Natural Sweeteners

♦ March 3, 2011 ♦ Comments Off

Many people like the sweet taste of cookies, ice cream, etc, but they do not want to gain weight from eating white sugar. For such People there are other options to sweeten naturally which don’t necessarily lead to weight gain. For example, there is a plant called stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) which is also called “sweet herb.” This is because its leaves are 30 times sweeter than regular sugar. However, their calorie content is low, making it the ideal sweetener in a weight loss diet. In addition, stevia has important nutritional advantages as it contains carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins. It is also a general tonic which helps the heart.

In addition, their is Maple syrup is extracted from the sap of maple trees. This sweet substance has the advantage of providing fewer calories than white sugar or honey. It is good for using as syrup or for candy or for making pastries. It can also be used to sweeten cakes, waffles and pancakes. Agave syrup is another natural sweetener that is extracted from a cactus. It can be used to sweeten cereal, toast or fruit salad.

Apple syrup concentrate is prepared by simmering apple juice. It has a mild flavor and therefore is suitable to put on toast or pancakes. It maintains many of the nutrients and health claims has the apple in its natural form as the benefit ends up being double. Molasses looks like honey but is derived from sugar cane. To achieve this, it is necessary to press the cane juice and cook to evaporate the water. This removes a thick liquid. Molasses is ideal as a sweetener in teas and contains more vitamins and minerals than refined sugar. Molasses, in spite of its sweetness is softer than other sweeteners.