Blog post by Annette Marsden M.S., C.N., Washington State Certified Nutritionist
I often get asked which sweetener to use? Well, there are some sweeteners that offer some nutrition! Which would you choose? Cane sugar or agave syrup?? After reading the above journal article, hopefully you would choose neither! Neither has any nutritional value! How about Honey or Maple syrup?? Honey beats out maple syrup in nutritional value, but only by a little bit, and they are both only slightly better in antioxidant values than cane sugar!
This study was designed to measure the levels of antioxidants in these many sugar alternatives. so that the consumer can choose a sweetener with the most antioxidants for better health.
When they compared the total antioxidant content of natural sweeteners as alternatives to refined sugar, they found substantial differences in total antioxidant content. The sweeteners with the least antioxidant power were refined sugar, corn syrup, rice syrup, and agave nectar, all showing minimal antioxidant activity. Slightly higher in antioxidant activity were raw cane sugar, turbinado sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar, and honey. Scoring the highest by far, were molasses and unrefined date sugar (a whole plant food).
Hurray for blackstrap molasses and date sugar! These are the only two sugars, (of the 12) according to this study, that are health promoting, if antioxidant content is what we see as good nutrition. Whole dried dates are a whole plant food. They are the only whole plant food on the list.
When you are reading food labels, remember that 4 grams of sugar is one teaspoon (one sugar cube). Keep your "added" sugar intake quite low - at 3 tsp. or less per day. By "added" sugar, I mean the refined sugars (brown sugar, turbinado, coconut sugar, agave, rice syrup......), and, yes, the unrefined sugars (honey, maple syrup, fruit juice.... ). Yes, I consider fruit juice to be an "added" sugar. An eight ounce glass of orange juice has 22 grams of sugar. If you can, use fresh or frozen fruit to satisfy your sweet craving.
I hope this helps you in making a healthy sweet choice, makes your cake taste great, and your day (and your health) a little sweeter!