Natural Sweeteners: How To Reduce Sugar Consumption?

By reading this extremely interesting article, you will learn about six sweeteners that will help you reduce your sugar intake. Find out more about it!

Numerous studies on sugar and its effects on health led us to look for new ways to sweeten food without resorting to the use of white sugar. Later in the text you will learn about six natural sweeteners that will help you reduce sugar consumption .

Why do we like sweet taste so much?

The WHO recommends that the daily intake of free sugars for both adults and children should not exceed 10% of the daily caloric intake, as too much sugar can be harmful to your health.

In addition, sugar provides the body with empty calories that lead to weight and fat gain, and increases the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease .

We like the sweet taste of sugar because we enjoy it. Its consumption stimulates the production of dopamine, thanks to which we feel good. Such pleasure leads to the fact that we consume more and more sugar as our brain becomes less sensitive to the effects of the previously mentioned hormone.

Therefore, sugar is an addictive substance. In addition, sugar stimulates the brain’s reward center. That’s why it’s so addictive.

Considering the above data, first of all, you need to get your palate used to the sweet tastes present in natural products. For this purpose, it is best to reduce the amount of sugar used to sweeten tea, yogurt, and desserts.

To achieve this, you can try the natural solutions described below.

Natural sweeteners to help you reduce your sugar intake

1. Stevia

This sweet South American plant, which is very famous in Japan, is one of the most powerful natural sweeteners. Unlike white sugar, stevia does not contain calories. Some studies show that diabetes can consume it because it does not cause blood glucose spikes.

If you choose to consume stevia, we recommend that you choose pure stevia, not the stevia-based sweeteners found in supermarkets, which are a combination of artificial sweeteners and purified stevia extract.

2. Limit your sugar intake by eating honey

If your sugar intake is not that you are gaining weight, but that it provides nothing but empty calories, honey is the best natural sweetener.

Honey, in addition to providing sweetness, is considered a functional food product because it contains vitamins, minerals and amino acids, as well as possesses bactericidal and antibiotic-like properties. This is confirmed by this study by the University of the Balearic Islands (available in Spanish).

Therefore, if you consume honey, you will provide your body with the key nutrients and fewer calories. Of course, to make sure it retains its health benefits, choose organic honey that is not purified.

3. Xylitol will help reduce sugar consumption

One of the unique properties of xylitol is the fact that it does not cause insulin spikes, which allows you to maintain a stable blood sugar level. Thus, it is an excellent sweetener for diabetics and people who care about weight, because it protects against the feeling of hunger that occurs with changes in insulin levels.

In addition, this natural sweetener is worth consuming for frequent tooth decay problems. All because it helps to protect the teeth against bacteria.

4. Agave syrup

It is made from the juices of a Mexican plant. This sweetener tastes like honey but has a more fluid texture. Unlike normal sugar, agave syrup contains key nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

This sugar replacer is more fluid than honey. As a result, it dissolves better in food and drinks.

5. Cane sugar will help reduce sugar consumption

This product is made from sugarcane syrup. It is soaked, boiled, shaped and dried. The resulting product is then purified and finally brown sugar is obtained. Moreover, no chemical purification processes are used to obtain the end product.

Unlike white sugar (which consists mainly of sucrose), cane sugar contains glucose, fructose, proteins, minerals (calcium, iron and phosphorus) and vitamins (A, C, D, E and B vitamins), as shown by for example the research conducted by the FASTA University.

Therefore, experts consider it a better option than white sugar as it contains fewer calories than refined sugar.

In addition, it has numerous benefits, for example, it strengthens the immune system and helps regulate the heart rate and the transmission of nerve and muscle stimuli.

6. Coconut sugar

Although its name might suggest it, coconut sugar is not obtained from the fruit, but from the juices of the flowers, which are heated until all the water has evaporated. Thanks to this process , some of the values ​​of this plant can be preserved.

Thus, while there is no scientific evidence so far, experts believe that coconut sugar provides us with minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc, polyphenols, antioxidants and small amounts of amino acids.

In addition, because it has a low glycemic index to be considered a sweetener, it does not cause sudden spikes in blood sugar levels.

In short, these sweeteners may be healthier and more natural than sugar. However, we recommend using them in moderate amounts.