Sugar Substitute? | Imamother

4ofus

Tue, Nov 29 2011, 10:46 am

So I hate splenda (horrible aftertaste) and I refuse to use sugar. I've been using honey instead in of sugar in everything I bake but 1. I'm not sure that it's that much healthier and 2. everything tastes like honey cake!

Do any of you use agave nectar? How do you substitute it for sugar? Does it have an aftertaste? Do you have any other alternatives?

TIA

amother

Oak

Tue, Nov 29 2011, 11:04 am

I'm a huge advocate for Xylitol. It tastes good (sweet, and it has this little cooling effect on your to tongue that I love.) And it's good for you, and excellent for your teeth!
Stevia is also good for you. I never tried it, always using xylitol myself, but I've heard great things about it. Don't use Splenda! It's really unhealthy.

Last edited by amother on Fri, Aug 21 2020, 10:09 am; edited 1 time in total

OOTBubby

Tue, Nov 29 2011, 11:10 am

Banana wrote:

shoemaker wrote:

dd you try stevia?

No. How do you substitute it for sugar?

I use Stevia. Subsitution depends on the brand. Read the package. If you buy the individual packets, I think each is like 2 tsp. sugar. I buy the big bulk bag (the best brand by far is called Stevia in the Raw -- green bag with OU hashgocha) and it measures the same as sugar. I find though that you usually need a little less of it than you do sugar. You need to try it and see.

maze

Tue, Nov 29 2011, 12:28 pm

Banana wrote:

I was wondering the same thing about agave, how to substitute and if there are aftertastes like there is with splenda and other substitutes. I don't like truvia- is that the same as stevia?

naomi2

Tue, Nov 29 2011, 3:12 pm

crush wrote:

yes

dvash6

Tue, Nov 29 2011, 10:20 pm

Sugar is so bad for the body on so many levels and most don't realize how much they are really eating- there is sugar in almost everything. Splenda is basically poison - it is bleached. Check out Dr. Mercola's website for more detailed explanations about what sugar and splenda do to your body.
A wonderful substitute is pure maple syrup. Besides for tasting great it has enzymes and other health benefits. Pure date syrup is a great alternative for those living in Israel. It is still a sweetener and all sweeteners should be used in moderation. The best thing to do is to retrain your sweet tooth. People say that life is short and you should enjoy sweets but there is nothing enjoyable about being unhealthy- I try to make sure that everything I put into my mouth is a quality food - I enjoy feeling good and healthy everyday and what I eat very much contributes to that.

nylon

Tue, Nov 29 2011, 10:34 pm

Agave is heavily processed and the glucose/fructose ratio is not standardized. It may be anywhere from 10/90 to 45/55. The latter is the same as HFCS and almost the same as sugar.

Just because fructose doesn't make your BGLs spike doesn't mean it's problem free. All nutritive sugars have calories and have metabolic consequences. It doesn't matter if it's unprocessed, or there are extra minerals. They don't stop the sugars from being metabolized. The only solution is to use sugars in moderation. All sugars. Raw, maple, white, honey. None is really better than the other. The glucose and fructose molecules don't change. A molecule of glucose is a molecule of glucose and will raise your BG.

HindaRochel

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 12:44 am

All sugars are about equal. Some have a bit more vitamins but you would need to consume a lot of the product for the vitamins to count.

I would try lessening the sugar level, or adding such things as apple sauce, or maybe black-strap molasses (because that does add a lot of nutrients). However, in all cases, it is a sugar and your body reacts to them like sugar.

Adding less, eating less cakes etc, making sauces without sugar (for example salad dressings) or less sugar is the key.

Worrying about the differences is not.

http://health.kaboose.com/nutr......html

There are other sources. Sugar, used moderately, isn't going to be a problem.

