Need info on Sugar/Agave Nectar/Honey/Stevia

[peilover010202]

I'm totally confused about what is the safest sweetener to use. I've always been pretty resistant to trying any type of artificial sweetener and therefore stuck with sugar. But, now I'm realizing that I need to investigate other options. I had started using agave nectar, then I researched how it was made and how it's processed in the body.

So, what do you use and why?

I understand that there will be drawbacks with every sweetener, but I guess I looking for the best of the worst.

[MoonStarFalling]

Well I had no idea about agave nectar. I am dealing with prediabetes and it was recommended to me but I didn't like the way it made me feel so I doubted the hype.

I feel best on raw honey, second choice is maple syrup.

[kundemama]

We mainly use honey and Rapadura. They work well with the recipes we use. I've used agave nectar and stevia, but don't like how agave is processed and I'm not used to stevia's aftertaste.

[EricaDoula]

I use agave. I like the flavor of it, and it's not as thick as honey. Here is an awesome website about agave! http://www.allaboutagave.com/

[AllyRae]

We don't use any refined white sugar, hfcs, corn syrup, etc. at all. But other than that, we use other things in moderation--EVERYTHING is bad for you in excess. But we will use turbinado sugar, cane juice, agave nectar, raw local honey, and maple syrup, depending on the recipe. No one thing works for every recipe. We do try to use it in the most natural form available (which automatically means absolutely no refined sugar, at all.) but I'll admit that turbinado sugar and cane juice are used in moderation at my house because it is a cup for cup substitution for typical white sugar. We already do gluten, casein, nut, and egg free, so we have to watch the sweetener substitution--for us, using a liquid sweetener (honey, etc.) in place of a dry sweetener is not always the best option.

[dogmom327]

We use almost exclusively raw honey and every once in awhile organic maple syrup. We don't use agave because it's too highly processed.

[tngirl11]

I used to use agave until I started reading some research about the way it is processed and the way it behaves in the body. Here's an interesting article I just read, as a matter of fact, in case you'd like to read it: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
I pretty much use raw honey for everything. From the research I've done, tupelo honey is probably the best as far as blood sugar is concerned. Apparently it actually helps to lower blood sugar. I've recently gotten my diabetic father in law using it. He didn't believe me at first until he tried it and saw the results when he tested his blood!
I also have some granulated honey that I use in recipes that just won't work with liquid honey.

[ursusarctos]

I use the least-processed sweeteners I can find, which for me is organic honey, real maple syrup, and unrefined cane sugar, depending on what I'm making. All in moderation, of course.

[Magelet]

I use raw honey, maple syrup, unrefined palm sugar, molasses, unrefined cane sugar, and and at work, brown rice syrup, all in moderation.

[Tarielena]

I love stevia, but it has to be used in the right sort of things, because you really do have to get used to the taste. I put a little bit of stevia and a splash of milk in my hot tea, and I can go through a LOT of tea in a day so I'd much rather get used to stevia and keep the sugar out.

Also things like smoothies, where you only need a little extra touch of sweetness, those are the kinds of uses that stevia is good for. For baking and cooking, I use what the PP's have mentioned (NO agave).

[almadianna]

Originally Posted by Magelet

I use raw honey, maple syrup, unrefined palm sugar, molasses, unrefined cane sugar, and and at work, brown rice syrup, all in moderation.

This is exactly what we use. We used agave for a while but no longer use it.

[Ruthla]

I've found that stevia works best when it's combined with other sweetners, rather than being the only sweetner in a recipe. I add dash to my pineapple cranberry sauce (cooking raw or frozen cranberries in pineapple juice rather than sugar and water) since it has plenty of natural sugars from the pineapples, but is still just a bit too tart. I've reduced the sugar called for in recipes (only in places where it doesnt' affect the texture) and used a touch of stevia to make it sweet enough. I like it in green tea, but only if I'm also adding some juice to my tea (usually cherry or grapefruit.) I've also used it to sweeten coffee, tea, or hot cocoa when I'm also adding some kind of milk to the beverage.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

We lean toward Traditional Foods, so I stick with sweeteners that aren't man-made and have been around for a long, long time. This means we primarily use raw honey and real maple syrup.

[peilover010202]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I saw the article on agave, which is why I stopped using it immediately.

One more question, about stevia in particular. Have you found a difference in liquid Stevia vs the powder (like Truvia?) I've heard that the liquid has less of a bitter taste. Is that true?

[nataliachick7]

Originally Posted by peilover010202

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I saw the article on agave, which is why I stopped using it immediately.

One more question, about stevia in particular. Have you found a difference in liquid Stevia vs the powder (like Truvia?) I've heard that the liquid has less of a bitter taste. Is that true?

I live truvia and also purevia. I dont notice a bitter taste. I havent tried the liquid though.