Healthiest substitute for Corn Syrup in choc/rice/peanut bar

amother

Sun, Aug 06 2023, 10:51 pm

Whats the healthiest substitute for Corn Syrup in choc/rice/peanut butter bars, thats not chemical/artificial sugar?

I make the peanut butter rice squares w Agave instead of sugar, regularly, because I thought Agave was MUCH healthier than sugar. Its not! (Cleveland Clinic is very reliable).

https://health.clevelandclinic.....utes/

agreer

Sun, Aug 06 2023, 11:02 pm

I'm shocked that you're shocked

Everything sweet is bad to some degree.

Sugar is bad in excess. Natural sweeteners are bad in excess.

Sugar substitutes are bad in excess.

Agave is a "natural" sugar. Like maple syrup.

mompower

Sun, Aug 06 2023, 11:30 pm

Agave is actually worse than regular sugar. It’s mostly fructose vs sugar that is a lot less fructose.

It does more damage in the body than regular sugar. That’s why it’s so frustrating when it’s marketed as healthy when it’s very far from it.

amother

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 12:48 am

So theres nothing even slightly healthier than sugar, that I can use for the Peanut butter/rice crispies bars, that needs 1 cup sugar and 1 cup corn syrup, for a 9 X 13?

amother

Chocolate

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 12:51 am

Just use sugar. It's not a healthy type of recipe. Don't pretend it's healthy.

You can use a natural peanut butter and a healthier rice crispy I suppose, but it would make more sense to make a fruit platter to go along with it than to nitpick that recipe.

amother

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 1:09 am

amother Chocolate wrote:

I wish Id be a fruit addict.

Im a peanut butter/chocolate/rice crispies addict.

Why is anyone spending money on the Organic non GMO Agave, and giving it great ratings on Amazon, if its not that much healthier than sugar?

amother

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 1:20 am

chanatron1000 wrote:

Replacing some of the sugar with allulose might work.

Every day theres new findings about how harmful different sugar substitutes are.

https://www.ewg.org/news-insig.....study

amother

Chocolate

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 1:41 am

amother OP wrote:

It is healthier, just in a certain way.

Did you hear that they say that juice is just as unhealthy as soda? It's true, from a calorie perspective. But juice has more nutrients and less chemical additives.

It's still not healthy, but it's not AS unhealthy.

Agave or honey are not going to be AS unhealthy as refined sugar. But don't pretend they are healthy, they are not.

Putting them into rice crispy treats might delude you into thinking it's a healthy treat when it isn't. But if you're going to eat the same amount anyhow, you can make it marginally less unhealthy by switching out the sugar for agave.

LovesHashem

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 1:58 am

amother OP wrote:

You can use dark chocolate and natural peanut butter and slowly get used to the taste of less sugar.

You are in the states, no? There's probably stuff on the market with little to no sugar....

yidisheh mama

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 2:08 am

amother OP wrote:

So theres nothing even slightly healthier than sugar, that I can use for the Peanut butter/rice crispies bars, that needs 1 cup sugar and 1 cup corn syrup, for a 9 X 13?

Use natural PB, replace the corn syrup with honey, and the sugar with xylitol. Best is to use 1/2-3/4 cup of the sweetners instead of a full cup, and eat in moderation.

amother

Bone

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 2:10 am

You can gradually put less sugar in each batch you make.
Peanut butter is also not such a healthy thing, mind you.
I'd probably either
A. Look for a different treat that I can LOVE, but that is made of healthier components. (you can put popsickle sticks in fresh watermelon and freeze, or make somesort of a date bar)
B. Try to make this one less unhealthy by putting less sugar and corn syrup slowly to adjust yourself to the flavor.
C. Make it as the recipe calls for with sugar and whatever, but limit your intake of it.

Read up on dates as a natural sweetener.

amother

Quince

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 6:32 am

One thing I've learned as a diabetic is there's no such thing as a the proverbial free lunch when it comes to sugar. Sugar is sugar is sugar regardless of where it comes from and I cannot have it except for when I'm hypoglycemic. Artificial sweetners come with their own problems, though I'll rely on those when I absolutely must have something sweet.

amother

Snowflake

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 6:44 am

Honestly, a cup of sugar and a cup of corn syrup in a 9x13 feels like a ton. I’d definitely cut a lot.
And corn syrup is bad, use honey.

amother

Salmon

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 10:29 pm

I’ve made with coconut sugar, raw honey and natural peanut butter. I make it less sweet and use real dark chocolate. The fat in the chocolate and pb slow down the release of glucose into the bloodstream even more.

I believe rorie has a recipe that uses dates.

It’s still a treat, but much much better for you than white sugar and corn syrup. These sweetners are lower glycemic and contain micronutrients. Your body does know the difference.

There is evidence that honey actually helps balance blood sugar. And I just came across new research that says that maple syrup is beneficial for the cardiovascular system. It contains antioxidants. Not saying people should gorge, but there absolutely is a difference and your body knows it.

amother

NeonOrange

Mon, Aug 07 2023, 10:52 pm

The entire recipe is unhealthy , not sure why you're focusing on the sugar specifically. If you want to make it as a treat, by all means do so. But be aware that swapping out the sugar for coconut sugar or whatever is going to have a very minimal effect on the total health factor of this very unhealthy dessert.