Foods can be successfully sweetened without sugar. To replace sugar in your baking and to sweeten up a prepared food item, use a variety of alternative sweeteners. If your goal is to omit refined sugar from your diet, experiment with various sweetening ingredients to find the ones that work for you.
Ever wonder why you do not have to pour sugar over apples, grapes, blueberries, strawberries or raisins? It is because these foods are the candy of the produce department. They can be used as sweeteners in a variety of foods such as soy-based protein shakes, cereal, yogurt and oatmeal.
Anything containing aspartame is not a healthy choice for sweetening your food or drinks.
Honey is sugar, but since it is natural and unrefined, it contains a host of nutrients and enzymes that have a multitude of beneficial attributes. It will not cause the rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels as does white sugar, and there are many varieties and flavors to choose from.
Jaggery is a “natural” sweetener made by the concentration of sugarcane juice. It is a dark, coarse, unrefined sugar. Jaggery, which accounts for 50 percent of the sugar eaten in India, is made from sugar cane and is processed by a method not unlike that used to make maple syrup.
Raisins added to kheer or any dish as a sweetening agent gives both health and taste. It can be cooked gently as a fruit also.