Is it better than sugar? Honey has a lower GI value than sugar, meaning that it does not raise blood sugar levels as quickly. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you may need less of it, but it does have slightly more calories per teaspoon so it’s wise to keep a close eye on your portion sizes.

What we often think of as “table” sugar or baking sugar is actually the chemical called sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of one molecule each of fructose and glucose. It’s found in small amounts in many fruits and vegetables, and in much larger amounts in sugar cane and sugar beets.

What are the different types of sugar?

• Glucose.
• Fructose (a.k.a. fruit sugar)
• Sucrose (a.k.a. table sugar)
• Lactose (a.k.a. dairy sugar)

Here are 4 natural sweeteners that are truly healthy.

1. Stevia. Share on Pinterest. Stevia is a very popular low-calorie sweetener.
2. Erythritol. Erythritol is another low-calorie sweetener.
3. Xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol with a sweetness similar to sugar.
4. Yacon Syrup. Yacon syrup is another unique sweetener.

1. White granulated sugar is one of the world’s purest foods. It’s 99.9 per cent sucrose, refined from the natural sugars that occur in the sugar cane but with all ‘impurities’ such as mineral ash and polyphenols completely removed. 2.

Contrary to common belief, they are nutritionally similar. Brown sugar contains slightly more minerals than white sugar but will not provide any health benefits. In fact, your intake of all types of sugar should be limited for optimal health.

Raw cane sugar However, though raw cane sugar is often marketed as a healthy alternative to regular sugar, there’s no real difference between them. In fact, both are identical in terms of chemical composition and made up of sucrose, a molecule formed by units of simple sugars, such as glucose and fructose (3).

Demerara sugar is a delicious finisher in baking. It’s a type of raw cane sugar that – like regular raw sugar – is minimally refined. It has large grains with an amber colour and a gentle molasses flavour. Use it to sweeten coffee or tea, or as a topping on baked goods, like muffins, scones, cookies, and cakes.

7 Natural Sugar Substitutes to Try in Your Cooking & Baking

• Honey. Honey is not only sweet, but it’s packed with an array of health benefits!
• Maple Syrup. Maple syrup contains a fair bit of sugar, so consume it rather minimally.
• Applesauce.
• 4. Fruits.
• Molasses.
• Cane Sugar.
• Coconut Palm Sugar.

Raw sugar isn’t even really raw. It’s just slightly less refined, so it retains some of the molasses. But there’s no real health real benefit from it. “There’s no more nutritional value in raw sugar than there is in white sugar or brown sugar,” Nonas said.

Raw cane sugar Pros: Extracted from the sugarcane plant and not refined. This raw form of sugar is somewhat less processed than table sugar. It still retains some of the molasses and moisture from the plant so technically you’re consuming less sugar and calories per serving, making it healthier, St. Pierre says.

“RAW” sugar, while less processed is still processed to some degree. I’m not sure if it’s organic, but the reason that it’s more expensive is because Raw sugar can only be packaged and sold as “sugar in the raw” from Hawaii. All other sugar mills in the U.S. have to have their product refined.

Sugar In The Raw. Granulated sugar is 100 percent sucrose with all of the molasses removed. Sugar In The Raw, which is a brand name for turbinado sugar, is refined sucrose that still has some of its natural molasses.

Raw sugar can technically be used as a substitute for granulated sugar in most recipes, but it might affect the overall texture of the bake. The quickest fix is to simply grind raw sugar in a clean spice grinder or food processor until it’s roughly the same texture as granulated.

When it comes right down to it — sugar is sugar. Whether that sugar is a small white crystal or a golden large crystal, both raw and refined sugar are calorically identical. The only difference is when the sugar reaches its final stage of production.

Brown sugar has a similar general flavor profile and a moist, sticky texture. As a result, you can replace raw sugar with brown sugar in many applications. Brown sugar is great in baked goods where it will provide an even deeper brown color and a more intense butterscotch flavor than you would get from raw sugar.

Because coconut sugar is a plant-based, natural sweetener, some people feel it is more nutritious than regular table sugar. In reality, coconut sugar is almost identical to regular cane sugar in terms of nutrients and calories.

Chemically speaking, much of coconut sugar is identical to white sugar (e.g. sucrose). According to the Philippine Food and Nutrition Research Institute, coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index (35) than white sugar (60 to 65), meaning it doesn’t spike your blood glucose and insulin like table sugar does.

Compared with table and brown sugars, coconut sugar has impressive amounts of nutrients like zinc and iron as well as antioxidants. Coconut sugar also contains good amounts of inulin, a type of dietary fiber you don’t digest in your upper gastrointestinal tract.

Winner: Real Maple Syrup Coconut Sugar’s flavor profile is similar to Maple Syrup’s and the glycemic index and calorie content are lower than Maple’s. However, Maple Syrup’s health benefits and refinement process naturally crown Maple the winner in this head to head!

Best Coconut Sugar

The University of Sydney pegs coconut sugar as a low-glycemic food, with a glycemic index (GI) of 54. The real benefit of coconut sugar is that it doesn’t cause your blood sugar to spike as much as most other sugars do. Date sugar comes from a different type of palm tree – the date palm – and not from the tree’s sap.

In summary, honey and maple syrup are healthier options as sweeteners instead of refined sugars. Honey contains more carbohydrates, protein and calories, while maple syrup contains more fats. Honey has higher levels of iron, copper and phosphorus, but maple syrup contains more calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc.

Even though maple syrup does contain some nutrients and antioxidants, it is also very high in sugar. Calorie for calorie, maple syrup is a very poor source of nutrients compared to whole foods like vegetables, fruits and unprocessed animal foods.

Health Benefits Sugars naturally rank higher on the glycemic index, however, maple syrup is clearly the better option as it has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar. Real Maple Syrup has significantly more calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese than honey.

The 8 Best Maple Syrups in 2021

• Best Overall: Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup at Amazon.
• Best Budget: Butternut Mountain Farms Vermont Amber Rich Maple Syrup at Amazon.
• Best Aged: Crown Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup at Amazon.
• Best Organic:
• Best Sampler Set:
• Best Flavored:
• Best Vermont:
• Best Sugar-Free:

The sugaring season (that’s right, maple syrup is a seasonal crop) begins at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, when the frozen sap of the maple trees thaws and begins to flow. So while maple syrup is expensive, that price is a natural reflection of both its scarcity and its labor-intensive production.

Log Cabin touts that they are “the only national brand of table syrup” made without high-fructose corn syrup—though the first ingredient listed in the original variety is still, in fact, regular corn syrup, with sugar following soon after.

The brands we tried were Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth’s, Hungry Jack, Log Cabin, Super A, 365 Everyday Value, and Trader Joe’s. 365 Everyday Value, and Trader Joe’s were the only two syrups that were actually maple syrup.

Maple Syrup