Easy Ways to Flavor Food without Adding Sugar to your Diet

(421 Words)
Sugar can have a detrimental effect on health. It can increase your risk of a number of health conditions from cancer to hypertension to diabetes. Of course, its disadvantages are not reflected in its sweet taste, and it is widely used to flavor food. There are a number of spices and substitutes that can be used to flavor food instead.
Artificial sweeteners
According to Meal Call, there are many choices for flavorings that are not as bad for you as sugar and in some cases are even healthy for your diet. Of course one option is to use artificial sweeteners. There are a number of options on the market including stevia, aspartame, neotame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and saccharin. Various sweeteners have been the subject of health concerns, some for everyone and others for specific groups of people such as pregnant women. For instance, saccharin has been under scrutiny for a possible connection to cancer. It is important to research any artificial sweeteners you are considering to look for potential health concerns.
Fruit
Fruit can be an excellent way to sweeten food without adding sugar to your diet. There are many different types of fruit that can bring the sweetness you desire at a health benefit instead of the detrimental effect of sugar.
One great option is a banana. If you normally add sugar to your French toast, then you can add fresh sliced banana instead. You can cook some apples until they are soft and hot and use this as a topping for pancakes and other foods instead of food items that contain sugar. Other fruits to consider include blueberries, raspberries, pears and peaches.
You can also use derivatives of the fruit as sweeteners. Applesauce is an excellent substitute for sugar. You can use it in many recipes to add a sweetness. Also fruit juices such as apple juice can be quite sweet, too.
Sweet Spices
Of course there are a number of spices that can pack quite a flavor punch in very small concentrations. If you want something sweet then look to cinnamon. This common spice provides a delicious sweet taste (and makes a lovely smell to whet your appetite even more). In addition, new studies have shown health benefits.
Too much sugar in a diet is not healthy for anyone. It can lead to a number of health problems as well as cause people to gain weight, which can lead to more problems on its own. Try the above substitutes for adding flavor instead of sugar to your diet.