the video).
I really appreciated this video as it was full of so much good information. I do have a question about why xylitol made from non GMO birch trees was not on the list? I know the corn ones are not good as they come from GMO corn but how about the other?