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All of us have a sweet tooth, don’t we? Diabetic or not, it is important to ensure that you never consume artificial sweeteners and stick to the natural variants for the best of your health. If you have been wondering what the healthy natural sweeteners around are, you have come to the right place.
We often think that aiming for an artificial sweetener is the key to healthier choices. Trust me, it isn’t.
In here, we are going to be walking you through the list of healthy natural sweeteners that you should start including in your diet instead of the artificial sweeteners.
Why Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad For You?
Artificial sweeteners might come along with the claims of being zero calories and low on glycemic index and such but trust me, they are anything but good for your health.
If you are here wondering about the negative health effects of artificial sweeteners, it is important to ensure that you keep a note of some.
Artificial sweeteners tend to be one of the primary reasons behind the sudden spikes in the blood glucose levels which are often harmful to diabetics and anyone, for that matter. Given the fact that the sudden spikes in the blood glucose levels consistently can result in insulin resistance, it is necessary to ensure that you steer clear off of these artificial sweeteners.
All in all, it is better to opt for the natural sweeteners because not only are they derived naturally, they also tend to react better with the body and not inflict negative impacts, especially not increasing the risks of insulin resistance and such.
List of Healthy Natural Sweeteners
Check Out These Natural Sweeteners to Switch to for Healthier Life.
1. Stevia
While it can definitely be used in cooking as well as the baking, the same predominantly, used to sweeten the beverages.
The main reason why it is considered as one of the best healthy natural sweeteners is for the fact that it has a very low glycemic index which ensures that it doesn’t have any kind of impacts on the overall blood sugar levels.
And if you want to enjoy a sweetener that is also devoid of any kind of calories, this is the one.
That being said, some conducted studies have advised to be very moderate on the consumption of the stevia as well because even though it doesn’t contain any kind of calories, it might trick the body to produce mixed signals because of the fact that you are feeding it “sugar”.
If you are buying it, make sure to opt for the liquid version of this sweetener because the same can often end up making you consume more than what you would normally do.
There has been a few clinical studies (R) (R) that have been conducted with Stevia and has even proved to have beneficial impacts in managing the overall blood pressure levels in the body. It suggests that consuming Stevia can actually improve the hypertension rate by 6-14%.
2. Erythritol
Erythritol is one of the most common forms of alcohol sugars. Even this one is a very low-calorie sweetener. It is actually found in natural forms in some fruits but owing to the growing popularity of this specific natural sweetener, it is also being manufactured in industries as well.
For the most part, it contains just about 6% of the total calories that we find in sugar.
Studies (R) have found that the consumption of erythritol doesn’t cause any kind of changes in the blood sugar or even in the levels of the blood lipids.
Not just that, as a precaution, it is always best suggested to steer clear off of too much consumption (R) because the same can end up affecting the body altogether, causing issues with digestion.
Erythritol is not just low in calories but helps ensure that it sweetens the food item it is added to.
3. Monk Fruit or Lo Han Extract
Not many people are aware of this but the monk fruit, which is grown in Northern Thailand and Southern China, is actually one of the best natural sweeteners.
Lo Han has a very low glycemic index as well as a low calorie and sugar content which further contribute to the overall prospect why it is a good enough option.
The sweet taste of this specific fruit is predominantly derived from an important glycoside nutrient which is known as mogrosides. These mogrosides are the ones which are believed to be around 300 times sweeter than that of sugar and even have effective antioxidant properties which have been found to have beneficial impacts in projecting better anti-cancer properties.
The only downside to it is the fact that it is very hard to source.
4. Coconut Sugar
Many people have had several negative views on the fruit of coconut as a whole. While people didn’t think the oil was good enough, the same has been proven to be of amazing quality because of its effective medium chain fatty acids in them.
Not just that, recent studies show that the coconut sugar which is derived from the coconut palm actually does have beneficial sweetening properties that are not bad for your health.
It can be used as the same amount as sugar but they don’t necessarily cause any negative impacts on the body. Not just that, it also has a low glycemic index which further helps in keeping the levels of the blood glucose in check.
