How to Avoid White Sugar

On the average, each person living in the United States eats 29 lb. of white sugar yearly. White sugar a refined sweetener, adding nothing but calories and taste to foods. You can avoid white sugar while still enjoying sweet foods, cutting empty calories and enhancing your nutrition.

Instructions

• 1

  Replace white sugar in your pantry. Instead of processed white sugar, stock your pantry with date sugar. It is nearly as sweet as white sugar but contains nutrients and fiber. Use liquid sweeteners, too. Barley malt, brown rice syrup and blackstrap molasses are all nutritious additions to your cooking. Whole dates can also sweeten baked goods, sauces and puddings when blended.

• 2

  Convert your favorite recipes. Date sugar can replace white sugar one to one, and brown rice syrup can replace honey one to one. To replace 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 cup of liquid sweetener, reduce the overall liquid in your recipe by 1/3. Alternately, you can add 4 or 5 tbsp. of flour.

• 3

  Rediscover the natural sweetness of foods. When you crave something sweet, turn to sweet vegetables like yams, carrots, winter squash, corn and vine-ripened tomatoes. Serve sweet fruits, alone or with yogurt and fruit sorbets for dessert.

• 4

  Read labels carefully. A product that lists "sugar" as an ingredient generally contains white sugar, so you should avoid it. Most commercially produced desserts contain white sugar and many also contain corn syrup, another non-nutritive sweetener. Read all labels, even for products you don't think contain sweeteners. Many crackers, sauces, soups and other processed foods contain white sugar.

• 5

  Make your own sodas. Sodas and fountain drinks account for much sugar consumption, and diet drinks aren't especially nutritious alternatives. Combine club soda and fruit juice for a refreshing soda without all the sugar.

• 6

  Shop for dessert at natural food stores. If you need a prepared dessert, you can usually find something sweetened without white sugar in a natural foods store. Look especially for baked goods sweetened with molasses.

• 7

  Use stevia to sweeten beverages. It is sweeter than sugar, adds no calories and is an unrefined product. You can carry a small bottle of liquid stevia to sweeten coffee and tea when you are not at home.