The Truth about ''Natural'' Sweeteners

Does Sugar by Any Other Name Still Taste as Sweet?

-- By Liza Barnes & Nicole Nichols, Health Educators

Sweetener	Serving size	Calories	Carbs	Other nutrients of note
White (table) sugar	2 tsp	33	8 g	None*
Blackstrap molasses	2 tsp	32	8 g	Manganese (18% DV), copper (14% DV), iron (13% DV), calcium (12% DV), potassium (10% DV), magnesium (7%DV), vitamin B6 (5% DV), selenium (4% DV)
Rapadura	2 tsp	30	8 g	None*
Sucanat	2 tsp	30	8 g	None*
Turbinado sugar	2 tsp	30	8 g	None*
Evaporated cane juice	2 tsp	30	8 g	Riboflavin (3% DV), potassium (1% DV), manganese (1% DV), copper (1% DV), iron (1% DV)
Agave nectar syrup	2 tsp	40	8 g	None*
Brown rice syrup	2 tsp	40	10 g	None*
Honey	2 tsp	43	11 g	None*
Maple syrup	2 tsp	45	9 g	Manganese (22% DV), zinc (4% DV)

*Less than 0.5% DV of any vitamins or minerals

SparkPeople's Licensed and Registered Dietitian, Becky Hand, notes that published recommendations say to limit added sugars from all sources to no more than 10%-15% of total calorie intake, which is 120 calories (7.5 tsp) of sugar for a 1,200-calorie diet.

The bottom line is that sugar is sugar. Too much sugar—whether it’s marketed as “natural” or not—can harm your health.  Even sweeteners touted as natural or nutritious, like the ones discussed here, don’t typically add a significant source of vitamins or minerals to your diet. But in moderation, there’s nothing wrong with the sweetness that a little sugar adds to life. So if you’re going to eat it, eat the good stuff...just not too much of it.

This article has been reviewed and approved by licensed and registered dietitian, Becky Hand, and Tanya Jolliffe, a SparkPeople healthy eating expert.