Most Popular Healthy Sweeteners

There are numerous sugar substitutes on the market claiming to be healthy sweeteners. But which of them are really healthy alternatives? Natural sweeteners are your best choice since they are less processed and can also provide nutritious benefits. Here are the most popular healthy sweeteners that you can trust.

Honey

Raw honey is one of the most popularhealthy sweeteners available. It is a natural sweetener that has been used as a sugar substitute for hundreds of years. You can use honey on your morning cereals, or plain yogurt for a touch of sweetness. Honey is considered a natural sweetener due to its vitamins and mineral contents as well as great levels of antioxidants. The best part? One teaspoon of honey has only 20 calories.

Maple Syrup

Most people think maple syrup should be used only on top of pancakes. However, maple syrup can be used as a sugar substitute in a variety of ways. Maple syrup contains numerous vitamins and minerals such as zinc and manganese and has also a lower glycemic index than sugar.

Stevia

Stevia a sweetener extracted from the sweet leaves of the stevia plant. It contains basically zero calories and you can safely use it in your coffee, tea as well as in your baking. But make sure to use smaller amounts of it since it is about 10 times sweeter than sugar.

Coconut Sugar

Also called coconut sap, coconut sugar has become quite popular in the last years, and for a good reason. Unlike many healthy sweeteners on the market, Coconut sugar is not stripped of its nutrients. Plus it is a good source or magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc. Like maple syrup, it is also a low glycemic index sweetener.

Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses is the liquid extracted during the process of refining sugar cane that contain about 16 calories per teaspoon. While it still a not so popular healthy sweetener, but its nutritious contents such as calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamin B6 makes it a great healthy sweetener.

It is important to mention that although these are considered popular healthy sweeteners, their vitamin and mineral content isn't that different from the ones from regular sugar. Plus, consuming high amounts of sugar – even natural sweeteners, can result health problems such as poor nutrition, tooth decay, weight gain and increased triglycerides.

Be aware also that certain honey can have small quantity of bacterial spores that can result in botulism toxin production. Due to that, you shouldn't give honey to children younger than 1 year old.