Honey

The first thing about sweeteners that we'd like to establish is that eating less sweetener of any kind is better for you. You will be healthier if you eat less sugar. End of story. I've been trying to cut down on using sweeteners in my cooking, and I feel like it's helping. And when I eat less sugar, I don't feel like I crave eating it as much. It's cyclical. I recommend gradually cutting down the amount of sugar and sweeteners in your diet, no matter what sweetener you choose to use. (I think eating a special treat now and then is ok too)

I prefer natural to artificial sweeteners. Honey has been my sweetener of choice as of late. I like it because I feel it is sweeter, so I can use less of it than sugar in my recipes. I choose raw honey, which is less processed than other honeys.

Honey has been shown to have some antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to it. Some people believe that eating locally-grown honey also helps with allergies, but that hasn't been proven scientifically. I also believe that your body better processes natural ingredients (like raw honey) better than processed ingredients (like white sugar), not to mention that is better for the environment.

When choosing honey, make sure you buy your honey from a good source. You want to be sure that you are getting a pure honey.

When substituting honey for sugar in recipes, lower cooking temperature 25 degrees, since baked goods brown more quickly with honey. I usually substitute 1/2 or 2/3 c. honey for 1 c. sugar. Also you can decrease the amount of liquid in your recipe by 1/4 c.

Other options for natural sweetners.

• 100% Fruit Juice
• Molasses
• Pure Maple Syrup
• Date Sugar (Ground Dates)
• Dried Fruit
• Stevia
  
• Brown Rice Syrup
• Agave Nectar
• Coconut Sugar
  

image from here