It is very easily sourced now because of the kind of popularity it has generated over the course of years.
5. Organic Honey
The taste and the intensity of the honey depend on the flower it has been extracted from. That being said, honey is actually sweeter than that of sugar and does have lesser negative impacts in comparison to the white sugar that we consume.
Apart from all this, organic honey is also loaded with beneficial enzymes, vitamins as well as minerals. In order to derive the best out of it, it is very important to ensure that you consume the raw and unpasteurized honey because the other one tends to kill out majority of the enzymes in the process.
Locally sourced honey has also been proven beneficial in boosting your overall immunity to the common allergens that are found in your area around.
6. Xylitol
Yet another one of the popular sugar alcohol is Xylitol. This does have sweetness similar to that of sugar.
Given that fact that it contains just 2/3rd of the calorie concentration of what we find in natural sugars, it is not surprising that many people actually do prefer consuming this one over the white sugar which is bad for our health.
Not just that, study has also found the beneficial impacts of xylitol in enhancing and boosting one’s dental health (R) which ensures to reduce the risks of cavities and decay.
Owing to the low glycemic index, it is actually quite beneficial in keeping the blood sugar levels constant (R). In one pre-clinical trial, it was found that the consumption of Xylitol by the rats did increase their bone intensity and prevented risks of osteoporosis.
7. Yacon Syrup
If you didn’t know this, Yacon is a plant from whose roots the syrup is extracted. It is predominantly found in the South American province and does have a very extensive and amazing history when it comes down to the medicinal purposes.
Apart from everything under common terms, Yacon syrup is actually rich in a varying number of probiotic fibers like that of inulin and fructooligosaccharides which are not digested directly by the body but are passed on to the gut bacteria which helps boost and enhance their health effectively.
Studies have actually found the Yacon syrup to have potent benefits in reducing risks of insulin resistance and even reverse obesity with a healthy lifestyle.
8. Fruits
Many people have this notion that diabetics should steer clear off of every single fruit on planet Earth. That is not at all true. Fruits for diabetics are good too; the only key is to ensure that you are consuming everything in moderation.
If you want to derive the natural sweeteners from fruits, it is best suggested to ensure that you consume fruits which have a low glycemic index and are actually good enough for your body.
Avoid fruits that will end up causing rapid spikes in your insulin and blood sugar levels because those are the ones that have negative impacts on the body.
Instead of gorging down fruits, ensure to manage portion eating of them and be cautious of which fruits you are consuming. Also avoid eating the super hybridized variants of the fruits that can impact the body negatively.
9. Organic Blackstrap Molasses
If you are personally on the lookout for the healthiest and nutritious sweeteners, the organic blackstrap molasses are an amazing option for the same.
It is often derived from sugar cane or sugar beet and is made by clarifying and then consistently blending in the juices that have been extracted from the plant.
The juice is boiled consistently for an extended period of time which is what gives it its ideal texture and stickiness that many of us often love and adore. The longer this is boiled, the better the results are. It becomes more nutritious and less sweet the more you boil it.
Apart from being a good source of nutrition, blackstrap molasses are also loaded with beneficial minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium as well as potassium.
10. Organic Maple Syrup
If you know of maple trees, you would know that the xylem of these trees is what we know as maple syrup. Maple syrup is a household staple and can be drizzled over anything to make it taste sweeter and tastier.
Unlike any of the above options, this can impact your overall sugar and insulin levels in the body, mainly because of the presence of the sucrose, fructose and glucose in it.
It is always best suggested to be cautious of the amount you are consuming because alterations can cause negative impacts on your body. Apart from a possible negative factor about this, maple syrup is loaded in minerals zinc, calcium and manganese which are beneficial for the body.
Maple syrup has an antioxidant named vanillin in it which is believed to have amazing impacts in reversing issues concerning the free radical damage in the body.
To summarise it all, if you have been looking out for healthy natural sweeteners, it is important to ensure that you choose anyone from the ones mentioned. It is important to ditch artificial sweeteners because of the kind of negative impacts they bring around to one’s health.