So Long, Sugar!

We all know we should cut down (and ideally cut out) sugar from our diets, especially the white, refined stuff, so here's a few quick sugar replacements that I've tried and what I think of them - consider giving one a go!

1) Stevia

Literally just tried this in my coffee. Made from the stevia plant which is native to South America, it is said to be 200 times sweeter than sugar and carbohydrate-free. It comes in tiny little pellets, with one meant to be equivalent to one teaspoon of sugar. I had to have two because I didn't taste any sweetness with just one, but in general I'm rather impressed - it did taste a little unusual when I got to the end of my mug, but nothing too bad!

2) Agave nectar

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I absolutely LOVE this! Completely natural, and made from the agave plant, you can either get the light & mild syrup (my preferred type) or the darker one (seen in the picture below). It comes as a syrup and is very sweet, so you really only need a small squeeze to sweeten tea or coffee. I also use it in baking and it works just like regular sugar, so it really is a wonderful, multi-purpose sugar replacement!

3) Sweet Freedom Natural Sweetener

This is made from fruit, and although very sweet it is my least favourite of the three, as I found it made my coffee taste a bit funny, and it didn't really work well in cakes and other baking. Everyone has different tastes though, and this is low G.I, so perhaps try it out and see if you like it!

Nati xXx