Type

Source

Recommendations

Comments

Common Uses

Dried fruit puree

Dried fruits like apricots, dates, prunes, figs and cranberries

Organic, non sulphured (highly recommended)

Used finely chopped or soak in juice and puree in food processor

Cakes, scones, cookies, cakes

Fruit juice

Fresh fruit such as apples, grape, pears, peach, apricot

Organic fresh juices with no added sugar (great sugar substitute)

Avoid concentrated juices as they don't have the same nutritional value as fresh fruit

Cakes, scones, cookies, cakes

Rapadura              (45 cal/tbsp)

Sugar cane juice

Organic (highly recommended)

Very sweet, resembles a slight molasses and caramel flavor

Anything that calls for sugar

Sucanat         (45 cal/tbsp)

Sugar cane juice

Organic (highly recommended)

Very sweet, resembles molasses flavor. Granule form not crystals

Anything that calls for sugar, good replacement for brown sugar

Maple syrup    (52 cal/tbsp)

Sap of maple tree

Organic pure 100% maple syrup, expensive (highly recommended)

Very sweet and distinct strong flavor

Great for baking cakes but reduce other liquids about 1/4 cup

Maple sugar        (32 cal/tbsp)

Maple Syrup that undergoes dehydration (sucrose)

 Organic pure 100% maple sugar, expensive (highly recommended)

Very sweet and distinct strong flavor

Anything that calls for sugar

Stevia liquid or powder

Dried stevia leaves

Organic powder or liquid, expensive (highly recommended)

Sweeter than sugar, highly concentrated, strong distinct flavor. Cannot be used for baking above 389 degrees F (acquired taste)

Any food or drink that calls for sugar. An excellent replacement for artificial sweeteners. Suitable for diabetics and weight loss dieters. Contains no calories. Nutritious.

Honey           (64 cal/tbsp)

Bees extract it from flower nectars (glucose and fructose)

Organic, raw and unfiltered from a single type of flower (not recommended for vegans)

Sweeter, lower in calories and more nutritious than sugar but not considered vegan

Good for healing and disinfecting wounds when applied topically. Good for sore throat relief when taken orally mixed with hot water and lemon. Reduce oven temperature in baking by 25 degrees F and increase baking time

Blackstrap molasses           (47 cal/tbsp)

By-product of sugar refining process

Organically produced is best to avoid chemicals and additives (highly recommended)

Sweeter than sugar, less is required for cooking

Most nutritional type of molasses providing iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc

Barley malt extract

Made from sprouted barley

Organic, 100% barley malt (recommended)

Half as sweet as honey, strong flavor, resembles molasses in consistency and sweetness

Mainly used in breads

Organic unrefined sugar

Sugar cane

Organic (better than white table sugar)

A better version of white table sugar

Used exactly as white sugar--no noticeable change in flavor

Barley, wheat syrups

Barley, wheat

Not recommended

Easier to digest than table sugar and not as sweet

Empty calories

Raw sugar

Cane sugar crystal residues (not true raw sugar in the U.S.)

Not recommended

Very sweet and offers no nutritional benefits

Empty calories

Turbinado sugar

Raw cane sugar that has been steam-cleaned

Not recommeded

Very sweet. A more refined version of raw sugar

Empty calories

Brown sugar          (51 cal/tbsp) packed

White sugar dyed with molasses, 95% sucrose

Not recommended (highly processed)

Very sweet with molasses flavor

Empty calories

White table sugar              (45 cal/tbsp)

Made from sugar cane and beets. 25% is produced using charred animal bones

Not recommended (highly processed)

Very sweet, zero benefits

Empty calories, commonly used in manufactured and fast convenience foods

Confectioner's sugar           (31 cal/tbsp)

White sugar finely powdered, 99.9% sucrose

Not recommended (highly processed)

Very sweet--rapadura powder is a better alternative

Empty calories

Fructose       (54 cal/tbsp)

Corn syrup made from corn (possible GMOs)

Not recommended (highly processed)

Very sweet, zero benefits

Empty calories, widely used in soft drinks and manufactured foods

Aspartame        (0 calories)

Labs (artificial sweetener such as Equal)

Not recommended. (avoid)

Heat makes it lose sweetness. May cause allergic reactions and toxic effects on fetal brain

Widely used in diet beverages and sweet sugar free foods

Saccharin               (3/8 of 1 calorie per tbsp)

Labs (artificial sweetener such as NutraSweet)

Not recommended. (avoid)

May cause cancer. Bitter taste

Widely used in diet beverages and sweet sugar free foods