Sugar: which alternatives are better to choose?

The recommended amount of sugar per day is 30 grams. The most common example of sugar and food is coca-cola, which contains 55 grams of sugar in one 500ml bottle. However, even without sweet drinks, multiplying sugar can be very easy as it is rich in sweet yogurts, cheeses, store-bought desserts, and so on.

Historically, the human body began to consume sugar not so long ago, so our body is still not accustomed to tolerate it. Therefore, regular high blood sugar levels lead to health disorders like overweight, diabetes and other diseases.

For this reason, I strongly advise making desserts at home, as this allows us to control the amount of sugar and choose the alternatives we want. However, there are a number of artificial sweeteners on the market that are sugar free, but they are also not the best option for our body. We will talk about this today.

Dates (100 g: 20-25g sugar, 20-30% fructose) and their syrup

The dates themselves are especially sweet and can beat your curiosity and replace sugar in a variety of recipes. Dates are nutritious as they are rich in minerals such as potassium. However, they are still high in fructose and raise our blood sugar levels, so they should be consumed in moderation.

Maple syrup (100 g: 68 g sugar, 10-20% fructose)

Extracted from maple, this syrup is one of the most natural forms of sugar as it is not processed or refined. Maple syrup is especially high in calories, so it should also be used in moderation, but its sweetness will definitely suffice.

Honey (100 g: 80 g sugar, 40% fructose)

Probably the oldest alternative to sugar, which is also unprocessed and unrefined, and rich in minerals. Due to antioxidants and vitamin B, honey is often used by us for a cold. Of course, this applies to naturally extracted, non-commercial, processed honey.

Which sugar alternatives are better to avoid?

Stevia (100 g: 0 g sugar)

It is an artificial sweetener derived from stevia leaves that has become popular because it has no sugar and has a very low calorie content, so it does not raise the level of sugar in our blood. However, this commercial product is heavily processed and refined, and is known to cause digestive problems for more sensitive people as well.

Corn syrup (100 g: 78 g sugar, 60-80% fructose)

Although corn syrup is advertised as a “natural” sweetener, it has very high levels of fructose, which, as we already know, strongly raises sugar levels in the body and thus leads to health problems. Also, due to the large amount of maize grown, they are often grown with the help of GMOs.

Agave syrup (100 g: 68 g sugar, 80-90% fructose)

Although agave is a natural sugar and is advertised as a natural alternative, this syrup contains about 80-90% fructose (more than white refined sugar), which strongly causes sugar levels in the body and again, leads to problems such as diabetes and obesity.