• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Kitchen Apothecary

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Natural Sweeteners – Not So Sweet?

Natural Sweeteners – Not So Sweet?

By Sarah Coleman 10 Comments

Natural Sweeteners – Not So Sweet?

Natural Sweeteners – Not So Sweet?

There is a worrying trend across wellness oriented food blogs and magazines to offer endless “healthy” and natural sweet treats. You have seen the pictures choking Instagram and Pinterest feeds – raw vegan paleo caramel slice, cacao peanut butter cups, raw cashew cream “cheesecake”. It appears that this is what all the healthy bods are eating … or at least dreaming about!

Starting your day with maple toasted granola, popping a few cacao balls at work then scoffing a slice or two of raw caramel slice after dinner is not going to put you on the path to good health in the long run. When transitioning from a high sugar diet to a low sugar one these substitutions are great, they move you from the empty calories of refined cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup to more nutrient-dense foods, they also allow time for your palate to evolve. Including them in significant quantities in your day to day diet long-term will simply keep feeding you sugar.

So why … oh why do we crave sugar and why is it so hard to cut down? Blame evolution for your sweet tooth – for millions of years, the sweet taste was a rarity found in nature, present only in things such as honey and root vegetables. Sugar cravings were intense because our hunter-gatherer ancestors needed to lay down plenty of fat to ensure that when food was scarce they could maintain their increasingly large brain and ability to reproduce.

Fast forward to now and we live in an environment awash with refined sugary foods and many of us stuck behind a desk all day, largely sedentary, hardwired to crave sugar… a recipe for disaster.

So what is happening when we are replacing refined cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup with natural sweeteners? They all contain the simple sugars glucose and fructose except of course the non-caloric sweeteners such as Stevia.

First, let us bust the myth that natural sweeteners such as coconut palm sugar or agave nectar are whole foods. Whilst they are generally unrefined they are not unprocessed. They have been extracted from their original source and concentrated to form the granules or syrup, packaged for you to buy at concentrations that would never be found in nature, except raw honey. Extraction also strips them of some vitamins, minerals and fibre. It is the fibre that helps the body slow down and regulate the way our body processes these natural sugars.

Mejool Dates

Mejool Dates

What about fructose? It is fruit sugar so it must be healthy right? Well, yes and no! Fructose in the context of eating whole fruit is healthy, it is bound to vitamins, minerals and fibre. Once extracted from fruit, concentrated and refined, it is then added to food in the form of fruit juice concentrates or via sweeteners such as agave syrup in levels never experienced in the human diet before the last one hundred years.

Emerging scientific studies demonstrate that the overconsumption of fructose may be having disastrous effects on our health. Because fructose is processed by the liver some scientists argue that eating too much can have a toxic effect similar to that of alcohol. Some natural sweeteners are very high in fructose – agave nectar contains 90%!

Excess fructose and sugar in general also provides unwanted calories that in turn are linked to health problems such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high triglyceride levels, all of which boost your risk of heart disease. Your body is not going to differentiate between fructose or glucose from refined or more natural forms of sweeteners if they are consumed in excess. Sugar is sugar!

As far as natural sweeteners go you are best to choose whole foods such as bananas and dates. Yes, they contain the simple sugars glucose and fructose that are also present in table sugar however they are embedded in the whole food. I think of them as the Trojan horse of natural sweeteners, the glucose and the fructose impart the sweet taste, they also sneak in a whack of fibre, vitamins and minerals that help our body process this sugar more effectively. Better choices after these are coconut palm sugar (not to be confused with palm sugar used in Thai cooking), raw honey and pure maple syrup.

So what is the verdict? I would have to say that some natural sweeteners are definitely a better choice than refined sugarcane-derived sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup BUT we should have the same relationship to them that our ancestors had – consider them a treat, make them scarce in your diet and truly enjoy their sweetness when you indulge.

References Available on Request

Pollinate:

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print

Related

Filed Under: Blog, Knowing and Growing, Uncategorized Tagged With: dates, diabetes, fructose, glucose, health, honey, maple syrup, metabolic syndorme, natural sweeteners, sugar, sugar and health

Let's Keep In Touch

Occasional newsletters and details of courses and workshops I have on the brew! Your email is safe with me :) 

Just a moment ....

Thanks for subscribing!

Previous Post: « Rainbow Chard Salad with Roast Pumpkin, Sheep Fetta and Pomegranate Dressing
Next Post: Make Your Own Honey Calendula Lip Balm »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kaye Rice

    at

    Love your latest pic Sarah – very succinct!! And because. I am a sweet tooth this is an invaluable reminder – tnx

    Reply
    • thekitchenapothecary

      at

      It is all too easy to overconsume sugar, no matter where it comes from!

      Reply
  2. Deb Baker

    at

    Thanks for this really useful information. There is so much misinformation out there that is gets very confusing. I feel very fortunate that I don’t have a sweet tooth.

