Obesity is a significant and growing problem worldwide. Nearly two thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese, and poor diet may be a contributing factor. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, sugar consumption has risen every year since 1983 and parallels the rise in obesity. People who want to avoid sugar--either for weight-loss reasons or because they or a family member have diabetes--can turn to alternative sweeteners as a substitute.
Honey
Honey is an excellent substitute for sugar in baked items. Honey is made by bees and is in liquid form. Because the liquid is sweeter than sugar, you should use less honey. For each one cup of sugar called for in a recipe, use only 3/4 cup of honey. Also decrease the amount of liquid the recipe requires by 1/4 cup when using honey.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup comes from the sap of maple trees and has a naturally sweet, distinctive taste. When using maple syrup instead of sugar in recipes, you can substitute equal amounts. However, you must decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe by three tablespoons for each cup of maple syrup used.
Agave Nectar
Agave nectar is a liquid syrup derived from the agave cactus plant. Agave nectar is 1.5 times sweeter than sugar, but is low on the glycemic index and is therefore safer for use by diabetics. When using agave nectar, use 1/3 less than the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. Similarly, decrease the liquid in the recipe by about 25 percent.
Stevia
Stevia is an herb that is native to South America and is many times sweeter than sugar. Substitute one teaspoon of powdered or liquid stevia for each one cup of sugar called for by a recipe. These measurements refer to the stevia herb, not stevia-based sweeteners such as Truvia or PureVia.
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