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The Truth about ''Natural'' Sweeteners

Does Sugar by Any Other Name Still Taste as Sweet?

-- By Liza Barnes & Nicole Nichols, Health Educators
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If you’ve wandered into a natural food store lately, you might have noticed that the selection of sweeteners seems to have multiplied. Powders, syrups, and liquids with exotic-sounding names catch your eye, each claiming to be tastier, healthier, or more environmentally-friendly than plain old table sugar. But are they really any better? Is it worth the extra expense and hassle of deviating from the mainstream to try “natural” sweeteners? Whether you choose natural, artificial or conventional sweeteners is up to you. This article provides a rundown of the most common types of “natural” sweeteners you’ll find on the market to help you decide.

Sugarcane Sweeteners
Sugarcane is a tropical grass that has been cultivated by humans for thousands of years. Making what we know as table sugar from sugarcane can range from a relatively simple to a multistep process, and the final result varies depending on the specific steps in the process. Light and dark brown, powdered, and granulated white sugars are all highly refined, while others, like those listed below, are made with fewer steps on the processing chain. Fewer steps benefit the environment, because less processing means less environmental impact. It also means that more of the vitamins and minerals that naturally occur in sugarcane remain in the end product. All of these sugarcane sweeteners can be found in the baking aisle and/or bulk bins of natural foods stores.
  • Blackstrap molasses, unlike other sugarcane sweeteners, contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. “First” molasses is left over when sugarcane juice is boiled, cooled, and removed of its crystals. If this product is boiled again, the result is called second molasses. Blackstrap molasses is made from the third boiling of the sugar syrup and is the most nutritious molasses, containing substantial amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron. When buying, consider choosing organic blackstrap molasses, as pesticides are more likely to be concentrated due to the production of molasses. Cooking notes: Blackstrap molasses has a very strong flavor, so it is best to just replace a small portion of sugar with molasses.
     
  • Rapadura is the Portuguese name for unrefined dried sugarcane juice. Probably the least refined of all sugarcane products, rapadura is made simply by cooking juice that has been pressed from sugarcane until it is very concentrated, and then drying and granulating it or, traditionally, pouring it into a mold to dry in brick form, which is then shaved. Because the only thing that has been removed from the original sugarcane juice is the water, rapadura contains all of the vitamins and minerals that are normally found in sugarcane juice, namely iron. A German company called Rapunzel is the main company that markets pure, organic rapadura in the U.S. Cooking notes: Rapadura replaces sugar 1:1 and adds a molasses flavor and dark color, so it’s great in baked goods like brownies, coffee and black tea, but it may not be desirable in something like lemonade.
     
  • Sucanat stands for sugar-cane-natural, and is very similar to rapadura. It is made by mechanically extracting sugarcane juice, which is then heated and cooled until tiny brown (thanks to the molasses content) crystals form. It contains less sucrose than table sugar (88 percent and 99 percent, respectively). Cooking notes: Sucanat replaces sugar 1:1 and is also an accepted substitute for traditional brown sugar. Use it as you would rapadura (see above).
     
  • Turbinado sugar is often confused with sucanat, but the two are different. After the sugarcane is pressed to extract the juice, the juice is then boiled, cooled, and allowed to crystallize into granules (like sucanat, above). Next, these granules are refined to a light tan color by washing them in a centrifuge to remove impurities and surface molasses. Turbinado is lighter in color and contains less molasses than both rapadura and sucanat. A popular brand-name of turbinado sugar is Sugar in the Raw, which can be found in most natural food stores, and even in single-serve packets at coffee shops. Cooking notes: Replaces sugar 1:1. Turbinado is a great substitute for brown sugar, too.
     
  • Evaporated cane juice is essentially a finer, lighter-colored version of turbinado sugar. Still less refined than table sugar, it also contains some trace nutrients (that regular sugar does not), including vitamin B2. In Europe, it’s known as “unrefined sugar.” Cooking notes: Replaces sugar 1:1. Can be used in a wide variety of foods and recipes without adversely affecting color or flavor. Continued ›
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About The Author

Liza Barnes Liza Barnes
Liza has two bachelor's degrees: one in health promotion and education and a second in nursing. A registered nurse and mother, regular exercise and cooking are top priorities for her. See all of Liza's articles.

