We all have a sweet tooth, even those that claim not to. Natural sweeteners are sweeping the nation, so to speak, but where does that leave you? Are you unsure of which one to pick?
I've done the research for you and compiled a list of the natural sweeteners to stock your cupboards with and the not-so natural ones to say "no thank you" too!
Rating system: 1-5 Stars, 1 being poorest and 5 being the best.
Molasses
What is it?
One of my favorite sweeteners, molasses is the by-product of processing sugar beet or sugar cane into sugar. Blackstrap molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. One tablespoon provides up to 20 perfect of the daily value of each of those minerals. It is a great nutritional supplement, and adds a unique flavor to cooking and baking. Great in a homemade barbecue sauce :)
How does it taste?
Rich and very sweet. Molasses has a unique taste with a hint of bitterness (the good kind!).
Rich and very sweet. Molasses has a unique taste with a hint of bitterness (the good kind!).
Rating:
4 stars. Molasses is great but overpowering, it is best used in certain recipes.
4 stars. Molasses is great but overpowering, it is best used in certain recipes.
Agave Nectar
What is it?
The agave sweetener comes from the agave cactus. Is it really natural? Well, sort of. Some may argue that agave is really over processed and as a result, not that healthy. You see, they extract the juice from the core of the agave cactus. The juice is then filtered and heated to hydrolyze the carbohydrates into sugars. The filtered, hydrolyzed juice is concentrated to a syrup-like liquid. It is thinner than honey. The color ranges from light to dark. The lighter the syrup, the more it has been processed. The syrup naturally contains Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. These minerals contribute to the dark coloring of the syrup. But, the more processed it is, the less minerals the syrup contains and the lighter the color will be. Also notable, is that agave syrup is a good choice for some because of its low glycemic index.
How does it taste?
Pretty sweet, almost too sweet. Agave is considered to be around 25% sweeter than actual sugar. I find that it is best used in baked recipes to replace sugar, but don't overdo. It can also be used in making salad dressings for a slightly sweet tone.
Rating:
3 stars. Be sure to go for the darker colored agave syrups, as they contain more minerals and aren't processed as much.
Honey:
What is it?
Ah, honey. My favorite! Honey is produced by honey bees and derived from the nectar of flowers. The brand of my liking is Raw Apitherapy Honey by Honey Gardens. This honey is completely raw: unheated and unfiltered. From the web site; "The honey is liquid when it comes out of the honeycomb in the summer and crystallizes into a creamy, spreadable texture in the fall." The color varies depending on which flowers the bees have been pollinating. Sometimes the honey is almost a white, milky color and at other times it is more yellow and sometimes almost orange. Honey is truly the nectar of life, and when the company practices responsible beekeeping, the benefit is to both us and the bees. When purchasing raw honey, please note that companies can and do label the honey raw but still filter it once and heat it to no more than 118 degrees fahrenheit. Honey Gardens honey is not filtered and not heated, at all. You can find it at some Whole Foods Markets.
What is it?
Ah, honey. My favorite! Honey is produced by honey bees and derived from the nectar of flowers. The brand of my liking is Raw Apitherapy Honey by Honey Gardens. This honey is completely raw: unheated and unfiltered. From the web site; "The honey is liquid when it comes out of the honeycomb in the summer and crystallizes into a creamy, spreadable texture in the fall." The color varies depending on which flowers the bees have been pollinating. Sometimes the honey is almost a white, milky color and at other times it is more yellow and sometimes almost orange. Honey is truly the nectar of life, and when the company practices responsible beekeeping, the benefit is to both us and the bees. When purchasing raw honey, please note that companies can and do label the honey raw but still filter it once and heat it to no more than 118 degrees fahrenheit. Honey Gardens honey is not filtered and not heated, at all. You can find it at some Whole Foods Markets.
How does it taste?
Honey varies in taste depending on what the bees have been pollinating. There is orange blossom honey, which has a slight citrus spark. Raw honey tastes very sweet with a hint of earthyness. It's not very noticable, but it's there. It's the taste of all the hard work the bees put into making the honey, and all the unique and distinct flavors of different pollens.
Honey varies in taste depending on what the bees have been pollinating. There is orange blossom honey, which has a slight citrus spark. Raw honey tastes very sweet with a hint of earthyness. It's not very noticable, but it's there. It's the taste of all the hard work the bees put into making the honey, and all the unique and distinct flavors of different pollens.
Rating: 5 stars. Honey is a great choice, but be sure to buy raw honey, because it has a high antioxidant level and contains beneficial enzymes.
Stevia:
What is it?
Stevia Rebaudiana is an herb. It has been used for over 400 years without ill effect. It also happens to be safe for diabetics because it has no effect on glucose levels. Stevia is naturally sweet and naturally sugar free. Nothing is removed, tweaked, or added, as with artificial sweeteners on the market. Click here to learn how to start growing your own stevia patch!
How does it taste?
Sweet, potent and strong. To truly appreciate stevia, I recommend trying a leaf directly from a stevia plant. It is wonderfully sweet and natural! Stevia has been thought by some to be bitter. This is mostly because some brands of stevia were - and are - somewhat bitter. I highly recommend SteviaClear Liquid by SweetLeaf. They even offer a Stevia Concentrate Liquid, which is even less processed and even more potent. They also offer natural flavors such as Rootbeer, Grape, Vanilla Cream, Chocolate Raspberry and Apricot.
Rating: 5 stars. Give Stevia a chance!
The spin on Splenda:
My opinion is that Splenda is far from natural. Some researches say that Splenda has more in common with pesticides than anything else. That's beause the bonds holding the carbon and chlorine atoms together in Splenda are more characteristic ofa chlorocarbon than a salt - and most pesticides are chlorocarbons. I believe that it's safe to say it is better to steer clear of ingesting chlorine.
But the FDA.... also approved sweeteners in the past, such as NutraSweet, which have proven to be dangerously unsafe. The FDA also has no definition for "natural." Splenda is synthetic, but it is up to you whether or not you want to ingest it. It is true that the Splenda molecule is compromised of sucrose, but three of the hydroxyl groups in the molecule have been replaced by three chlorine atoms.
The nitty gritty.. You can easily replace Splenda with Stevia if you want to remain sugar-free.
In summation..
I believe it is best to rotate sweeteners. Use a variety: raw honey, agave nectar, molasses and stevia. Of course, there are a few sweeteners that I left out. But I wanted to focus more on the most natural sweeteners, the less processed ones.
-heather
