Sugar is not your friend. We know what it does to our bodies in both large and small quantities. It elevates bad cholesterol, triglycerides, raises your blood pressure and sets you up for insulin resistance. If you are looking for energy, vitality and a long lifespan, you are best to stay away from sugar as much as possible.

But the idea of never putting another ounce of sugar in your body again is completely unrealistic. That would mean having to cut out fruit altogether and when you are craving something sweet, grabbing a piece of fruit is a great choice. So the chances of eliminating sugar altogether are remote at best, and you would be doing your body a huge disservice by doing so. Fruit is loaded with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fibre. Fibre slows down the entry of sugar into your bloodstream and keeps your insulin levels balanced. Just make sure you don’t eat too much of it. 2 to 4 small servings a day is plenty for a healthy, lean individual. If you are overweight, keep it down to 1 or 2 servings a day and stick with lower glycemic sources such as berries, cherries and plums.

When it comes to baking or making desserts, it starts to get tricky. There is nothing less appetizing than a sugarless, bland piece of cake, bread or pie. I’ve experimented with quite a few recipes and I’ve found some good alternatives if you are looking to maintain taste without jeopardizing your health in the process. The best part of all is that they are natural and chemical-free options.

1. Honey – Get honey that’s been organically and locally produced to reap the full benefits. It is sweeter than sugar, packed with vitamins, and it has antimicrobial properties. It does have more calories than normal sugar, but because it’s sweeter, you use less of it. It works brilliantly in cookies and cakes. The wide range of honeys available also give you scope for varying the flavour in cooking. Look to buy raw honey whenever possible.

2. Maple syrup can be used in place of sugar in most cakes, but because it’s liquid you’ll need to reduce other liquids by about a quarter. It has a very distinctive taste, so the richer the cake the greater the benefits of using maple syrup. And if you want to use it for more than just cooking, you can also get maple sugar that is made from dehydrated maple syrup. Like coconut sugar, it can replace regular sugar when you need it. Look for an organic version if possible and stay far away from the generic brands like Aunt Jemima. These brands only contain about 10% maple syrup and the rest is high-fructose corn syrup.

3. Coconut sugar – Coconuts are currently in vogue, particularly in North America where a boom in the sale of coconut water has created a growth in demand for coconut sugar. The sap from the coconut palm is heated which evaporates its water content and reduces it to fine sugar granules. Coconut sugar is nutritious and ranks low on the glycemic index, which means you don’t get a buzz followed by a crash. It tastes similar to brown sugar but is slightly richer. You can substitute coconut sugar for traditional sugar whenever you like.

4. Date sugar is made from dried dates. The fruit is dehydrated and ground down to produce the sugar, retaining many of the nutritional benefits of dates. It has a rich sweet flavour that makes it an ideal alternative to brown sugar. Unfortunately it doesn’t melt and is difficult to dissolve, making it unsuitable for use in drinks and some baking recipes. However it’s a great addition for adding to breads to give them more taste and texture.

5. Brown rice syrup is made from boiling brown rice, so the syrup is gluten and wheat-free for those with a sensitivity. It is great for adding to tea and it can also be used as a condiment and drizzled over pancakes, porridge or used in salad dressings. It has a slight butterscotch flavour. Although it is more heavily processed than some of the others alternatives on this list, it does transfer many of the benefits of brown rice to the eater without the long cooking times.

6. Stevia is a sugar that comes from a plant. You can purchase it in powder or liquid form. It may be the best of all choices because unlike other sugar substitutes, it has zero calories. One study found that people did not overeat when consuming a meal made with stevia in place of sugar. Their blood sugar was also lower after the meal made with stevia, than after eating a meal with sugar. Eating food with stevia resulted in lower insulin levels than eating food with either sucrose or aspartame. Stevia is great for baking. Whether you are making cookies, cakes or cupcakes, you only need a little bit because stevia is 40 times sweeter than sugar.

Enjoy !