Organic natural sweet sugar alternatives during the Christmas holiday season and all year long

November 3, 10:04 PMNewark Holistic Health ExaminerRochelle Blank Zimmer

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Copyright photo by Rochelle Blank Zimmer

How did you survive sugar infested Halloween and how will you tis the season to be jolly without having a sugar sweet meltdown?  

Already in anticipation for the Christmas holiday season supermarkets shelves are donned with extra pie and cake pans. Bags of white sugar don't just litter the baking aisles, they appear as formidable walls at the front of food rows greeting you with spectacular taunting charm.. As if that was not bad enough, along side the bags of white sugar are a new arsenal of natural organic sugar sweeteners all claiming health benefits. It is enough to make a girl go sugar shock crazy with visions of Christmas Santa Claus cookies baked with healthy sugars.

Let's talk sweetly about some of these new alternative sweeteners that hope to topple the tower of white sugar babble.

Many of the packaged natural organic sweeteners that are on the market today are derived from natural, non chemical sources. The healthier news is that they contain vitamins and minerals and break down in your body more slowly than white sugar (sucrose). Some of the natural sweeteners are agave nectar, amasake, barley malt, brown rice syrup, date sugar, erythritol, fruit juices, fruit syrups, organic maple syrup, raw honey, sorghum molasses, unrefined green or brown stevia, yacon root and unrefined organic sugar. 

A word of caution must be met here. Natural, organic alternatives do not pave the way to open season of unabashedly eating sweet products. Even when choosing these natural, non-chemical sweeteners, do so sparingly as most of these choices still raise blood sugar levels. In excess, just like white sugar, they can cause imbalances in your body, resulting in unwanted health conditions. Remember a sugar is still a sugar, no matter how natural or what form it appears in. Healthy recommendations say to use the least concentrated, least sweet and most whole food of sweeteners, infrequently.

Amasake, made by fermenting rice into a thick liquid; Brown rice syrup, made from fermented sprouted brown rice, and Barley malt, made from fermented barley, are all rich in maltose. Created from complex carbohydrate grains, these sweeteners are all one-third as sweet as white sugar. These products are more of a “whole food” than any other sweeteners. Additionally, they are low in calories.

Agave nectar is a made from the juice of the agave cactus, and native to Mexico. It comes in a semi-thick liquid form, much like amber-colored honey. Agave is very sweet, sweeter than refined sugar, but scores low on the glycemic index. This sweetener gets absorbed into the body slowly, and thus in small amounts is said to be less disturbing to the body’s blood sugar levels. Some companies producing this sweetener go so far as to claim that it is suitable for diabetics, (in small quantities) but it’s best to check with your doctor first.

Stevia is an herb from the Amazon rain-forests. South Americans have enjoyed it for centuries. Until December of 2008 it was not considered a sweetener in the United States because the FDA hadn't approved it.  It has a strong licorice taste. The extracts are reported to be up to 300 times sweeter than white sugar. However, Stevia does not upset blood sugar levels and has zero calories. This could be a “sweet” choice for people struggling with high blood sugar as well as diabetics and Candida sufferers. Purchase the green or brown liquids or powders, as the white and clear versions are highly refined, lack nutrients and therefor should be avoided.

Erythritol - One of Christina Pirello's, author of This Crazy Vegan Life and Emmy award winning host of public television's Christina Cooks, favorite alternative sugar choice is Erythritol. It is a fermented sugar alcohol and sweeter than the sugar from whence it came from. Granular like sugar with a lightly sweet flavor and said not to promote cavities in your teeth. More good news on the Erythritol front is that it has no calories and works into recipes easily.

Yucon Root powder or syrup is a low glycemic sweetener which is said not to raise blood sugar levels. David Wolfe of Sunfoods says that the yucon root supports a healthy immune system, is good for digestion, and aids in the absorption of vitamins. It is very sweet and has been compared in taste to that of an apricot.

Raw honey is the artful handiwork of busy honeybees extracting delicious nectars from flowers. Honey contains enzymes, minerals, vitamins and is high in antioxidants as well. While it is considered a simple sugar, some medicinal properties have been associated with this sweetener. Honey digests slowly and doesn't send your glucose out of bounds. It does carry the highest amount of sugar grams per tablespoon — on average, 16–18 grams per tablespoon which could pack on the pounds if you are not careful. Choose raw honey when going this busy bee route.

The following choices, while they do contain some minerals, vitamins and fiber are simple sugars which raise blood sugar levels quickly. They also suppress immune functions and can leave one feeling fatigued. These choices should thus be used sparingly when used. 

Maple syrup, made from boiled down maple tree sap, boasts a wide range of minerals and high amounts of potassium and calcium. Best used in small amounts, because it does harbor a high sugar content which does raise blood sugar levels. Make sure to buy pure organic maple syrup and never maple- flavored corn syrup.

Date sugar is made from finely ground dates. The benefit of this sweetener is that it contains all of the fruits, nutrients and minerals. It is also low on grams of sugar per tablespoon. Date sugar can be used as a direct replacement for sugar. It is quite sweet, but doesn’t impart a sugary taste to cooked dishes.

Fruit juices mixed with water can be used to sweeten things up. Fruit syrups contain very high sugar contents, so use sparingly. Both products should be organic as the amounts of sprays on commercial fruit products are high.

Sorghum molasses is derived from sugar cane and is said to be highly nutritious. Sucanat is a brand name for an organic evaporated cane juice product that has been blended with organic molasses and carries a low amount of sugar grams per tablespoon.

Unrefined organic sugar comes from unrefined cane juice powder. Evaporating the water that comes from whole sugar cane juice produces this product. Good news- unrefined cane juice powder contains some minerals and nutrients. Beware: dried cane juice and cane juice are not the same thing, but manufacturers may want you to think so. If choosing this product you want to buy only unrefined dried cane juice powder. 

Chemically processed sweeteners such as white sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, high- fructose corn syrup, and blackstrap molasses should be avoided. They contain no nutritional value whatsoever and are considered unhealthy. 

For the upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years holiday season and all year long, choose the organic alternative sugar sweet choices while also being mindful of consuming these sweet products sparingly. 

For more information go to: Upcoming Holidays will test our sugar cravings, Searching for something sweet may be a sugar addition in disguise, Your Natural Choice Blog, Your Natural Choice Website, This Crazy Vegan Life, Get the Sugar Out, Sugar Blues or Sugar Shock.