In search of good sugar alternative

[M-Stark334]

Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestion for a good alternative two refined sugar. When I'm looking to add something sweet to a meal or a recipe, what is the best sugar substitute? Are there any sweeteners that are alright or other natural forms of sugar that are better? I would like to cut down on white sugar, but I don't want to replace it with something even worse, like aspartame for instance. Any help or ideas would be most welcome. Thanks!

[Speeddemon]

If you're just looking for something sweet. Forego the cookies, ice cream or cake for a piece of fruit, which contains natural sugar. Try adding pure honey to certain recipes. Sweeteners can be a good substitute if you want to avoid sugar, but you should also limit the amount of it that you have, as studies have found it can actually make people crave more sugar or foods. Cutting back on the amount of sugar you eat to healthy recommended levels is really the best way to go about controlling the amount of sugar you eat.

[enviroTodd]

The best idea is indeed to cut out sugar and sweeteners as much as possible, as Speeddemon said, but at the same time, if you absolutely must use sweeteners, then try to use natural alternatives instead of refined sugars that are simply the worst thing that you can have aside from artificial sweeteners. Stay away from all products that contain artificial sweeteners. You will be doing your body far more harm than you realize. Instead, look for options such as honey or even stevia. When you do have them, limit them as much as you possibly can. When you use them, use the absolute minimum that you can stand. Over time, gradually reduce the amount of sweeteners that you add to things so that you're always using the minimum possible amount. That way, eventually, you will actually be taking a serious cut out of the total amount of sugars that you are adding to your daily diet. This will make a serious difference in the purification of your body and in the ability for your body to function in a healthy way. You'll take just one more step toward weight loss and away from diabetes.

[M-Stark334]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll see what happens by trying Stevia and honey. I have heard that sweetners are sometimes worse than refined sugar in some cases. It would be nice though if there was a simple substitute. I'm not looking forward to weaning my taste buds off of sugar but I know it's for my own good.

[BabyButtons]

The best idea is indeed to cut out sugar and sweeteners as much as possible, as Speeddemon said, but at the same time, if you absolutely must use sweeteners, then try to use natural alternatives instead of refined sugars that are simply the worst thing that you can have aside from artificial sweeteners. Stay away from all products that contain artificial sweeteners. You will be doing your body far more harm than you realize. Instead, look for options such as honey or even stevia. When you do have them, limit them as much as you possibly can. When you use them, use the absolute minimum that you can stand. Over time, gradually reduce the amount of sweeteners that you add to things so that you're always using the minimum possible amount. That way, eventually, you will actually be taking a serious cut out of the total amount of sugars that you are adding to your daily diet. This will make a serious difference in the purification of your body and in the ability for your body to function in a healthy way. You'll take just one more step toward weight loss and away from diabetes.

Well said envirotodd! Cutting back the sugar is so important. It is 1 of the hardest things 4 me 2 do. I think i was born with a natural sweet tooth lol. Ive been working really hard on reducing the amount of sugar i eat and i once thought i was doing better things 4 myself by turning to sweeteners but now i know better. What is ur favorite sweet treat?

[enviroTodd]

It doesn't shock me at all that you were born with a natural sweet tooth BabyButtons! How could anyone be so naturally sweet all the time without needing to replenish now and again

To answer your question, I think that my favorite sweet treat that I have maybe once per year is an eclair. There is something about the pastry, pastry cream, and chocolate that makes my body know that it is receiving absolutely no nutritional benefit whatsoever. I think that my favorite sweet treat that I have once every now and again is chocolate pudding, made from scratch. It is rich but doesn't actually contain a lot of unhealthy ingredients if you choose a very good recipe and use high quality dark chocolate. My favorite sweet treat that I enjoy on a regular basis is frozen tropical fruit. It's ultra sweet but without being off-putting. I can eat it as a frozen treat on hot days, I can warm it up as a soft treat on cold days, or I can add it to other foods. It's even good when it is blended into a smoothie. It certainly serves my need for a dessert.

What about you? BabyButtons? What are your favorites?

[BabyButtons]

Haha oh envirotodd ur the best! Mmm eclairs! Omg i want 1 of those right now! I really like chocolate anything. I love chocolate cake, donuts, pudding,cookies....mmmm now im getting hungry lol! I am so going 2 try your chocolate pudding recipe. U should come over 4 dinner & dessert. I think we could have the best meal we would both really like.

[enviroTodd]

BabyButtons, if I thought that we lived anywhere near each other, I might actually have PMed you to try to make that happen

I’d bring the eclairs. I know an organic bakery that makes great ones that I wish you would be able to try. I could bring the pudding for you that I’d make myself. Then you could make us dinner.

If you like chocolate pudding, have you ever made it and then put it into those home-made popsicle forms and then frozen them? They’re the best chocolate pops you’ll ever have. If it’s still hot out where you live, then you will definitely want to try that recipe. It even works with skim milk if you want to avoid any guilt.

[1000kilowatts]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll see what happens by trying Stevia and honey. I have heard that sweetners are sometimes worse than refined sugar in some cases. It would be nice though if there was a simple substitute. I'm not looking forward to weaning my taste buds off of sugar but I know it's for my own good.

Go for honey first. It's really good for you

[BabyButtons]

BabyButtons, if I thought that we lived anywhere near each other, I might actually have PMed you to try to make that happen

I’d bring the eclairs. I know an organic bakery that makes great ones that I wish you would be able to try. I could bring the pudding for you that I’d make myself. Then you could make us dinner.

If you like chocolate pudding, have you ever made it and then put it into those home-made popsicle forms and then frozen them? They’re the best chocolate pops you’ll ever have. If it’s still hot out where you live, then you will definitely want to try that recipe. It even works with skim milk if you want to avoid any guilt.

Aww, the eclairs sound sooo good! I would certainly make us dinner lol. I never thought about freezing pudding. They would make the best popsicles wouldnt they? I think im gonna head out 2 the store & buy them today. I have a real craving for chocolate & not feeling guilty about it sounds good 2 me!

[enviroTodd]

The great thing about making them yourself is that you can decide how big you want them to be. In the summertime, if you make them in an ice cube tray instead of a whole Popsicle form, then you can just add little sticks and have tiny little popsicles instead of the larger ones. That way, you never even have to feel guilty about a single bit of it because the number of calories that you are getting is quite tiny. This is my way of justifying having a popsicle every single day when it's very hot out