natural sweeteners
Michelle Madden

By Michelle Madden, from The Sweet Beet


My sugar evolution has gone something like this -- promiscuous sugar usage as a child, artificial sweeteners in college, honey post college, agave, stevia and now -- nothing. (Well mostly nothing, nothing would be a lie, drastic reduction is more accurate.) When I do eat sugar it's largely in fruit-form or from teasing out the food's internal sugars by cooking/roasting. (I now consume roasted vegetables with the same reckless abandon once reserved for Snackwells.)
By cutting way back on added sugar (even healthier, natural sugars) you not only start to crave it less, you start to detect "sweet" in hidden corners of non-sugar added foods. The problem with simply substituting one added sugar for another (agave for table sugar say, or artificial sweeteners in place of caloric sugars) is it still keeps the sugar bar high, never allowing our taste buds to recalibrate and get the same sensation of sweet with far less sugar.

The other powerful trick is to distract the taste buds with another flavor so they're less focused on the absence of sugar. Cinnamon in plain oatmeal or nutmeg in low-sugar muffins can give the mouth the impression of sugar even in its absence.

Here are ten ways to get "sweet" without sweeteners.

Michelle Madden is the creator of the award-nominated food blog, The Sweet Beet (nominations include a Webby and Saveur.com's top food blog). On her funny, engaging but highly informative blog, she shares tips and tricks for eating healthy as well as offering recipes that nourish and delight. You can find her at www.thesweetbeet.com or on Facebook
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=1000412&pid=1000411&uts=1305923120
http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Natural Sweeteners

Pure vanilla bean powder is heavenly. It looks like dirt and tastes like ice cream. Try it in plain yogurt and you'll think you're eating a sundae. It's not cheap but you don't need much. You can buy it online here (where I get mine.) You could also buy the beans at most stores and crush them. You could use vanilla extract, but the alcohol in the extract diminishes the sweet effect.

Natural Sweeteners

It's an ideal substitute for sugar in muffins as it brings a touch of flavor without overwhelming the goods. If you go this route, you may want to cut back a little on the liquid, and/or add a few minutes to the baking time, but I would go 1:1 with the sugar to apple sauce substitution. Yes, it will be less sweet than the original version, but that's the point! Avoid the unsweetened kind, since apple sauce naturally brings a ton of its own. The homemade version (shown) is simple - just chop the apple, add a touch of water, simmer and mash it all up.

Natural Sweeteners

Almonds contain minimal sugar, but because of their sweet tasting oil they can trick our taste buds into thinking sugar's present. I make my own and drink it as a "sweet" drink when I need of hit of sugar. Add it to tea as well as smoothies and you'll likely use far less sweetener. The only downside to commercial almond milk is most have sugar added. If you're up for making it at home, (which is incredibly simple), here's how. Link to make your own ...

Natural Sweeteners

Crush some berries, toss them on toast and forget the jam. Add them to yogurt and skip the sugar packed fruit versions at the store. Frozen berries are great since they bring their own sauce when thawed. If berries aren't around, chopped apple and pear in yogurt works great.

Natural Sweeteners

I find it so sweet that I literally scoop it out of its' skin-bowl, shake on a little salt and feel like I'm eating pudding. You can also add it to smoothies or use it on a salad. Most store-bought dressings are packed with sugar, but try mixing mashed avocado, a touch of olive oil and some vinegar and you'll have all the sweet you need. If you're looking for more ways to eat this sweetest of fruits, have a look here.

Natural Sweeteners

In oatmeal, cinnamon, with it's subtle sweetness, is a classic. But try adding a dash of it to coffee as it brews. Toss it into the french press or coffee maker and let it infuse into the grinds. You'll likely use far less (if any) sugar.

Natural Sweeteners

There is nothing so sweet as raw coconut flesh scooped straight from the coconut, but the other way to eat it is adding it to cooked oatmeal. If accessing the fresh flesh is not an option, toss in some flakes. But be sure to get the unsweetened kind or else you're defeating the purpose of this whole retraining exercise!

Natural Sweeteners

Cook kale (or other greens) in coconut oil and any bitterness is instantly eliminated. Eggs are transported to great heights when scrambled with it. The mind makes such a strong "sweet" association with the scent of coconut, that even when there is no sugar present (like in the coconut oil) the mouth senses "sweet". Look for the pure, virgin kind sold at most health oriented stores. A spinach and sweet potato recipe cooked with coconut oil.

Natural Sweeteners

Many savory foods have loads of sugar added-pasta sauce, soup, chile... This is especially true for foods with a tomato base due to tomato's acidity. If you're making tomato-based foods at home, the trick to having them taste great is sauteed onion. More than you think you need! Let them caramelize on the stove top until they're deeply golden, their sugar oozing out...

Natural Sweeteners

There is (almost) no food that can not be made extraordinary by roasting (with a touch of olive oil and salt). Eat the roasted vegs at the end of the meal and you will be far less in need of a sweet. The most dessert-like ones: sweet potato, squash, beets and carrots. More thoughts, tips and pics on roasting.

Natural Sweeteners