7 Healthy Alternatives to Sugar | Yogic Blogging

Why you should not have white sugar?  

Most of us have sugar in our kitchen, I mean refined white sugar. Without knowing that white sugar is a slow poison we consume it daily which leads to weight gain, wrinkles, dark circles, bad breath & increased risk of type 2 diabetes. White sugar is something that is processed with a lot of harmful chemicals which seriously damages our health.

White sugar is basically polysaccharide a carbohydrate. While the food we eat is mostly monosaccharide which you may also call as simple sugars. When you eat excess of white sugar it becomes difficult for our body to convert the polysaccharides present in white sugar into monosaccharides, which forces our pancreas to produce more and more insulin resulting in diabetes.

When we eat sugar our brain releases a hormone called dopamine which makes us feel good and we are tempeted to eat more and more sugar. The processed food industry is just a by product of sugar be it sauces, ketchups, biscuits, chocolates everything is loaded with sugar. We often binge on these items without reading their back label and regret later.

If you are not getting proper results on your fitness goals then white sugar might be the reason. You should consider white sugar as your enemy and stay away from it as much as possible. Today I will be sharing with you 8 healthy alternatives to white sugar, read more to know.  

The truth about artificial sweeteners. Why they are worse than white sugar?   

These days people who are a bit health conscious are switching to artificial sweeteners due to their false marketing. The marketing gimmicks tend them to think that they are taking something healthy but it is not so. Some common artificial sweeteners include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, advantame, xylitol, sucralose and so on.

They hardly have any calories in them instead of reducing your blood sugar they might give you several other diseases. A wide variety of products are added with these artificial sweeteners and are marketed in the name of diet and sugar free. I personally don’t recommend going with artificial sweeteners.

 

8 healthy alternatives to sugar

 
1.   Jaggery

Jaggery also known as gur in Hindi is made from sugarcane. It is a great alternative to sugar. Jaggery was used in India since a long time. It was used to make a variety of sweet dishes such as kheer, halwa, laddu’s and much more.

Due to its medicinal properties jaggery was also used in the preparation of many ayurvedic medicines too. If kapha dosha is prominent in you taking jaggery on regular basis may help you.   

Jaggery can be added in anything other than milk. You can add it in herbal decoctions, yogurt, Ice creams and all your favourite deserts.     

Jaggery is hot in nature so it is recommended to consume it in winters and rainy days only. Though consuming it in summers won’t harm your body that much. The older the jaggery gets, the more beneficial it becomes.

If you are anemic, you should make jaggery a part of your diet. Apart from that jaggery reduces cholesterol formation & respiratory infections and protects the liver and heart. You can also put it in tea, coffee and other beverages too. Taking jaggery along with fennel after a meal may help in faster digestion.                             

 

2  2. Jaggery powder

Jaggery powder also known as shakkar has very sweet and chocolaty taste. It is granular in texture. Jaggery powder is a by-product of jaggery but many people misunderstand it as sugar or brown sugar.

In comparison to jaggery, jaggery powder is cold in nature. So, you can take it in summers as well. You can add jaggery powder in yogurt, milk, sweet dishes, teas, herbal decoctions and deserts. Jaggery powder is highly beneficial for pitta dosha according to Ayurveda.                         

 

3  3. Palm jaggery

Palm jaggery is extracted from the sap of palm tree. It is another great alternative to white sugar. Palm jaggery is much more nutritious compared to white sugar. It is darker in colour as compared to jaggery.

Palm jaggery has a sweet, tangy and bitter taste. Palm jaggery is one of the most nutritious varieties of jaggery. It was popular in ancient India due to its enormous medicinal benefits.    

It is also known as karupatti in south India. While jaggery is popular in northern India palm jaggery is popular in southern India. Palm jaggery has numerous health benefits. Palm jaggery can also be taken with fennel (saunf) after a meal.

If you have cough & sore throat drinking decoction of palm jaggery along with crushed black pepper corns may help you. According to a study palm jaggery has 60 times more minerals than white sugar.               

 

4  4. Date sugar

Dates is known as one of sweetest fruits on this planet. Date sugar is made by drying the dates. Dates being a storehouse of vitamins will take care of all your vitamin requirements while giving you a natural sweet taste.

Daily intake of date sugar increases the bone density, reduces bad cholesterol, promotes brain health & helps digestion. Dates has very low glycaemic index compared to white sugar which makes it release slowly in our blood. Since dates are simply ground dried and powdered to make date sugar so it retains all the fruits minerals, vitamins, fiber & antioxidants. If you are looking to gain some pounds then you should give date sugar a try. Try adding date sugar in your cakes, pastries & milkshakes now.      

 

5  5. Coconut sugar

We must say thanks to coconut trees for the variety of health products it provides us. Be it coconut flakes, tender coconut, coconut oil and even coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is made from the sap of coconut palm tree without adding any chemicals or preservatives.

Coconut sugar is sweet in taste and has a rich flavour of coconut. Coconut sugar has very low glycaemic index as compared to white sugar. Coconut sugar is a rich source of calcium, iron, potassium & zinc. You can add coconut sugar in puddings, cakes, cookies, oats etc. You can replace the traditional white sugar with this natural sweetener which is densely rich in vitamins and minerals.                      

 

6  6. Rock sugar or mishri

Mishri is made from raw unprocessed sugar. Mishri is very similar to sugar in taste and sweetness. It gives a very soothing and calm feeling. Mishri is easy to digest as compared to jaggery. Mishri is rich in calcium, antioxidants, dietary fibre and iron.

Apart from that it may help increase your haemoglobin levels, make the digestive system strong, relieve cough & sore throat, improve vision and much more. Whether it is buttermilk, ice creams, cakes, tea or any other beverage mishri goes well with all.

Prefer buying thread mishri over other varieties. As other varieties of mishri available in the market is nothing but refined sugar.                        

 

7  7. Honey    

Honey is the one and only thing which is very close to the blood composition of human beings. Taking honey with lukewarm water in the morning is good for weight loss. Honey can be also added in herbal teas and decoctions.

Honey is good for heart and brain, and keeps the mind alert. Making honey culture a part of your diet can be extremely beneficial. Honey is considered as one of finest source of natural sugar in Ayurveda.

It is available in different varieties such as multi flora honey, lychee honey, neem honey and much more. Keep in mind that most of the honey available in market nowadays is not made naturally from flowers, so make sure the honey you are buying is raw and unprocessed.

If you can afford organic honey then it is the best. Also make sure you take honey in moderation only excess of anything will cause you harm rather than good.

Note: Don’t add honey in boiling water directly, prefer adding it in lukewarm water only.