Natural Sweeteners

Sweeteners - Alternatives To Sugar

More and more health-conscious consumers today are putting in the work to curb their sugar intake, either by making wiser food choices or by swapping out sugar for alternative sweeteners. Indeed, natural and alternative sweeteners are a wonderful way to cut down on your sugar consumption while still satisfying your sweet tooth. What’s great about many natural alternative sweeteners is that while the molecules themselves are similar to sugar, providing a sweet flavour, they differ enough that the body can't recognize them and break them down; therefore, they provide no calories. 

As mentioned, the body cannot metabolize alternative sweeteners like it does sugar, so they do not have an incidence on glycemia (they have a low-glycemic index). This is good news for those with blood sugar metabolism issues such as diabetes and pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, central obesity, weight management and sugar cravings to both help maintain satiety and to beat sugar addictions. 

Benefits Of Alternative Sweeteners

• Aids Weight Loss
• Helps Manage Diabetes
• Helps Prevent Cavities
• Reduces Risk of Obesity
• Stabilizes Glycemia

Most Popular Natural Alternative Sweeteners

Some of the most well-known alternative sweeteners include:

Agave Syrup: A Healthy Replacement For Sugar

Agave is native to the Southern United States and Mexico, agave syrup comes from the agave plant and is a natural, low-glycemic sweetener that is 25% sweeter than sugar, dissolves quickly and will not cause a sugar spikes. 

Erythritol As An Alternative Sweetener

Erythritol is found naturally in fruits, mushrooms and a range of fermented foods. Erythritol has the least calories of any sugar alcohol and the body cannot metabolize it, which makes it a great option for those who need to monitor their glycemia closely.

Monk Fruit As An Alternative Sweetener

Monk Fruit is a natural sweetener made from crushed monk fruit that’s been used for over a thousand years as a sweetener in China. It contains no calories and is said to be about 250 times sweeter than sugar. It is often blended with other alternative sweeteners, most notably, erythritol.

Stevia Extract As An Alternative Sweetener

Stevia Extract is a sweetener that is extracted from the leaves of the Stevia plant, which is native to South America. Stevia is said to be 200 to 300 sweeter than sugar, does not contain calories and is often blended with another non-nutritive sweetener to reduce bitterness.

Xylitol: An Alternative to Sugar

Xylitol is widely used in no-sugar chewing gum, candy and toothpaste because it prevents tooth decay and does not cause a sugar spike, making it ideal for those with blood sugar metabolism issues. Xylitol is extracted from birch wood, looks and tastes like sugar and is low in calories, however, it’s important to note that it’s toxic to dogs, so make sure to keep it out of your dogs reach. 

Where To Buy The Best Natural Sweeteners

You can buy all of these alternative sweeteners both in store and online at National Nutrition.ca