3 Natural Sweeteners That are Good for Your Health

Quitting refined sugar can be tough.

But given how incredibly harmful sugar can be, it’s definitely worth the effort.

Luckily, there are quite a few sweeteners found in nature that are actually good for your health.

They are low in calories, low in fructose and taste very sweet.

Here are 3 natural sweeteners that are truly healthy.

1. Stevia

Stevia is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener that can lower both blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

It’s extracted from the leaves of a plant called Stevia rebaudiana.

This plant has been grown for sweetness and medicinal purposes for centuries in South America.

Several sweet compounds are found in stevia leaves. The main ones are stevioside and rebaudioside A. Both are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, gram for gram.

Therefore, stevia is very sweet but has virtually no calories.

Additionally, a few human-based studies suggest stevia has health benefits:

    Stevia can lower high blood pressure in people with hypertension by 6–14%. However, it has no effect on blood pressure that is normal or only mildly elevated.
    Stevia has also been shown to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes (4).

Several studies in rats show that stevia can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol and reduce plaque build up in the arteries.

If you need to sweeten something, stevia may be your healthiest choice.

However, many people greatly dislike the taste of stevia. The flavor depends on the brand though, so you may need to experiment to find a type of stevia you like.

2. Erythritol

Erythritol is a very sweet and low-calorie sugar alcohol. Studies show that it’s very safe to eat, although it can cause digestive problems at high doses.

It’s a sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits. However, powdered erythritol available for purchase is most likely made via an industrial process.

It contains 0.24 calories per gram, or about 6% of the calories in an equal amount of sugar, with 70% of the sweetness.

Erythritol doesn't spike blood sugar or insulin levels and has no effect on blood lipids like cholesterol or triglycerides.

It’s absorbed into the body from the intestine but eventually excreted from the kidneys unchanged.

Studies show that erythritol is very safe. However, as with other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive issues if you consume too much at a time.

Erythritol tastes very much like sugar, although it can have a mild aftertaste.

Although erythritol doesn’t seem to have any health benefits, it certainly doesn't appear to be harmful in any way and is better tolerated than most other sugar alcohols.

3. Xylitol

Xylitol is a very popular sweetener. It’s a sugar alcohol containing about 2.4 calories per gram. It has some dental benefits. In rats, it may improve bone density and lower the risk of osteoporosis.

Xylitol doesn't raise blood sugar or insulin levels. However, as with other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive side effects at high doses.

If you have a dog at home, you might want to keep xylitol out of its reach since it’s highly toxic to dogs.