Substitute Saturday: refined cane sugar

Your body handles real foods (foods from nature) much better than processed foods. The substitutes listed below are from actual foods made by nature. Do they still have calories? Sure, but since they are processed differently by the body, the don't raise your blood sugar as much. Not to mention, they have vitamins, minerals, and good antioxidants in them as well. Refined sugars have NO health benefits whatsoever.

Check here for dangers of refined cane sugar.

Substitute:

Honey, real maple syrup, molasses, brown rice syrup, agave, or fruit juice. These are more expensive, but really worth it. They are also actually sweeter than sugar, so you can use less! We bought a jug of maple syrup, and I was shocked it cost $20!. BUT, it has lasted us a year, and it's only halfway gone! A little goes a long way on pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, baked goods, etc. For baking, search for recipes that have these ingredients instead of sugar or corn syrup.

Check here for:

Using these in baby food.

Substituted so far...

• Stevia or xylitol FOR: artificial sweeteners 
• Cane sugar FOR: high fructose corn syrup 
• All refined sugars FOR: honey, maple syrup, molasses, agave, or fruit juice.