We think that people today are more focused on living and eating healthy than in the past. However, many people do not want to ban sweets from their diet. We of course understand this, as we love sweets as well! We believe that sweets can be good for you, and they play an important role in social gatherings when people get together and, perhaps, have some coffee and cake together. Chocolate can make you happy and when sometimes things don`t go so well, a piece of chocolate has always helped us out!
However, is it possible to buy "healthy" sweets? One issue about eating sweets is that they oftentimes contain refined sugar. Sugar consumption can create a short-term high and a spark of energy in the body, but sugar can also, in some way, make you want more. If you cannot control this very well, you may then gain weight as you just cannot stop eating sweets! Eating sugar releases opioids and dopamine in our bodies. This is the link between added sugar and addictive behaviour.
However, there are a few sugar alternatives, and we present the two that we prefer below:
1) Xylitol
Xylitol is our favourite sugar substitute. It comes from the branches of birch trees. Xylitol contains less calories than sugar, does not raise blood sugar levels that much, and looks and tastes like sugar. It is a bit less sweet than sugar, however, so you might need a bit more. While it tastes sweet, it can even improve your dental health. It is even part of some toothpastes! We can definitely recommend this one. However, it can be harmful for pets! You can use it for baking, as it has the same texture as sugar.
2) Erythritol
Erythritol tastes slightly different than xylitol, but still very similar to xylitol. It is a type of carbohydrate called a sugar alcohol, which occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables. It is commercially produced by fermentation from a simple sugar derived from corn. Erythritol actually does not have any calories and the advantage is that, in contrast to xylitol, it is not harmful for pets (at least it is not proven, you should still be careful). It is slightly more expensive than xylitol and less sweet, which is why it has not made it to 1). Just like xylitol you can use it for baking, as it has the same texture as sugar.