4 Ways to Naturally Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

In 2019, you committed to saying good bye to sugar.

And while it has been successful so far, the truth is, it is likely unsustainable to assume that for the rest of your life you will live completely sugar free and never need a sweetener again.

But the good news is, there are lots of options for alternative sweeteners which are refined sugar free and will naturally satisfy your sweet tooth while offering you a sustainable energy supply.

Here are 4 ways to naturally satisfy your sweet tooth:

Banana

If you haven’t already, it’s definitely time to add banana to your weekly grocery list. When you think of banana bread, you probably already know how deliciously sweet and addictive it is, and part of this is because of the natural sweetness from overripe bananas. While you thought you were just trying to use up the brown bananas on your counter, you were actually playing with an all-natural sweetener! You can use bananas in baking everything from bread to muffins to cookies, cakes and snack bars. Better yet, freeze your ripe bananas and then whiz them up in the blender with some vanilla essence for an all-natural soft serve ice cream!

Dates

You can do your baking, create delicious breakfasts and snack bars using dates! Deliciously sweet, while simultaneously acting as a complex carbohydrate, dates lend a caramel like flavor to food and when placed in the freezer harden into thick chewy goodness! As a complex carbohydrate, they offer a slow release of energy and prevent that sugar spike and crash that you may be familiar with, while also being a great source of iron and magnesium.

Monk Fruit Sweetener

A relatively new player on the market, monk fruit sweetener is extracted from monk fruits and then dehydrated. It is low in calories, and very concentrated in sweetness, and the sugar hit It provides offers your body a slow and steady release of energy.  This sweetener is a great alternative for baking, or in your morning oats and you can also dissolve it into coffee and tea or other beverages that require some sweetness t be added.  Use it with moderation, until you get used to the flavor and degree of sweetness it produces, as many people find it to be quite different than other sweeteners which they have used.

Stevia

You may have read ingredient labels that included stevia. An all-natural plant based sugar, this sweetener is sweet nectar is extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant. The sweetness that it offers is very concentrated, meaning you need a minute amount in comparison to the amount of refined sugar you need.  This is a great option to use in beverages, such as coffee and tea, in baking, or in special desserts (like the banana soft serve!).

Getting rid of refined sugar is a great commitment to your health and long-term wellbeing. Making sure you do so in a sustainable way however is critical to ensure you’ll be able to stick with your new changes!

By: Laura Peill, RHN, BScH