One Snarky Chica with Issues

I drink a lot of coffee. And by a lot I mean a LOT. And I drink sugar in my coffee, so that means that I have entirely too much sugar in my daily diet just from coffee alone. With that in mind, I decided that I needed to find a sugar alternative that would not compromise the flavor of things like my coffee that I cannot have without sugar in it, but also things that are way better for me than the normal processed white sugar.

When I started looking for sugar alternatives I came across a lot of info about people that use fruit juice as a sugar alternative. I’m sure that is a viable alternative for some things, but definitely not coffee! In the end, I came up with only a handful of things for sugar alternatives. They are:

• Honey
• Fruit juice
• Fruits (in things like oatmeal)
• Maple syrup
• Maple sugar
• Stevia liquid or powder
• Molasses

After some further investigating, I decided to go with maple syrup and maple sugar as my sugar alternatives. Now, I was a little afraid that the maple flavor would be too strong. I like maple, but I do not think I would be a fan of maple flavored coffee.

Here’s what I learned in my research:

• Maple syrup and maple sugar have the same amount of calories per tablespoon as white processed sugar.
• Maple syrup and maple sugar are twice as sweet as white processed sugar.
• Maple syrup comes in grade of A through C. Grade A provides the lightest maple flavor while Grade C offers the strongest maple flavor.

So, before going all in I decided to try a bottle of 100% pure organic maple syrup from the grocery store. I figured if I hated the syrup in my coffee and whatnot I could always use it on waffles.

Be prepared for the sticker shock of 100% pure maple syrup! I paid $16.99 for a quart of 100% pure organic maple syrup.

Guess what? It’s awesome! I can’t even tell a difference in my coffee! I typically use about a tablespoon of white sugar in my cup of coffee (see, I told you it was bad!) and I used a little less of the maple syrup and it tasted exactly the same! And the bonus is that it is better for me then the processed white sugar. The only downer is the price. But, since it is better for me I plan on making sacrifices elsewhere so that I can eat the healthier choice. And as soon as all of my white sugar is gone I plan on getting some maple sugar to bake with!

If you are interested in getting some maple syrup or maple sugar as a processed sugar alternative, check out these items from Amazon:

• Shady Maple Farms Organic Maple Syrup, Grade A, 32 Ounce Container
• Coombs 100% Organic Maple Sugar, 1.9-Pound Container (Pack of 2)
• Pure Maple Sugar, 1 lb.
• Pure Canadian Maple Sugar Candies

And if you would like to get some more info on maple syrup or sugar alternatives, check out these links:

• Maple sugar and maple syrup on Wikipedia
• Table of sugar and sugar alternatives (don’t miss the part that says that white sugar is mixed with animal bone char - ick)
• Maple syrup on The World’s Healthiest Foods
• The Sugar-coated Truth at Every Diet
• Natural Sugar Alternatives at MSN Health
• Sugar alternatives at The Veggie Table

If you have any thoughts on sugar alternatives, feel free to share them in the comments!