Vegan Sugar

There are a lot of options when it comes to vegan sugar. Sugar in its most common form, white table sugar, is not vegan because part of the refining process involves filtering it through the charred bones of animals.

White sugar is one of the most major contributors to the current health crisis in the United States because of the role it plays in the diabetes epidemic.

It has no nutritional value whatsoever, so even if you are not a vegan you might want to check out some of the sweet and vastly healthier alternatives below.

Remember to use these sugars in moderation. All of them (except the Stevia and the Yacon Syrup) have a glycemic index and impact the pancreas.

The main benefit of using these sugars is that they all contain essential minerals and therefore have a nutritional value.

Stevia is the natural extract of the Stevia plant, also from South America. It is 100% natural, fifty times sweeter than sugar, and it has no glycemic index. Just a drop or two will sweeten tea and coffee. I like to add Stevia to my smoothies to keep the calorie count down. I also use it to make fresh lemonade. There are many different brands of Stevia, but the Sweetleaf brand has the least aftertaste. It is best to get the liquid form because it dissolves well and a little bit goes a long way. If you're looking for cool ways to use Stevia in baking, I recommend Sensational Stevia Desserts by Lisa Jobs.

Turbinado is raw, unprocessed vegan sugar. It has all the sweetness, but with the added benefit of minerals. When I buy Turbinado I always get the 12 pack. It's a much better value, and this way I have enough raw organic sweetener to use in my vegan baking and vegan desserts for 6 months to a year!

Rapadura or Rapunzel sugar is the vegan sugar most commonly used in raw food desserts. It is even less refined than turbinado, and has the highest mineral content of all the natural sugars. The biggest problem is that it can be harder to find. Amazon has a pack of 6 for a pretty decent price.

Like rapadura, Maple Sugar contains lots of vitamins and minerals and is less refined than regular sugar. It's also a bit easier to use in baking as it dissolves more easily. You can also use a coffee grinder, food processor, or high speed blender to grind it up more finely.

Date sugar is great for raw recipes, but can be difficult to dissolve. Like the maple sugar, you can grind it up until its very fine for use in recipes like vegan whipped cream. Date sugar also contains more vitamins and minerals so it is a healthier sweet choice too.

Raw organic Yacon Syrup has a robust flavor and almost no glycemic index! Yacon syrup is made from the Yacon plant, which grows in the Andes mountains. In addition to being filled with minerals, it is also a terrific anti-oxidant. Yacon syrup is a favorite among raw foodists, particularly as an essential ingredient in making raw chocolate, and other raw desserts.

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