Everyday Sugar: The 7 Healthiest Alternatives

Healthy alternatives for sugar are sought. Because high sugar consumption favors obesity and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. We have put together seven recommended sweeteners for you.

Sugar alternatives in the form of syrup

If you want to replace table sugar, there is a selection of different plant syrups with different levels of sweetness and individual aroma notes. You should note that these products already bring more water into the recipes. Keep these three candidates healthy if you don't exercise excess.

• Maple syrup consists of about 60 percent carbohydrates. Up to one percent are sucrose units - that is, double sugar from one building block of glucose and fructose. There are some vitamins, minerals and trace elements in it. It also scores with anti-inflammatory polyphenols and antioxidants.
• In addition to sugar-sweet fructose and glucose, honey contains a lot of minerals, vitamins and health-promoting accompanying substances as well as enzymes. These have even been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. As soon as you heat honey, the health effects vanish.
• Rice syrup is particularly positive because it contains little fructose. Its sugar content is based on glucose units that are linked in several units to form oligosaccharides. The effect on the blood sugar level is therefore "gentler" - it increases significantly more slowly than with table sugar.

Sugar substitute in solid, scatterable form

The following powders and granules are more similar to table sugar and therefore easier to use in cooking practice. With the quantities, however, you have to find out how much you really need. In rare cases, table sugar can be replaced 1: 1 in recipes.

• Birch sugar - also known as xylitol or xucker - is a sugar alcohol that leaves the blood sugar level unaffected and contains only about half the calories of sugar. Also positive: it reduces the development of caries. "Too much" can cause flatulence and thin bowel movements.
• Erythritol : The sweetness of the sugar alcohol erythrol is about 70 percent of that of ordinary sugar. At the same time, however, it only consumes 20 percent of the calories and does not increase blood sugar. But be careful with daily consumption: too much of a good thing can provoke diarrhea.
• According to the manufacturer, coconut blossom sugar also causes the blood sugar level to rise more slowly than table sugar. His glycemic index of 35 is said to be responsible for this. Additionally positive about the noble sweetness with caramel note are additional contents like vitamins and minerals.
• Stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar. The sweetener drives your blood sugar up to zero percent. However, this changes when stevia extract is mixed with carriers such as maltodextrin for better dosing. When using stevia, you should not exceed the daily limit of 4 milligrams / kilogram of body weight.

Sugar consumption: less sweet would help a lot

According to nutritional surveys, we eat an average of 100 grams and more sugar per head per day. This has a negative impact on health. According to food societies, a maximum of 50 grams is recommended, and according to the World Health Organization WHO only 25 grams.

• The best sugar is still the one you don't eat. Because people who eat less sweets live healthier overall and are less likely to become overweight.
• Use sugar alternatives, just like with sugar, make sure that you prefer to use a low-key sweet. This also applies to sweets with little or no calories. So you get used to your taste buds in the long term to less sweetness.
• In general, you should prefer sweeteners that contain sucrose or glucose but contain less fructose. Too much fructose is suspected to favor excess weight. With too much fructose (more than 80 grams / day), a non-alcoholic fatty liver can develop.
• That is why, for example, agave syrup, apple and pear syrup - with a lot of fructose content - are no longer among the first choices for sugar alternatives. You should also avoid such sweeteners if you are intolerant to fructose.
• Also consider sugar alternatives: they do not contribute much to the general supply of vitamins and minerals, even if they contain more than sugar. It is better and healthier if it contains polyphenols or antioxidants.
• Tip: The Consumer Advice Center North Rhine-Westphalia has reissued its current guide "Warning sugar", in which the worst sugar traps and the best alternatives including some recipe tips are clearly presented.

Background: We have described in detail and understandably how diabetes develops in another article.