I must admit, I have a very sweet tooth and often find it extremely hard to resist desserts. If we are all honest, no matter what form your indulgence takes, not many of us can resist the sweet stuff every now and then. However, knowing the dangers associated with eating too much sugar (see one of our previous articles “A Spoonful of Sugar.” ) we still find it hard to resist.
So below we are listing a few natural and healthier options of assuaging your sweet tooth:-
Dates
If you have eaten a date you know that it has a naturally sweet taste, so it won’t surprise you to learn that substituting date syrup, date paste or the whole date to your recipe is going to give you the sweetness you crave. Here’s the most important factor though, date paste can actually be used in the same quantities as you would use sugar in your recipes. This makes your calculations so much less complicated. So here’s the health benefits; they are easy to digest, are rich in potassium, magnesium, B6 and iron. You’re not going to find those benefits in a spoonful of refined sugar!
Maple Syrup
We will quite happily add maple syrup to our pancakes and waffles but now its’ time to add it to your cake recipes as well. Choose the darker grade B as they contain more antioxidants. So besides the taste here’s the good stuff, a drizzle of maple syrup is going to give you an excellent source of manganese, calcium, potassium and zinc.
Brown Rice Syrup
Now this may not be one you have in your cupboard at the moment but it’s worth picking up a bottle when you are next food shopping. You can use brown rice syrup in baking, substitute it in your cup of coffee or simply drizzle it over morning oats.
The complex carbohydrates in brown rice syrup means this sugar is slower to release than the white stuff and may provide your body with longer sources of energy without an unwanted sugar spike.
Molasses
Blackstrap molasses not only adds great flavor and sweetness but contains vital vitamins and minerals. Particularly good for baked goods, especially cookies!
Banana
If you love banana bread, and who doesn’t, then you are going to know how wonderful over-ripe, mashed bananas make something taste. So why only use them in banana bread? Try adding it to many of your other baked good recipes, you wont regret it, not only for the taste but the excellent source of fiber.
So there you have it, you really can have your cake and eat it!