MrsDash

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 1:07 am

I'm definitely guilty of drinking things with sugar substitutes, but I've been trying to cut down on those drinks, and consume more spring water. When it comes to coffee or tea, I use the "flavored" variety. I add some 2% milk, and it ends up tasting great! (BTW the lactose combined with the fat in milk has been found to be a very healthy "source" of sugar.)

On a separate note, there are times when I "reward" myself with the regular, full sugar, chilled CAN of coca-cola!

In terms of sugar substitutes, Truvia (Stevia) is the most "natural" of all the other artificial sweeteners out there on the market. I am not a big fan of it though. It tastes too bitter, and odd for my liking. I don't think I've seen them sold in anything other than the little packets. I've never come across Truvia in a large sized bag like with Splenda.

Seraph

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 1:18 am

nylon wrote:

For all that you say "White sugar, honey, none is better than the other", I know for a fact that every time I have things made with white sugar I get migraines, something that doesn't happen when I eat things made with honey, dates, maple syrup, etc... So it obviously is metabolized differently, at least in my body.

Raisin

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 4:49 am

Seraph wrote:

nylon wrote:

how something affects you does not mean it is unhealthy for everyone else. Do you not eat peanuts or kiwi? I know someone who is deathly allergic to both of those. I get migraines from chlorine but I'm not going to tell everyone else not to go swimming.

Seraph

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 5:00 am

I didn't say its a problem for everyone. I'm saying that sugar and honey are not exactly the same. The same way peanuts and split peas are not the same, even though they're both legumes.

And if someone is saying she wants a sugar substitute, its kind of silly to lecture her that all sugars are the same. No, they're not. Just like all veggies are not the same, and all legumes are not the same.

gryp

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 8:47 am

I use maple syrup a lot (real, not pancake syrup) which isn't good for my wallet, but like I said in the other thread, I think the key is to cut out sugar as much as you can. Food only needs a little bit of sweetness, it shouldn't be drowned in it.

Milk, apple juice, applesauce, and bananas in your recipe (replacement for eggs and oil) means you can put much less sugar. Especially if you're putting in raisins or choc chips.

Chopped dates is supposed to be a great sugar substitute but I've never tried it since dates are expensive.

(Btw,I've found that sliced apples + a bit of unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon if you like, makes the best apple pie filling. No sugar needed.)

HindaRochel

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 9:30 am

Seraph wrote:

nylon wrote:

It doesn't metabolize differently, though you may have an allergy or reaction to it. However, it could also be psychosomatic. The only real way to tell if you have a reaction is if various similar products, in taste and consistency, were eaten and you didn't know which contained the sugar. THEN you would know.

However, sugar isn't such a necessary part of everyday life and if you want to substitute why not?

nylon

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 12:50 pm

Seraph, that's one specific side effect that YOU have. It doesn't equate to "honey is healthier than sugar".

Also, "healthy" is not well defined. It depends on what you're trying to achieve, which is why "healthy" is so contentious. With sugars, people are commonly concerned with their effect on metabolism and blood sugar. You can't say "this is healthy." You can say, "this has the same consequences for diabetes as that." It's a common fallacy for diabetics (and people with similar concerns) that fructose is ok because after all, you're measuring blood glucose, but it doesn't work that way. Coming at it from a diabetes POV (which is where I'm coming at it), the idea that white sugar is the devil but other sugars are ok, is a real problem.

And I'm sorry, but the molecular structure of glucose and fructose does NOT change. It may be that there is something else in the sugar that you react to, or the processing, but the sugar itself is the same.

Seraph

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 1:01 pm

For many people, nylon, the definition of unhealthy is "processed", and the least processed and more close to natural a food is, the healthier it is. Less so the immediate effect on blood sugar or whatever it is.
Honey is much less processed than white sugar, that's for sure, and if someone is on an "as unprocessed as possible" diet, then it makes sense for them to go with honey or fruit concentrates over white sugar. Saying "white sugar and honey are exactly the same" is silly, because, again, one is more processed than the other, so that automatically makes them not the same.