Everyone knows that sugar and many of its substitutes are not healthy. Sugar is the culprit for weight gain and many metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Not to mention, it is addictive, and there are no health benefits from it either. Substitutes such as Splenda is not much different other than the fact that it will not cause weight gain since it lacks many calories.

However, with sugar substitutes, they are made with additives that are not particularly healthy. However, who wants to eat bland food and why should you deny a sweet tooth that you will have every now and then? There are much healthier ways to satisfy those cravings. And no you don’t need to only eat fruit. You can enjoy sweets as long as they are made with these 5 natural sugar substitutes listed below.

1. Raw Honey

The trick is to only take in raw honey, not pasteurized. Pasteurized honey is processed and not much better than sugar. However, raw honey is full of important nutrients and antioxidants, and yes, there are calories in it. However, you don’t need a lot of it in order to sweeten up your desserts if you choose to go that route. It gives off a sweet and pleasant taste while providing you with some benefits.

2. Stevia

Stevia is a sweetener that not only has no calories and is not associated with weight gain, but it has some health benefits such as helping to lower blood sugar and blood pressure. The sweetener comes from a shrub in South America and it is one of the most popular ones around because it does a great job with sweetening desserts. And this sweetener can be added to tea or coffee as well, which makes it a great sugar replacement.

3. Xylitol

Xylitol is another common natural and healthy sweetener that is from corn, birch wood, and many fruits and vegetables. It is a sugar alcohol that is not calorie-free. However, it has very few calories and will not cause weight gain or increase blood sugar when consumed. It is also good for your dental health as it helps prevent cavities. However, eating too much of it can cause gas and bloat. Also, it is dangerous to dogs and be sure to keep it away.

4. Erythritol

Erythritol is also sugar alcohol and has very few calories, and it actually tastes just like sugar so therefore, the switch will not be noticed as far as the taste goes. It is not digestible so that just means it will pass right through you, and it has no ill effects. It will also not cause blood sugar to increase or weight gain.

5. Yacon Syrup

Yacon syrup is similar to molasses and it comes from the South American yacon plant. It has very few calories and it even can help breed good bacteria in the gut and has some weight loss properties. Having good bacteria in the gut increases the chances of you having good health all around.

Now that you know about these sugar substitutes, you can ditch that sugar and go for one of the substitutes instead.