Once you stop eating sugar, your taste buds recalibrate and you can begin to taste the natural sweetness found in so many foods. Milk and cream have an incredible sweetness to them, as do fruit, tomatoes, and even some cheeses. Enjoying the natural flavors of all foods brings a pleasure and satisfaction to eating that I’d not experienced. It also puts a stop to all of those maddening sugar cravings that I couldn’t satisfy no matter how much I ate. Life without sugar is really good.
Alternative sweeteners cost more compared to regular table sugar. My goal is to not sacrifice quality while being mindful of costs. It’s a balance when it comes to sugar-free baking and cooking and requires some creativity at times. I have found, however, that any extra cost is worth the health benefits I receive.
Agave nectar is one of my favorite ways to sweeten baked goods. It comes in both light and raw or amber forms. I use the light for a general substitute for white sugar and the raw or amber as a brown sugar substitute or when I just want to add a rich, full flavor to my baked goods. It’s especially delicious in fruit breads and in anything with pumpkin or squash.
I’ve found that when converting a recipe, starting with half as much agave is a good starting point and in generally sufficient. Agave is very sweet. Cut back on liquids in an equal amount to compensate for the extra liquid added by the agave. For example, if you substitute ½ cup agave for 1 cup of sugar try to cut the other liquids back by ½ cup in some combination. Sometimes cutting the oil or butter down too low will significantly alter the outcome of your recipe.
Dates are wonderful in recipes with chocolates or dark, quick breads. They also add a moistness that compliments gluten-free baked goods because they can tend to be dry. Date sugar is also a fun way to add a natural sweetness to foods.
Unsweetened fruit juice concentrates and fruit purees are other ways to add sweetness to your foods. Apple and pear are neutral flavored and won’t change the taste of your food. Other juices and purees can be added to compliment the flavors already present in the recipe.
I love Stevia. It’s the only sweetener I use in my coffee and it’s wonderful with fruit and cottage cheese. I have found that it’s an acquired taste and many people can detect something ‘different’ about anything baked with Stevia unless they’re used to it. Occasionally I use a little in my baking but, all in all, I leave it out.
LucindaSarina
posted on July 1, 2009 at 1:55 am
Thanks for the info! It's always good to learn healthier ways to bake my favorite foods.
[Reply]
Amy Green
posted on July 1, 2009 at 5:45 am
Sure! So glad this post was helpful.
[Reply]
Mrs. Ed
posted on July 2, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I thought I'd take a peek at your site. I like that it's gluten and sugar free. It's cool to see a blogsite on one of my favorite topics! I still use the occasional white sugar for myself and hubbie (going from 5 lb. bag a month to a 5 lb. bag a year), mostly for gluten free desserts we take to parties. It's been hard to cut back, but I've read alot about the dangers of it so I'm pretty determined. I find if I have more than usual I'll get bad cravings. I also noticed my husbands snoring gets worse when we've had more sugar. (It's a story for a future blog). Isn't that strange? I was a carb junkie. I am trying out the natural sugars and have been using honey exclusively for my son, he has major digestive issues. It's been an adventure!
[Reply]
Amy Green
posted on July 2, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Mrs. Ed,
Thanks for stopping by.
I do understand the cravings and the issues people can have due to white sugar. I've lived all of them! I can't eat honey – it makes me a little crazy, which is why I use agave. I think everyone has to find the balance that works for their body.
[Reply]
kp
posted on July 22, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Hi Amy, I just discovered your blog and am beginning to explore it. I was wondering if you played with xylitol at all and what you think of it. Also, with the recent article on agave written by Dr. Mercola, has your opinion changed at all? I’ve been working on a SS&GF diet for about a year now for the same reasons – not diet but how it made me feel. I’m still learning about sugar alternatives. Pregnancy and hormones and thrown it all for a little loop but I’m trying to get back on track.
[Reply]
Lorib
posted on August 2, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Just found your website while looking for what to use instead of sugar and without using Splenda-Stevia and the like. Am allergic to the yellow-blue-pink packs but would still like to have sweets such as baked goods (cookies, cakes, sweet breads). So yes I would like to have my cake and eat it to but without sugar or sugar substitutes. Eating Gluten-free isn’t an issue as far as I know. Can your site help me?
[Reply]
kp
posted on August 2, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Lori, You’re looking for options that don’t sweeten baked goods whatsoever? Meaning no fruit sweetener, sugar, or even natural substitutes?
[Reply]
Lorib Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 8:50 am
@kp, Sorry for the confusion but I am looking for sweetener alternatives just not sugar or splenda or things like that. Natural substitutes just not sugar;.
[Reply]
kp
posted on August 3, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Oh ok. The author of this blog does talk about the healthy alternatives above. This isn’t my blog but if it’s ok, I’ll throw out my two cents!
A year ago, a friend (gluten/sugar free diet) introduced me to xylitol. It’s a plant derived, natural sweetener. I personally love it and use it for my sweetening needs. It doesn’t have a different taste to it (like some say about stevia). You can google it to find out more. Here’s one link I pulled up:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Xylitol-vs-Stevia-The-Pros-and-Cons
It’s great because it’s a one-to-one replacement for sugar. All other alternatives (that are natural) have a strong flavor to me. Really you just have to try the options out and see how your body responds and weight that with your taste buds. Give xylitol a try though! It’s pricey but sugar alternatives basically are. Also, if you like it, Nature’s Sunshine sells chocolate bars that are made with xylitol which is awesome for chopping up and throwing in baked goods. There’s a new debate out there that Dr. Mercola wrote about that says agave is actually just as bad as corn syrup. Here’s the link to that article:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food.aspx
Hope this helps!
[Reply]
Augustina
posted on March 11, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Part of what attracted me to Simply Sugar and Gluten Free is the use of Coconut Palm Sugar. Right now my interest is in minimizing all unrefined carbs and sweeteners that negatively impact the metabolism. I’m not as interested in avoiding gluten because I don’t have any issues with it.
According to Dr Hyman, author of Ultrametabolism, Stevia and other artificial sweeteners, even though all natural, are just as impactful to the metabolism.
I’ll argue however, it’s all about what works for one’s self and if a person is able to maintain their weight and manage sugar cravings on something then it’s probably fine. I’ve taken a stance of health benefit to metabolic impact ratio when determining my usage of an ingredient.
These are the sweeteners I use:
Raw honey is ok because of the health benefits, but only in very small quantities.
Coconut Palm Sugar is an unrefined sweetener that has a medium GI rating.
Malt Barley Syrup is not gluten free, however it is an unrefined sugar and I use it in place of molasses or other syrups.
I DO NOT use agave syrup because it’s potentially just as detrimental as HFCS.
Ultimately the secret to any sugar consumption is combination with a high amount of fiber. So when I use raw honey, I may also make sure I’m using chia seeds or a minimally processed whole grain flour to slow down the body’s absorption of the sugar.
[Reply]
KP
posted on March 11, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Augstina – you can look up in the glycemic index what the levels are for different sweeteners and how they effect blood sugar.
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
[Reply]