5 Healthy Ways to Sweeten Coffee Without Refined Sugar

To reduce sugar consumption, there are five natural and healthy ingredients to sweeten beverages like coffee

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world after water, it is rich in antioxidant compounds, caffeine that helps stimulation and a bitter taste that many love; It is usually accompanied by milk and some sweetener. To reduce the daily sugar consumption in beverages such as coffee or tea, there are several healthy options to give it a touch of sweetness such as honey, stevia, cinnamon, vanilla and dates.

Nutrition experts and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend avoiding excessive sugar consumption due to its health effects.

The WHO recommends that, “if free sugars are ingested, they provide less than 10% of total energy needs; In addition, improvements in health can be seen if they are reduced to less than 5%. This ratio is equivalent to less than a 250ml glass of sugary drink per day.”

For this reason, it is important to regulate the amount of sugar and sweeteners that are added to beverages, in this case coffee. Sugar is an element found in nature and is necessary for most forms of life on planet Earth.

While chemically refined and highly purified sugar in all its myriad forms (sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, and approximately 59 other names) is part of the diet and is present in 75% of packaged foods.

Honey

Honey is a natural ingredient, rich in antioxidants and components that give it microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. This food made by bees has fewer calories than sugar and a low glycemic index. Honey has been used as a natural sweetener since ancient times, as it has a high level of fructose (honey is 25% sweeter than tablet sugar).

According to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “honey or other potent antioxidants could be used as an adjunct to standard antidiabetic drugs in the management of diabetes mellitus.”

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice that has a sweet aroma, so it can be used as a natural sweetener in place of refined sugar. In addition to its health benefits because it is rich in antioxidants and antimicrobials, it is a source of iron, calcium, fiber, vitamins C and B1 and selenium.

Vanilla

Vanilla can be an alternative to flavor coffee and give a note of smoothness to the flavor. It has multiple health benefits such as helping to reduce anxiety. The recommendation is to check the label to verify that it is not mixed with other components or contains sugar, in case it is purchased in retail stores.

Stevia

This plant is recommended because it has the benefit of not increasing the glycemic index in the blood, nor does it provide calories. With just a small portion it can be sweetened, since it is potent, it is recommended by specialists for diabetics. Stevia comes in several forms, such as granulated and liquid.

Dates

Dates are fruits with a sweet taste, with great health benefits and are used as a sugar substitute in healthy recipes for desserts, sweets and drinks. Dates are rich in antioxidants, high in fiber that support gut health, and are sources of vitamins and minerals. To use it as a sweetener, it can be crushed to make a paste and added to beverages such as coffee.

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