Guilty pleasures. Don’t we all succumb to them every once in awhile? Especially sugar. Admittedly, we all love our sugar (sweet tooh or not, aside). We love them in desserts of all forms (e.g. cakes, cookies, ice cream, chocolate bars) and even in our coffees (e.g. moccachinos, lattes, frappucinos) and teas! It’s comforting, it feels nice, and it certainly tastes good.
But, too much of a good thing will always make a good thing a bad thing. And too much sugar is bad for our body. It causes tooth decay, gum disease, obesity, diabetes, the list goes on. However, we find it hard to give up our desserts. What do we do?
Here’s a thought. How about replacing your white sugar with raw sugar? Or, if you’re going to go for the syrupy stuff, here are some great natural liquid sweeteners minus the sin:
1. Honey. It contains natural fruit sugars and is a great natural source of carbohydrates which provide strength and energy to our bodies. It is also known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting the performance, endurance and reducing muscle fatigue of athletes.
2. Maple syrup. This sweet and delicious syrup possess anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to fight cancer, diabetes and bacterial illnesses.
3. Blue agave sweetener. The advantage of the greater sweetening power of blue agave nectar is that you can use less of it to obtain the same sweet taste. Hence, you may be able to reduce your calorie and sugar intake, which can help you lose weight and be healthier.
Sweet things don’t have to ruin your health. You just need to (or learn to) choose wisely!
So, before you drunk those heaping teaspoons of sugar into your coffee or tea, or slap on that chocolate spread on your toast, think about how much sugar you’re going to have, and what alternatives (read: raw sugar or natural liquid sweeteners) can help you stave off the calories but still allow your taste buds to tingle.
