My Top 5 Natural Sweeteners
We all know that sugar is bad for you and contributes to various health issues. So here are my top 5 natural sweeteners that are full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids that will contribute to your nutritional health without compromising on taste. Simply pick one according to your preference!
1. Coconut sugar — As the coconut tree is a palm, this means that coconut sugar is a type of palm sugar. It is made from the sap of cut flower buds off the coconut palm, and is a traditional sweetener that’s been used for thousands of years in South and South-East Asia. Due to its extraction process it has a very high heat resistance and won’t melt easily in your raw chocolate over the stove (this is where we powder it first and use a blender or Vitamix!) Thankfully, it can come in granular form (has a hint of caramel) or liquid (syrup nectar, which has more of a fruity flavour, and flower nectar, which I love to use as a “caramel” base!). The granules are delicious sprinkled over hot chia pudding, oat or quinoa porridge. Think of it as a brown sugar replacement – yum!
2. Rapadura sugar — Also known as panela and jaggery, this sugar is a traditional uncentrifuged juice pressed from whole cane sugar, which is then evaporated without separating the molasses. This way the minerals stay intact. Like coconut sugar, it also comes in a granular or liquid form. After you’ve smelt and tasted coconut sugar, you may take an instant dislike to rapadura in comparison. It really comes down to individual preference as they both act very similarly. You can use coconut and rapadura sugar interchangeably. Coconut sugar is less sweet of the two.
3. Raw honey — Raw in this instance means that the honey hasn’t been exposed to high temperatures (over 45 degrees), leaving the healthy enzymes intact. Many cultures believe raw honey to hold medicinal qualities. Honey is excellent mixed with nut butter (raw fudge), cacao (healthy icing) or smoothies and desserts.
4. Maple syrup — MS is made from the sap of tapped maple trees, which is also then evaporated to make a concentrated syrup or a granulated sugar.
Pure Maple syrup is a good source of zinc and manganese, and although a far better option than white sugar or honey is best combined with other natural sweeteners to enhance the flavour without using a large amount. It’s a fantastic sweetener in cheesecakes and slice bases to combine ingredients, meaning you don’t need to use as much. It’s even suitable to use in raw chocolate (especially raw chocolate pie!) although I don’t tend to use it in chocolate as my first preference unless I’m using coconut oil in place of cacao butter.
5. Fruit — Unprocessed, natural and full of fibre. Real, live and fresh fruits are best – especially straight off the tree. Hands down beats any juice unless it’s straight from the blender, which includes the fibre. Bananas, apples, blueberries, pears, cranberries and goji berries are colourful, tasty and delicious. I like to use mashed banana in my chia puddings, and freeze them for smoothies and “ice-creams”. Dried paw-paw and pineapple are the only two fruits I include into homemade muesli with nuts and seeds.
BONUS!
Medjool Dates – Medjool dates contain a long list of vitamins and a bountiful amount of minerals: calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, and manganese. They are sweet, sticky and the perfect substitute for sugar in raw protein balls, brownies, cheesecake bases and smoothies.
So there you have it! 5 healthy, delicious and more nutritious forms of natural sugar that are perfect replacements to refined, processed and “poisonous” sugars.
Coconut sugar and rapadura can both be found at your local health food shops or organic fruit and veg store. (QLD Discount Vitamins at Kearney Springs, opposite Kmart, have them for a great price if you’re in the Darling Downs!)
Enjoy!
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Mind-Body Wellness Specialist and qualified Holistic Counsellor, Food, Stress & Lifestyle Coach, Meditation Therapist, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach who inspires women to shift from dieting and restriction to whole-self nourishment, self-care and whole food healing. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food prison and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki is an inspiring coach, speaker and event host who also provides personalised holistic programs, workshops and retreats to instil self-love, happiness, body confidence and real food freedom. She is author of “Achieving Your Wellness: Create a Life You Love” and “Healthy Chocolate Delights: Real Food Sweet Treats”.
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