    Reply
    • thekitchenapothecary

      at

      You are lucky Deb! A sweet tooth is the bane of many peoples lives … glad I could clear things up :)

      Reply
  3. Robyna | the Mummy & the Minx

    at

    Thanks for this excellent and informative post. It reminds me a little of when my friend had to go gluten free – she got a bit carried away in the gluten free aisle and bought biscuits and things that she wouldn’t have ordinarily. Of course, it ended up in some weight gain and some not great feelings about that. I think it pays to remind ourselves that things in the health food aisle aren’t necessarily health foods.

    Reply
    • thekitchenapothecary

      at

      Thanks Robyna. Careful, you might get me up on my soap box about all the supposedly healthy gluten free products in the health food aisle, most of which are highly processed and high GI! Glad you enjoyed the post :)

      Reply
  4. Fiona

    at

    I just stick with real sugars and assume all sugars are just that – sugar!

    Reply
    • thekitchenapothecary

      at

      Cool, as long as you aknowledge processed sugar provides empty calories as they are not bound to vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fibre as some of the healthier alternatives. Keep it rare in a wholefood based diet!

      Reply
  5. Liz Posmyk (Good Things)

    at

    Excellent advice!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Roast Rhubarb with Orange Blossom Cashew Cream • The Kitchen Apothecary says:
    at

    […] Roasting rhubarb is my favourite way of preparing this vegetable as it preserves the integrity of the stalks rather than letting them go to mush, giving them a lovely texture when served with something silky like cashew cream. Roasting also intensifies the flavour adding a deep rich sweetness, perfect when you do not want to add much sweetener. In this recipe I decided to ditch cane sugar and choose coconut sugar that has a significantly lower glycaemic index and adds a slight caramel flavour to the dish. You can read more about natural sweeteners here. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Sarah

Sarah Coleman, naturopath and freelance health writer

Naturopath, writer, grower, maker. Umami huntress. Sharing traditional wisdom, backed by science. More …

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Let's Keep In Touch

Occasional newsletters and details of courses and workshops I have on the brew! Your email is safe with me :) 

Just a moment ....

Thanks for subscribing!

Instagram

Foxglove (Digitalis spp). An old remedy with a narrow therapeutic window, meaning there is little room for error in dosing, a smidge too much and it is poison. NOT used as a home remedy anymore after numerous fatalities. A source of compounds called cardiac glycosides, isolated and used in pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular disease, such as digoxin. Such elegance as they reach for the sky, and an absolute magnet for pollinators.
Herbaceous water kefir second ferment. Heavy on camphorous rosemary, sunny sweetness of orange and subtle blueberries give it a beautiful hue. One day in and super fizzy with all the added wild microbes 🧡⁣. After training the grains from a first ferment of water kefir, flavourful, aromatic herbs, spices and fruits can amp up the taste and the fizz when added for a day or two for a second ferment. Do you second ferment??
🌱 As we move through spring many herbs and plants reach the cusp of maturity. They are most potent and nutrient-rich before the heat of summer sets in and they push their energy into flowering and seeding. ⁣
🔬 Microorganisms make the magic happen when it comes to fermentation. They can be: ⁣
Waste not, want not! 🍏 Old lunch box apples get fermented to Apple cider vinegar. They are super bubbly for the first few days before they are strained off and the liquid rested for at least 3 months, we go longer for extra tang! Me 8 has taken to sealing our ferments with globes so they wave at us 😂😊.
Spring chickens are on the lay. The pullets are producing a party pack of eggs. Have learnt to spot the double yolkers!!!

Recent Posts

  • How To Make Milk Kefir (and why you should)
  • All About Fire Cider & A Flexible Recipe
  • Four Inspiring Mountain-Hugging Veggie Gardens in Hobart
  • How Your Kombucha SCOBY Works (It’s Like Magic!)
  • Sticky Turmeric Chai Tea: a Spicy Hug in a Mug

Categories

Explore

anti-inflammatory antioxidant apothecary beeswax cabbage calendula capsicum chard chilli drink extra virgin olive oil ferment fermentation fermented forage foraged garlic gelatin ginger gut health hazelnuts herb herbs honey kombucha lavender lemon lemon juice naturopath pesto preserved lemon pumpkin rainbow chard raw honey remedy rose ruby chard salad SCOBY seeds silverbeet spice tonic turmeric vegetables

Pin With Me!

Disclaimer

The information on this page is general information and should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Do not use the information found on this page as a substitute for professional health care advice. Any information you find on this page or on external sites which are linked to on this page should be verified with your professional health care provider.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Footer

Have a Look Around

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About

Legal Stuff

  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Disclaimer
  • Website Terms & Conditions of Use

Copyright © 2023 The Kitchen Apothecary on the Foodie Pro Theme

 

Loading Comments...