Sweeteners

The Blog does not ban table sugar from the diet. Table sugar is used sparingly throughout the cookbook. Yet, all recipes are low glycemic. However, for those who wish to substitute sugar in their diet, there are some alternatives. 

Table sugar has a glycemic index of 68. Here are some natural sweeteners with lower glycemic indexes than table sugar.

Agave Nectar

Agave nectar has a GI of about 15. It is sweeter than sugar with a taste similar to honey. Generally you can use 1/2 to 2/3 less agave nectar when a recipe calls for sugar.  In other words, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, it can be replaced with 1 cup to 1 1/3 cup of agave nectar. When baking, use 2/3 agave nectar per cup of sugar replaced. Reduce panggangan temperature by 25 degrees as agave nectar browns more than sugar. Also decrease the other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 to 1/5.

Coconut Palm Sugar

Coconut palm sugar has a GI of about 35. It is less sweet than table sugar and it tastes similar to brown sugar. Coconut palm sugar can be replaced in equal amounts to table sugar in recipes.

Raw Buckwheat Honey

Raw buckwheat honey has a GI range of 30 to 40. It is a less processed and less refined version of commercial honey. Replace 1 cup of sugar with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of raw buckwheat honey. When baking, bake at a slighter lower temperature. Just as with agave nectar, honey browns more than sugar. Also decrease the other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 to 1/5.

Stevia

Stevia has a GI of 0. Stevia is quite sweeter than sugar and has a bit of an aftertaste. Stevia comes in powered and liquid forms. Replace 1 cup of sugar with either 1 teaspoon liquid stevia, 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon stevia extract powder, 1 tablespoon concentrated stevia liquid or 18 to 24 individual serving packets. This is just a general rule of thumb. The conversions may change based on the producer of the stevia product. Be sure to seek the producer's instructions on specific conversions.

Notes

Even though these natural sweeteners are lower on the glycemic index scale than table sugar, they still should be used in moderation. 

For more options for sweeteners, see the "Commercial" section of this blog.