Natural Fruit Substitutes For Sugar

The naturally occuring sugar in fruit is an excellent substitute for refined sugar.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, "sweet" is one of the tastes necessary for a well-balanced diet. Since the Western countries recovered from World War II however, people have been overusing sugar in their daily diet. This has contributed to diabetes and obesity. There are several ways of using fruit in the diet to sweeten cakes, breakfast foods, chocolate treats and other favorite treats. All you need is a little imagination and a willingness to make lifestyle changes to your eating habits.

Dates

Dates have an irresistible toffee-like sweetness. Dates can be eaten alone or with a handful of nuts for a healthy, instant sugar fix. They are an excellent replacement for sugar in home baking. For an 8-inch round chocolate cake, soak 1 cup of dates in 3/4 cup of boiling water. Puree the mixture after five minutes and add to the cake. If the consistency is too wet, gradually add some ground oatmeal to thicken it.

Grape Juice

Grape juice is available in most supermarkets and grocery stores. You can soak fresh fruit in it for a natural sweetness. A lot of sugar-free canned fruit is soaked in grape juice instead of sugary syrup. Where savory recipes call for some sugar, add grape juice instead for a natural sweetness.

Prunes

Prunes are very ripe and syrupy, dripping with their own natural sugar. A favorite sugar-free, healthy breakfast is muesli (make sure it has no added sugar) soaked in prunes and natural prune juice. Add a few spoonfuls of natural yogurt for creaminess. You can use prunes in the same way as dates to sweeten recipies.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit, such as sultanas, blackcurrants, blueberries and raisins, have a high natural sugar content. When making cakes and scones, add plenty of dried fruit to sweeten your baking. Use more dried fruit than you normally would to compensate for the sugar that you are omitting.

Agave Syrup

Though it is not necessarily a fruit, agave syrup is a complete solution to omitting sugar from your diet. It is the sweet sap collected from the cactus tree, and it has a low glycemic Index. This means that it does not cause your blood sugar level to rise. Use it in place of honey and sugar in drinks, home baking, on breakfast cereals --- everywhere that you would normally use sugar.

Tags: grape juice, grape juice instead, home baking, juice instead, natural sugar, natural sweetness