Just A Spoonful of Sugar: Unrefined Sweeteners

Mary Poppins had a great idea. Adding a little sweetness to anything can make it a lot more fun! But many of us have first-hand experience with the unpleasant results of a sugar-laden diet: headaches, bloating, unwanted weight gain, acne, insatiable cravings for more, and even more serious conditions like diabetes over time. So how can we indulge our sweet tooth without facing the ugly consequences? 

Limiting sugar intake is an important part of a healthy diet, but that doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of the sweeter things in life! The first step is to fill your kitchen with whole, organic foods that nourish your body while satisfying your hunger. (It’s hard not to look forward to dessert, when your dinner is full of empty, unsatisfying calories!) Then, with plenty of nutrient-dense options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can begin to stock up on healthy alternatives to refined white sugar.

Low glycemic, unrefined coconut sugar is full of minerals, plus it has a delightfully earthy flavor similar to traditional brown sugar. Real, organic maple syrup is also very rich in minerals and it tastes heavenly added to tea, coffee or baked goods. Dates take a little more practice to bake or cook with, but the nutritional pay-off is well worth it! As a whole food, dates contain lots of digestion-enhancing fiber and antioxidants. Try spreading some nut butter on a whole, pitted date as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Divine! Of course we can’t leave out fruits, which are wonderfully versatile and full of essential vitamins. Antioxidant-rich berries are an especially good snack, as they are lower in sugar than other fruits.