Natural Sugar Substitutes: 5 That Aren’t Really Healthy

Are you looking to improve your diet by using natural sugar substitutes because sugar is your weakness? Like many people, you crave it and can’t see your life without it. Nearly everything around us has some type of sugar, from processed foods to canned soda. The reality is the average person consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day. This amount sounds unfathomable until you consider how many packaged products are packed with sugar. It’s a bad deal for your body since sugar has no nutritional benefits. Instead, it’s empty calories and cheap energy.

Fortunately, people are wising up and becoming more aware of the detrimental effect that sugar has on their health and are looking for alternatives. Artificial sweeteners aren’t the answer since studies show they create a taste and energy mismatch. Your body expects that when you eat something sweet calories will follow. Therefore, artificial sweeteners may not reduce hunger. Plus, there’s some evidence that artificial sweeteners alter the gut microbiome.

Despite the fact that people believe natural sugar substitutes are healthier than artificial sugar substitutes, not every natural alternative is always a healthy one. Listed below are three naturally occurring, low-calorie sweeteners that are not as healthful as you would believe they are.

Maple Syrup Substitute

Maple syrup from the maple tree is a concentrated source of natural sugar. This sweet sticky liquid that’s actually sap contains 13 grams of carbohydrates and 52 calories per teaspoon. It also contains modest quantities of magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium, and a variety of antioxidants. One study found that substituting maple syrup for refined sugar increased antioxidant status. That’s a positive but with the number of carbohydrates and calories in a single teaspoon, it’s not something to eat every day.

Fructose

Fructose is a component of table sugar, which is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. But you can also buy packets of fructose power to sweeten your coffee or tea. Food and soft drink manufacturers also add a more concentrated form of fructose, high-fructose corn syrup to many packaged products, including soft drinks. Although fructose doesn’t trigger a rise in blood glucose; it has other metabolic health risks.

What’s so bad about fructose? When you consume fructose, it goes directly to your liver where your liver can convert it to fat. Based on this, it’s not surprising that a diet rich in high-fructose corn syrup is linked with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

There is natural fructose in healthier fare, like fruit, but it’s combined with fiber and phytonutrients that help reduce the negative effects of fructose on metabolic health. You won’t get the same negative effects from eating an apple as you will eating a packaged food that contains high-fructose corn syrup.

Studies also link fructose with insulin resistance and high blood triglycerides. It’s one sweetener to avoid.

Agave Syrup Substitute

What’s not to love about a natural sweetener that comes from the illustrious agave plant? It might be low in calories and have minimal effect on blood glucose, but it has some of the same problems as high-fructose corn syrup. In fact, processed versions of agave syrup are as much as 70% fructose, more than high-fructose corn syrup itself.

With such a high concentration of fructose, agave syrup could cause some of the same problems as high-fructose corn syrup does: high triglycerides, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. Don’t be seduced by its green packaging and the photo of the agave plant on the front. It’s not as healthful as it seems and the more processed versions of agave syrup are as harmful as high-fructose corn syrup.

A Coconut Sugar Substitute

Coconut sugar is another natural sweetener that has a health halo. Although it comes from the coconut plan and is less processed than table sugar, it’s still high in simple carbohydrates. On the plus side, it’s less likely to cause blood sugar spikes than sugar and contains some nutrients, including B-vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But the amount of nutrients though isn’t enough to make it a healthy food.

If you have to choose between table sugar and coconut sugar, the latter is a better choice but not by much. It’s still a source of simple carbohydrates and calories that don’t offer major nutritional benefits.

Honey Sugar Substitute

People often believe that honey is healthier than table sugar, but is it? It’s true that honey contains a trace of nutrients, but like coconut sugar, the nutritional perks aren’t great enough to justify adding honey to everything. Honey also has 30% more calories than table sugar and, like table sugar, it can raise your blood sugar. Yet the blood glucose rise you get with honey may not be as pronounced, based on current research. But that doesn’t make it healthy for your body Again, it’s something to enjoy in moderation and not be something you add to every cup of tea or coffee.

The Bottom Line

Even if a sweetener is natural, it doesn’t mean it’s healthy, especially if you’re diabetic or trying to lose weight. Wean yourself off all sweeteners if you can. If you’re going to use a sweetener, Stevia is a natural, calorie-free, low-glycemic option that contains no fructose.