How sweet, where?

This sugar-free lifestyle is only made possible with a few saving alternatives! Eating doesn't have to change all that much to avoid processed, cane sugar!

Like, honey! Honey is a great, natural sweetener. I've used it in my cups of tea. On toast, bagels, or crumpets. Yum, yum!

And blue agave nectar! I recently discovered flavours...vanilla, maple, and strawberry. Mmmm! This is my favorite with natural yogurt, blueberries, and linseed. I especially enjoy this with vanilla agave. I pour it over the kids porridge. Bye, bye brown sugar. Adios muscovado.

Then there's the more technical, Xylitol. Wow. A 1:1 substitute for normal sugar. Excellent baking companion. Whoops, can't eat too much of this...its a diuretic in high quantities. I use half the amount to the called for amount of sugar and this works great. Especially when I pair it up with a couple of droppers of liquid stevia. Xylitol has been wonderful in banana cake, chocolate cake, pancakes, muffins...not so good in brownies. I need a better substitute for brown sugar. This is not it!

And let's not forget the star of living sugar-free - Stevia!! Its even fun to pronounce s-t-e-v-i-a ! I love this stuff! Its concentrated SWEET! Just three drops in mug of coffee and I feel like a teaspoon of sugar. Its easy. Its fast. Its in a dropper! Its like gold here in NZ. It flies off the shelf of my local organic shop faster than I can get in there and buy another bottle. I am missing my stevia drops! I'm using tables now but they're not as fun. They take forever to dissolve so I have to crush them with a spoon first. No, no, no. Stick with the dropper method. It makes such a life changing decision as going sugar-free so much easier to tolerate on a daily basis! It sweetens cocoa to taste like chocolate (but note on your ingredients lists that cocoa has next to nil sugar while all forms of chocolate, even 80% solids, still contains a lot of sugar).

 

I haven't suffered too much taking away cane sugar because I've located all of these healthy alternatives. My body feels the difference. These are all low-GI so there's no crazy shakes or cravings, like you have from a lifetime of sugar consumption. Its just yummy! I'm so grateful I've made this change to my lifestyle. And its so fun finding recipes to suit it!