If you love sweets but realize that consuming too much sugar can harm your body, you can easily find replacements that won’t cause as much damage. However, most people are only aware of those two common sugar substitutes, saccharin and aspartame. These may offer a modicum of protection against the health risks associated with sugar, but they’re not the only (or the most desirable) option.

Alternative Sweeteners vs. Refined White Sugar

You’ll gain many advantages by using other sugar alternatives to sweeten your food and beverages. You can reduce your chances of getting sugar-induced cavities, and also lessen your risk of many diseases to which regular sugar can contribute. Unregulated sugar intake can cause weight gain, as well as serious lifetime diseases such as diabetes or hypoglycemia. Simply cutting back on sugar, however, is not the answer, because you’ll still experience the rush of energy followed by hard crashes when you consume any amount of sugar. To avoid this, you can use alternative sweeteners.

Alternatives’ Advantages

Extensive research about artificial sweeteners has led to a barrage of scientific evidence that links them to many illnesses. In fact, Canada banned the use of saccharin in 1977 following studies that showed a link between its use and bladder cancer in animal tests. Aspartame was linked to brain tumors, which held up the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the substitute for many years. This is why the search for alternative sweeteners has been in full force for many years.

Choices

If you’re looking for an alternative to sugar but are apprehensive about using saccharin or aspartame, you’re in luck. There are many sweet alternatives that will give you the taste you’ve been looking for without all the health risks associated with both sugar and artificial sweeteners.

These are just a few of the many alternative sweeteners available today.

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  Stevia comes from a plant, and not only does it offer an excellent alternative to sugar, but preliminary studies have shown it to provide many health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, regulating blood sugar levels, and improving digestion. Because it can satisfy sweet cravings without the calories of sugar, it can also help with weight loss.

  
  


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  Xylitol is available in many forms. It offers the same sweetness as sugar but has only 30 percent of the calories! This provides for sweetness without the weight gain or the health risks associated with weight gain.

  
  


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  Sucanat, also known as Nutracane, is derived from sugarcane, but nothing is removed from it, so that it actually offers vitamins and minerals, unlike traditional refined sugar. Plus, it is completely natural, and contains no additives or preservatives, such as those found in artificial sweeteners.

  
  


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  Fructose, also known as dextrose, is a natural form of sugar derived from honey and many fruits, and it has less of an impact on blood-sugar levels than refined white sugar.

  
  


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  Honey, available in many types, is used to sweeten a wide variety of products.

  
  


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  Erythritol, which is naturally derived from corn for mass production, is commonly found in melons, grapes, and mushrooms. It is approximately 70 percent as sweet as sugar and contains virtually no calories (only 1/5 of a calorie per gram).

  
  

These are only a few of the many natural types of sugar substitutes available. Some others are barley malt, date sugar, beet sugar, sorbitol, turbinado sugar, agave nectar, and maple syrup.

—Joni Mitchell