Salubrious-ish Sweeteners

Salubrious is a word that I didn't even know existed until today. But as this post was requested by my new English teacher, I thought that I ought to use a big, fancy term. For the record, 'salubrious' simply means healthy; while no sweetener is exactly nutritious (hence the 'ish' in today's title), monk fruit is definitely better for your body than sugar.

The other day, I watched Abby, my little sister, pour three teaspoons of sugar into her peppermint tea. Yep. That's right - three teaspoons, or one whole entire tablespoon! I feel bad for the mug she used; it probably has a cavity from holding all of that sickly sweet liquid. Watching her sip the that beverage got me thinking about my past relationship with sugar.

When I first started following the Primal lifestyle, the hardest part for me was not the gym, but the food. It's simple to work out for an hour compared to controlling your cravings for twenty-four hours. The saying is true! Abs really are made in the kitchen. Some overcome this issue by purging their refrigerators and pantries of all chips, cookies, marshmallows, and other tempting junk items, but this was never an option for me. Abby's diet is pretty much the polar opposite of mine. I don't know if she would wake up in the morning if not for the incentive provided by a lemon poppy seed breakfast scone. These circumstances made temptations much worse for me. Here I was, nibbling on some homemade kale chips, while Abby enjoyed peanut butter crackers for snack, a slice of garlic bread with dinner, and a gooey brownie for dessert. Oh, some days I would kill for one of those gooey brownies.

I knew that it would be impossible for me to maintain my newfound lifestyle if I was constantly restricting myself. Life is short; I wanted to be both healthy and satisfied. And so, my friends, I began to look for substitutions.

To my delight (and slight astonishment), such substitutions were not only abundant, but absolutely delicious! Whether it be monk fruit, erythritol, or Golden Fiber Syrup, recipes I unearthed used a variety of sweeteners with no glycemic impact. Most had no net calories or carbohydrates. And above all: most tasted precisely like the sugar I was missing so dearly!

Although low-calorie and low-carbohydrate sweeteners can be rather expensive, I promise that they are worth it. Ultimately, you will be breaking your sugar addiction, and find that you have less of a taste for all things sweet. I certainly found this to be true in my experience. Think of sugar as that toxic relationship you've been holding on to for far too long; it's time for you to break up with the sugar bowl! Consider, also, what price you would pay to have a wonderfully healthy life. These substitutes will help you on your journey to get into tip-top shape. And without further ado, let us explore my top three favorite salubrious-ish sweeteners!

• Lakanto Monk Fruit is the queen of my list. Not only is it all natural, but it has zero net carbs, no sugar, and no net calories. When I chat with others about trying out sugar substitutes, they are often extraordinarily worried about consuming artificial sweeteners. I can guarantee that nothing in this amazing stuff is artificial. According to the Lakanto website, "The natural sweetness from the monk fruit comes from mogrosides, not fructose or sucrose. Hence, our sweetener has zero calories [and] zero glycemic index..." Monk fruit, per the site, has been consumed since the times of ancient Buddhist monks. This sweetener is a 1:1 sugar substitute, and is superb for baking, cooking, smoothie-making, and everything in between. Note that it is not good to add to melted chocolate, as it doesn't really dissolve. No one likes a grainy chocolate glaze. But don't be afraid to add a spoonful to your morning cup of joe! I have found that it dissolves beautifully into hot liquids; chocolate just seems to be an anomaly. You can purchase 800 grams of Lakanto monk fruit for $14.24, as of August 8th, 2018, on Amazon.com

• Swerve also makes my list. Again, Swerve is a "zero-calorie, non-glycemic" sweetener that "measures cup-for-cup like sugar. It’s sweet, safe and natural" (""Swerve: The Ultimate Sugar Replacement"). Monk fruit is composed of a mixture of monk fruit and erythritol, while Swerve is made of a combination of erythritol and oligosaccharides. Does the latter word scare you? Do you believe in only eating things you can pronounce? If so, consider this: you can pronounce sugar very easily, but it is not remotely good for your health. The Swerve website explains that "Erythritol is classified by the FDA as a zero-calorie, 4-carbon sugar alcohol that does not affect blood glucose." Further, "Oligosaccharides are sweet, non-digestible carbohydrates sourced from select fruits and starchy root vegetables. Oligosaccharides are prebiotic fibers, so they're not only tasty, but they can help stimulate beneficial bacteria in your gut." Swerve has a fantastic flavor and will not effect your insulin levels. Something I find lovely about this substitution is that you can buy it in granular, confectioner's, and brown varieties. For $8.99 as of today on Amazon.com, you can purchase 12 oz. of granular Swerve.

• Sukrin Golden Fiber Syrup is scrumptious. If you didn't quite catch the hint, it is a great source of fiber. The nutrition label on my Golden Fiber Syrup bottle states that one 2 Tbsp serving of the sweetener has 28 grams of fiber! That is your entire daily value recommendation - crazy, huh? Note that Golden Fiber Syrup is not a granulated substitute, but is a syrup. I mean, who could've guessed? It's fabulous on everything from N'oatmeal (a Ketogenic porridge without grains) to sliced strawberries. I even use this stuff to make my Balsamic Honey-less Brussel Sprouts. The Sukrin Website tells us Golden Fiber Syrup is "Made of a plant fiber called isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO), [and] this syrup provides the very beneficial prebiotic fibres. A small amount of steviol glycosides is added to obtain the same sweetness as honey or sugar as well as a little bit of malt extract for color and fullness of taste." Again, reader, please don't be scared off by these big names. This stuff is so much better nutritionally than honey or maple syrup. Sukrin Golden Fiber Syrup is on Amazon.com today for $16.98, or about four cents a gram. 

There you are, everyone! If you're looking for some recipes to use your new sweeteners for, I suggest visiting the blog All Day I Dream About Food or the Keto Diet Blog. They sport some excellent dessert recipes that you should give a go. Let me know your favorite way to use low-carb sweeteners in the comments below!

Ciao.

- Maya

P.S. If my English teacher is reading this, I apologize for any grammatical errors. 

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