When is a recipe sugar free?

Sugar Free Recipes (or not) - you be the judge!

Thank you to the valued Facebook group members of 'Sugar Free Recipes' who have questioned whether some recipes are actually sugar free. Because of this, I thought that I’d clarify exactly what sugar is to try to help you determine whether a recipe is suitable for you and your lifestyle.

Stevia Plant

First, let’s clarify exactly what sugar really is. Sugar is a food carbohydrate obtained from various plants. There are many ways it can get from the plant to your plate - and that is the problem. There are millions of pages on the internet dedicated to this stuff we call 'sugar', written by people from all sorts of demographics from all over the world. There are blogs, fact sheets, books, science articles, ebooks, posters, apps, programs and social media sites all about sugar. If you're quitting sugar or thinking about it, you can listen to Jamie Oliver talk about it at a TED convention, read Sarah Wilson and David Gillespie blogs, buy their books, follow plenty of 'sugar free detox' programs, join Facebook pages and that'so just on the Internet, not to mention the information available at your local library, newsagency, local playgroup or coffee shop. Sugar information is everywhere. Some may call it a sugar overload. Facebook pages such as "Sugar Free Recipes' is one of many pages where like minded people are encouraged to share recipes with the common interest of being sugar free - or is it?

Refined Sugar - highly processed
and full of chemicals

Sugar comes in many forms and some of these are included in recipes labelled 'sugar free'. These may include agave syrup/nectar, honey, fructose, rice syrup, refined sugar, date sugar, can sugar, molasses and raw sugar.  You can even grow stevia, which is a plant native to tropical and subtropical America. The leaves are sometimes used as calorie free substitute to sugar. 

For me, sugar comes in 3 groups; refined, unrefined and natural.

Unrefined sugar such as raw honey

Refined sugars are those that are highly processed, full of chemicals and have been through very dangerous processes such as bleaching. Unfortunately, refined sugars are the most popular and found in pre packaged junk foods, baked goods, soft drinks and sweets.  This sugar contains absolutely no nutritional value and you may have heard of these sugars being referred to as ‘empty calories’.   

Unrefined sugars include raw honey and raw maple syrup.  Some may include store bought syrups and honeys however this title can be a bit misleading as honey and syrups normally go through some kind of refining process, but just no-where near as much as refined sugars. For this reason, unrefined sugars still maintain some of its nutritional benefits including potassium, phosphorus, calcium and iron. Unrefined sugars also bypass the bone char step as bleaching is not required. Chemicals are not used in unrefined sugars.

Natural sugars

Natural sugars are the best kinds of sugars. These are the types that occur naturally in many types of plants that we eat. Don’t be mislead by processed sugar being labelled ‘natural sugar’. Even white table sugar started from mother earth, it is the process of getting it into the store which makes it refined.

This brings me to labels. Be careful not to be persuaded, tempted or lead to pick up a product because it contains a label such as organic, biodynamic, eco-friendly, all natural, sugar free, no added sugar, made with real fruit, lightly sweetened or 100% real. ALWAYS read the label including the nutritional panel and the ingredients list and forget anything else that is written on the box!

For me, I kicked refined sugar completely from my life nearly 3 years ago. Yes, I eat unrefined sugars by using honey and natural sugars are also consumed in my house.  Through my reading, I have learnt that our bodies are designed to eat 2 pieces of fruit a day; however, I am able to substitute a piece of fruit for honey on my muesli or in my baking.

Dried fruits - be careful of
added sugars

Dried fruits and juices are extremely concentrated sugar and should be consumed with caution. I can make my own dried fruit at home, which means that I know that although the sugar is more concentrated, there is no added sugar. Lots of store bought dried fruits can have added sugar to it to help remove any tartness from it. Just remember, you’re going to consume more sugar in a handful of sultanas compared to a handful of grapes simply because you can fit more sultanas into your hand rather than the grapes.

Sugar Free Recipes Facebook
Page - I just love it!

Recipes on this Facebook page may contain unrefined and natural sugars. What type and how much you consume in your lifestyle is a personal choice and will depend upon your own personal preferences. That is why you will see many recipes on here containing only natural sugars, however some may contain unrefined sugars.  Enjoy the recipes on my 'Sugar Free Recipes' page and remember that your choice of sweetener may be different from somebody else’s. Feel free to modify any recipe to suit your lifestyle and feel free to share your version as others may like to do the same thing.

In conclusion, we welcome all recipes as long as refined sugar is not included. This appears to be the general consensus and I have seen this same approach taken on every sugar free book, blog, internet site, recipe and magazine I have read to date.

Thanks for reading my blog. Feel free to leave some sweet comments below.