We know, we know… sweet goodies can be so tasty. Somehow, though, they don’t look quite as appealing when they’re spilling over your waistband. The good news is, you don’t have to give up your favorite sweet treat—simply make a few simple tweaks to how you make them. Foods sweetened with fresh fruit are excellent options when cooking Fat Loss Plates. And for those times when nothing else but gooey sweetness is going to do, try transferring some of your affections to one of the many highly-refined sugar substitutes on the market:
• Xylitol – This sweetener has all the sweetness of table sugar, yet it has 40% fewer calories and a low Glycemic Impact. It’s also heat-stable for cooking and baking and mixes and dissolves just like common sugar.
• Splenda (Sucralose) – This low-calorie sweetener is increasingly common in packaged foods and is also available in “sprinkle” form without the health risk and after-tastes that are associated with Aspartame or Saccharine.
• Neotame–A no-calorie sweetener found primarily in diet soft drinks and other diet foods.
• Stevia–Another good alternative to Aspartame and also works well in cooking and baking.
• Fruit & Fruit Juices–Lower in total calories, and healthier than pure
sugar, when baking desserts try using real fruit as a natural sweetener. They have a Glycemic Load of 19 compared to a whopping 99 for fructose corn syrup!
• Organic Evaporated Cane Juice–This natural, organic replacement for conventional sugar makes for great jams, jellies, cheesecakes, soups, ice cream, short-bread, drinks and cereal to name a few.
• Brown Rice Syrup – This Glycemic-friendly syrup is one of the best alternatives to sugar, honey, corn syrup, maple syrup or molasses in all your cooking. Simply substitute 1-¼ cups rice syrup for each cup of white sugar and reduce the liquid in your recipe by ¼ cup for each cup of rice syrup.
• Sucanat–This organic dehydrated sugar cane juice and free-flowing brown sugar retains 100% of the sugar cane’s molasses. Rich in molasses, vitamins and minerals, it is extracted, clarified, evaporated and crystallized. The result is a blond-colored, delicious and natural organic sugar that will enhance all your favorite recipes. Use as a one-for-one replacement for refined white sugar. A wonderful rich flavor!
• Natural Demerara Sugar–A long-time favorite among Europeans, this crunchy, golden-colored sugar has large, sparkling crystals and a rich aroma. You will see this sugar mentioned in many of our recipes here, the Million Meal Menu Planner, and the Classic Comfort Food Recipe Cards.
• Agave Nectar–This sweet, mild nectar is a perfect multi-purpose sweetener for beverages, fresh fruit and general table-top use. Easy to find in most stores, it works great in recipes just like Brown Rice Syrup and it is also Glycemic-friendly.
*Aspartame & Sodium Saccharine (Nutrasweet, Equal, Sweet and Low, etc.) There is significant evidence that suggests these may be carcinogenic so we suggest you choose other sweeteners. More and more diet sodas are being sweetened with Sucralose and Neotame which are currently considered safest.
