Sweet Alternatives

Nutrition experts offer tips to cut sugar

There’s no way to sugarcoat it. “Most of us eat more sugar than we should,” said Judy Matusky of Athens Nutrition in Ardmore. “Where are all those added sugars coming from? And once you can identify where they’re coming from, how can you cut back?”

It’s a popular New Year’s resolution, so here’s how to start.

“If you’re trying to reduce added sugar, reading labels is very important,” explained fellow registered dietitian nutritionist Ashvini Mashru of Wellness Nutrition Concepts in Malvern. “You can actually see how much added sugar is in a product. That’s the first step.”

Next, think whole foods for fiber, vitamins and minerals.

“I would focus more on ways to get natural sweetness from foods that are naturally sweet,” said Matusky, also a culinary nutrition blogger. “Can you pick up enough sweetness from the whole fruit?”

For a snack, try her chocolate, date and walnut bites, aka “little date energy balls” with “all the sweetness coming from the dates.”

And for breakfast, “I would always recommend adding fresh fruit to your Greek yogurt or your oatmeal or your cereal,” Mashru described. Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom help too.

What about honey, maple syrup and molasses?

“People think because it’s natural, they can add as much as they want,” she said. “People don’t realize that these things do add calories.”

So use sparingly in familyfriendly desserts like layered orange napoleons or honey-roasted pineapple with Greek yogurt.

One noncaloric alternative: Stevia, extracted from the Stevia plant.

“I always tell my clients to look for Stevia,” advised Mashru, who prefers staying “as close to natural sources as possible.” “It is a natural sweetener, and it’s definitely a better option than honey or molasses” if mixing in tea more than once a day, for example.

Finally, keep in mind that “it takes time to sort of reset that palate a little bit,” Matusky stressed. “There can be a role for all sweeteners across the board, but it’s about how you use them and how much you use them. The poison’s in the dose, right?”

Chocolate, Date and Walnut Bites

Yield: 8 servings INGREDIENTS 1 cup walnuts 1 cup dates (use Medjool dates and be sure pits are removed)

1 tablespoon 100-percent cocoa powder INSTRUCTIONS

Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Using a heaping teaspoon, roll into bite-size pieces. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to no more than 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons for men. Calorie count: Honey has 21 calories per teaspoon.

Molasses contains 20 calories per teaspoon.

Maple syrup has 17 calories per teaspoon. Makes 16 bites. Serving size is 2.

Nutrition note: With sweetness coming naturally from the dates, there’s no need to add sugar. Walnuts add protein and healthy plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, and cocoa powder gives these little energy bites a delicious boost of heart-protective antioxidants.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN Skip the brown sugar on oatmeal and opt for fruit instead.