Comments on: My Favorite Natural Sweeteners

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:08:39 +0000

Thanks for always taking the time to respond. I appreciate it. I think I am going to try the sucanat next time. Blessings!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:13:41 +0000

Raw sugar is not really raw (it is the same thing as turbinado); it is just less refined than white sugar. It does have a small amount of nutrients left in it. It does metabolize the same as white sugar. It is better than white if you are looking for something that is closer to its natural state, but I don’t personally use it. I try to avoid the refining process as much as possible. Sucanat/rapadura is unrefined cane sugar. It is processed less than turbinado or raw sugar and a lot less than white sugar. It has more nutrients than turbinado or raw sugar. The natural molasses is still intact, and makes an excellent substitute for brown sugar. It does metabolize slower than white sugar but not enough to make it safe for diabetics. All sugar is recommended to consume in small quantities.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:02:55 +0000

Lindsay, I skimmed the comments and I don’t think I saw this asked; what about raw sugar? There is a farm store where I live that sells raw sugar. It is brown in color and coarser in texture than regular sugar. Is that healthier than “regular” sugar? Thanks so much!

By: Jackie H

Jackie H — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:37:49 +0000

Thanks for your reply! That’s a great idea – I will email Weston Price! Thanks, again!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:37:52 +0000

Jackie, I cannot say for sure. I don’t know enough of the chemistry of these sugars to confirm whether or not any of the nutrients are lost in baking. I would submit your question to http://www.westonaprice.org. They would probably be able to answer more clearly.

By: Jackie H

Jackie H — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:39:39 +0000

Thanks for your reply, Lindsey! Just wanting to making sure I got things straight – so rapadura/sucanat will still retain some of the nutrients even after baking in high temps? They are just more expensive than the conventional sugar and I wanted to make sure that there is some sort of nutrients left in the rapadura/sucanat, so I’m not wasting my money. Thanks so much! God bless!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:06:18 +0000

It is recommended to not heat honey because of its delicate nutrients, so I use that mainly for sweetening smoothies, oatmeal, tea, etc. Rapadura/sucanat can be used for all your baking needs without any problems.

By: Jackie H

Jackie H — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:47:35 +0000

Thanks for all your helpful blog posts, Lindsay! I have a quick question for you re: all these more natural sweeteners. I think you’re saying that it’s better to use the more natural sweeteners because of all the retained nutrition. I totally agree! Now my question is, if I use these natural sweeteners in baking (at high temps), will that also degrade the nutritional value? Should I reserve these natural sweeteners to tea and other applications where I don’t deal with high heat? Thanks a bunch! Blessings!

By: Ami

Ami — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:06:49 +0000

Thank you, this is so helpful! I’ve been wondering if we should start using sorghum instead of molasses because here in KY sorghum is local and abundant. I would be buying it at the farmer’s market, too, so maybe it would be less processed. We’ve been going through a lot of molasses this week!

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:09:11 +0000

According to wikipedia, rapadura in known by other names based on it’s geographical location (panela, piloncillo). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piloncillo I have seen frequently seen piloncillo at my local Winco in the bulk bins— I just had not idea what in the world it was! It looks like little cones. Anyway, it is a regularly stocked item, and is very affordable. Would this be considered a good choice for an unrefined sweetener? I’d love to hear from anyone who has insight on this. Thanks! Sharon