6 guilt-free natural sugar alternatives

Introduction

Want to enjoy your sweets? but worried about weight gain, blood sugar spikes, or energy crashes? You’re not alone! Quitting sugar can be difficult, but what if you could enjoy sweetness without the downsides? Not all types of sugar are bad—natural sugars from fruits and dates are healthy substitutes to include in your daily diet. Let's find out how you can add these options to your meals. 

6 healthier sugar alternatives:

Talking about some of the healthier alternatives to sugar, there are many options that you can try:

1. Natural fruits: 

Benefits:

Using natural fruits as sweeteners is the new marketing trend. It's healthy, tasty and even boosts the nutritional value of your dessert. 

Where to use:

You can use natural fruit purees or even whole fruits in your smoothies, shakes and ice creams. 

2. Dates:

Benefits:

Dates are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and iron. It gives a caramel-like texture, which can be used in many ways in any of the Indian or continental desserts. 

Where to use:

Dates, pureed or even whole, can be used in cookies, cakes, spreads, kheer or any Indian mithai, adding a tempting flavor that’s perfectly balanced, not overly sweet and far from unhealthy.

3. Coconut:

Benefits:

Powdered coconut, coconut milk or even coconut sugar are amazing alternatives to sweet creams. It gives a smooth, creamy texture to your curries with a hint of sweetness and is rich in good fats as well.

Where to use:

Perfect for baking cakes, cookies, and brownies. Coconut milk can also be used for making coffee or tea as a substitute for dairy milk.

4. Figs:

Benefits:

Figs are rich in fiber and calcium. It's a great alternative for people looking for low-GI sugar alternatives; fiber in figs is beneficial for such people. 

Where to Use:

Figs can be used in making desserts, energy bars, or smoothies. It can also be used in bakery items, breads, cookies and even as a topping in salads.

5. Jaggery:

Benefits:

Jaggery is packed with minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium. It also improves digestion and supports bone health. With a caramel-like texture, it's an amazing natural sweetener. 

Where to Use:

Mostly with Indian cuisines like halwa, kheer, and puddings. The best is that it can be used in tea to give it a hint of sweetness instead of using regular white sugar; this can be used.

6. Honey:

Benefits:

Honey is very rich in antioxidants, enzymes, and vitamins. The best part is that, it helps in reducing inflammation in your body. And it has many antimicrobial properties, which help in soothing your cold, cough or even throat infections. 

Where to Use:

The sweetness in honey has a very subtle taste and is usually used as a sweetener in organic teas, kadha, baked goods, and salad dressings. 

How to overcome sudden sweet cravings:

Overcoming sudden sweet cravings can be hard, but this one hack can help:

Always have protein and fiber in your meals: Sudden cravings only happen if your food lacks fiber or protein, so make sure you are including a good amount of millet, fruits, and vegetables in your diet along with a protein source like yogurt, paneer and pulses, and make sure to stay hydrated.

For instance: 

A person from Nagpur used to have a lot of sugar cravings. He had a very sedentary routine, a typical desk job, and never had a workout routine. He started to feel heavy and overweight in a few years, and that's when he thought he should opt for any physical activity. He looked for some options of Yoga Classes in Nagpur, and finally he started with Free Online Yoga Classes and loved it. After that, he even started eating healthy, and he saw many positive changes in his body. As he began eating balanced meals, he started losing weight, and his cravings significantly decreased. That's what a routine does to your body. It keeps your mind active and away from distractions. 

Conclusion:

While adding natural sugar is a great way to curb your sugar cravings in a healthy way, you still have to take care of the portion size. Replace sweetness on your plate with strength in your goals—your health will thank you for it! Cravings are temporary but your health is forever:)