Member Comments

  • DORI411
    Am I the only one that can't stand the taste of stevia ? And no I'm not putting too much in.. I bought an expensive little bottle from the health foods store and only put one drop in my coffee... Yuck

    Or shouldi I try again with powder? - 4/19/2013 10:57:26 AM
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  • SPARK_JO
    Glad to read that blackstrap molasse is the only one that actually has nutrients : I love using it as spread on bread (yummy) and in herbal tea sometimes. - 12/14/2012 3:24:41 PM
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  • 50SLADY
    I was also expecting the article to contain information about stevia, luo han guo, and erythritol. - 11/27/2012 8:05:45 PM
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  • DUCKIEMOM25
    I was disappointed with this article. I think it was titled incorrectly because it really did not tell me anymore about natural sweeteners than I can get by reading the labels at my grocery store. I also believe Stevia to be a natural sweetener and agree that it should have been included in the article, regardless of the excuses for it's exclusion.
    Really expected more. - 10/27/2012 12:19:06 PM
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  • NORMANLESSER
    I agree that not all natural sugars are healthy. In fact some natural sugars are so highly processed I wonder how it can be classified as natural. My view, if it states that it is all-natural or 100% natural, then it should be organic- no chemicals, no-additives, unrefined and unbleached. Try getting hold of suchero, i was pleasantly surprised. - 9/10/2012 1:18:15 PM
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  • ELFANGOR87
    Folks, the reason stevia isn't mentioned here is because this article is focused on less processed or "unprocessed" sweeteners. You know, the ones that can best be called "natural". Stevia is an extremely refined product that has very little in common with the actual extract from the plant. I'm not saying that it's bad, just that it doesn't really fit with the "unrefined" foods. (In fact, I use stevia, just in moderation like any other sweetener.) If you look at the related articles, you should see one titled "The Science Behind Stevia". It might open your eyes to some interesting facts.

    I too want to know why in the article you state that maple syrup has fewer calories when your chart shows it having 2 calories more per serving! This doesn't really make sense... - 8/17/2012 11:29:32 AM
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  • FRABBIT
    Why does your article say maple syrup has fewer calories than honey but the chart says it has more? - 7/30/2012 12:37:13 PM
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  • MOOREINSPIRE
    How could you do an article about natural sweeteners and leave out the only one that is healthy and contains no calories? Stevia. Shame on you. (P.S. the question is rhetorical.) - 7/22/2012 10:25:21 PM
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  • ABLACKHAM6
    Interesting information on sweeteners. And...somewhat OT: Wanted to ask where one commenter got the information that beekeepers kill their bees every year? This is false.

    Commercial beekeepers make a great deal of money on their bees using them for pollination services. They also spend a great deal of money keeping their colonies healthy. Colony collapse disorder has been a huge problem in the US and elsewhere...far from killing colonies every year, beekeepers are working overtime trying to preserve them. It takes a year to establish a colony, and it would be counterproductive to try to build from scratch, so to speak, every season.
    - 7/16/2012 7:20:16 PM
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  • TRANZFORMER
    Molasses is considered by many, especially raw foodies, practically poison because it it SO refined. It is actually a by-product of manufacturing sugar. It's one of those "foods" that is made because manufacturer's would rather SELL it as a product, than pay someone to haul away their leftover GARBAGE/waste products. - 7/16/2012 11:42:58 AM
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  • CHRIS3874
    Like others, I think this article posed more questions than it answered - perhaps not deliberately but it did nonetheless. - 7/15/2012 8:22:28 PM
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  • PAMJAMANDMORE
    Dr. Oz said on his show that brown rice syrup has been found to contain high levels of arsenic so he is cautioning people about use in spite of his earlier push for this organic sweetener. - 7/15/2012 5:55:35 PM
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  • KANA6O
    You have to look for "raw" honey. Most of the stuff you find in your local supermarket has been pasteurized (heated). This does remove some of the health benefits you get from raw honey.
    Check your local farm markets, health fod store, some retailers also sell local farm products.
    "Local" honey has been shown to help reduce allergy symptoms. Honey is also a natural antiseptic.
    If your honey crystallizes in the container, gently warm it to melt the crystals, never microwave. - 7/15/2012 1:00:30 PM
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  • GRIZ1GIRL
    "Natural" doesn't necessarily mean healthy...Stevia'
    s long term side effects have yet to be determined. Hey--cocaine is "natural" too...made from the Coco plant. But I'll pass on that too.

    I tried molasses in my coffee...YUCK! Tasted terrible. Not at all sweet.

    I'll stick with sugar. Sugar isn't evil...it's just sugar. Obviously, if you eat ANY "bad" food in huge quantities, it's bad. I don't worry about my sugar consumption anymore than I worry about eating pasta. Food is fuel...eat healthy most of the time, and you'll be fine. - 7/15/2012 11:15:18 AM
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  • REFERENCEGIRL73
    Like many other folks, I was surprised that there were no mention of Stevia.

    Nice information on how these different sugars are made, except for honey. Why gloss over how honey is made? I think it is worthy to note that most honey is boiled and filtered, that it takes on various flavors depending on what plants the bees harvested nectar from, and also takes on various pollutants from the environment as well. The reason vegans do not use honey is because bees don't make honey for us, they make it for themselves. Most bee keepers kill their colonies yearly where a colony in nature would live for 5-7 years. - 7/15/2012 11:05:19 AM
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