Alternatives to sugar

[Loraine518]

Hello, as some of you know from my DD posts, I've recently cut out added sugar in my diet. I do still eat things with natural sugar like fruit, but as I also follow a low carb diet they tend to be berries, which are lower in sugar anyway.Recently I've been wondering what to use instead of chocolate for making deserts and treats. I usually use a high cacao % dark chocolate, mostly 95%, but it still has sugar, albeit a tiny amount.

I remembered that I had a book which has all sugar free recipes. When I checked, the recipes use honey or maple syrup, which I always classed as sugar. So now I'm really confused and I'm wondering what others think, are things like honey as bad and addictive as sugar? Thanks 😊 xx

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Maybe this could help, Loraine518? dietdoctor.com/low-carb/ket...

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs]

Hi Happyman, I was hoping to avoid all sugars and sweeteners, I was surprised to find sugar free recipes including honey and maple syrup. It is an interesting article, thanks for the link.

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs]

Evening moreless thank you I will have a look. 😊

[fiftyone Visitor]

I am diabetic so try and keep away from sugar. I use white Stevia granules for general sweetening of recipes. It has no carbs, and cos I like chocolate I make up a desert by whipping fresh double cream with a good sprinkling of stevia and two or three tablesp. of unsweetened cocoa powder. Then add berries.

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs in reply to fiftyone]

Hello fiftyone, my husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes recently so has now cut down on sugar too. That sounds like a brilliant alternative and would probably work for some of the other deserts I usually make. Thank you so much I will give it a try. 😊

[fiftyone Visitor in reply to Loraine518]

be sure it is white stevia granules.There is a brown stevia powder which is disgusting!

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs in reply to fiftyone]

Thanks I will avoid the brown stevia. 😊

[gizmo33]

Hi everyone I'm the same with sugar still trying after all these years to find a substitute for sugar is it stevia or the one I'm trying now which is cyclamate and saccharin based table top sweetener tablets please advise on the best and also about the Honey argument😃

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to gizmo33]

Welcome back, gizmo33

I suggest you read this too, particularly as you have type 2 diabetes healthunlocked.com/redirect...

If you're still on a weight loss journey, here's a reminder for where to find all the information about the forum healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

I hope we'll be seeing you about more often

[gizmo33 in reply to moreless]

Thank you very much M for the info it has been extremely helpfull

[Hidden]

Hi Loraine518

I have just done a quick bit of research on the Internet. Honey and maple syrup are both classed as sugars so you were quite correct in thinking that way.

The figures my research yeilded are given are as follows:

1 tablespoon honey = 17.3g sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup = 12.4g sugar.

As a matter of interest, was the recipe book you mentioned written by a well known TV celebrity? If so, I have seen that book in my local library. When I took a look at I wondered why the author has replaced one form of sugar for another.

Hope the info is useful for you.

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs in reply to Hidden]

Hi RofD, thanks so much for that it's very helpful and yes that sounds like the same book. 😊

[Bee-bop Maintainer 2st 7lbs]

Hi Loraine518,

I was pre diabetic so cut sugar out but, would use some alternatives such as agave, fruit syrup or stevia. There are also lots of "skinny" sauces that are sugar free too but, I use less of them. I wasn't low carb per say so could use a variety of fruit and frozen cherries were a fave of mine. There are so Keto biscuit things made from coconut and chocolate which I would add to soya yoghurt defrosted cherries that makes a good crunchy dessert. I use 85% chocolate too as the other stuff is way too sweet! I do believe that this week Michael Mosely was saying chocolate is actually good for people and so you could google that as he's a king pin in LCHF. See what he says re the small amount of sugar in high cocoa chocolate.

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs in reply to Bee-bop]

Thanks Bee-bop, that's all really helpful, I do love cherries and allow myself them occasionally. I usually use 95% chocolate and have got some 100%, which is sugar free, but quite bitter, I did wonder about combing the two as that would be hardly any sugar. I will google Michael Mosely, thanks so much.

[Hectorsmum2 Visitor]

Xylitol is an excellent alterative and natural. But you have dogs and it is very toxic for dogs. Honey and algarve syrup are sugars but I eat them and avoid just refined sugar. I dont find honey or algrave sugar or my date syrup addictive in the same way as refined sugar. I go to over eaters anonymous and a lot of people in the programme avoid refined sugar, some will eat honey others avoid anything sweet. You could also use saltanas and currents in cooking. I make a bread pudding with a tin of pineppple and dried fruit. You would never know there is no sugar added. What is LCHF

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs in reply to Hectorsmum2]

Hi Hectorsmum2, thanks for replying, I do avoid having xylitol in the house because of it's toxicity to dogs. LCHF is low carb healthy fat, I don't eat many carbs which means avoiding a lot of fruits, including sultanas and currents unfortunately, due to the natural high sugar content.

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs]

Hi Happyman, some lovely sounding ideas there I will definitely be trying those, thank you. 😊

[Juppy]

I agree honey and maple syrup are pretty much sugar - perhaps those “sugar free” recipes are for those who have a special sensitivity to cane sugar (like I do!). However they won’t help for dieting I don’t think. But I also don’t like artificial sweeteners or those extracted from foods. I found as I eliminated sugar then natural foods tasted a lot sweeter. Especially strawberries and bananas and oranges. It would be nice if someone created a dessert book that really just used whole fruits as the sweetness, for those of us that have developed palates that don’t need things to be quite as sweet as sugar. For me, fresh strawberries and cream are delicious…. My mother used to serve them with a non-sweetened scone when we were children.

[Loraine518 2st 7lbs in reply to Juppy]

Hi Juppy, I am trying to juggle diets at the moment, my husband has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, so has joined me in cutting back on sugars and carbs and I am also gluten/wheat intolerant and seem to be sensitive to sugar too, so I make everything from scratch.

Many of the artificial sweeteners seem to be unhealthy and/ or leave a horrible after taste, so I was trying to avoid them.

I agree that natural foods taste much sweeter when you eliminate sugar and I love fresh berries and cream.