Can Sugar Be Healthy? This Stuff Is Certainly More Wholesome…

We know, we know. Sugar isn’t healthy. It’s addictive. And it can do all kinds of not-so-great things to your waistline and your health. But, a little in moderation here or there? Especially when it’s of the more natural and less processed variety? Well, we’re certainly A-okay with that. And the sugary stuff offered by Wholesome Sweeteners? Simply put: it’s sweet (duh) and amazing.

Just take my recent gluten-free baking extravaganza for example. We usually bake with the normal non-organic variety of honey, agave, molasses and sugar. But this year, after Wholesome Sweeteners sent me a ginormous box of sweet stuff (it seriously weighed like 20 pounds!), I decided to swap out our usual baking products for these fair-trade, organic and more natural ones. And not only were the results more delicious (they all had just so much more flavor), but the nutritionals were better. I’ve always heard that organic produce has more nutrition than non-organic fruits and veggies, but there was no mistaking it here. The calories were comparable, but ounce per ounce and tablespoon by tablespoon, the Wholesome Sweeteners versions had more vitamins and minerals. I was particularly smitten with the molasses for its higher iron, B vitamins and magnesium content.
While all of the Wholesome Sweetener products I tried were good, I particularly enjoyed—besides the molasses that I kind of can’t stop thinking about—the sucanat and the coconut palm sugar. Sucanat is whole cane sugar that’s been dried and reduced. It’s a little crunchy with large granules and a good rich flavor that makes for a great topping on cookies. Like these that I made from some leftover gingerbread dough:

And then there’s the coconut palm sugar. Working nicely into my coconut obsession, this stuff is the health-foodie darling of the moment. A rich, unrefined whole brown sugar with a deep caramel flavor, you can use it one-for-one in recipes that call for refined brown sugar or anywhere else you would use refined white sugar. It doesn’t really taste like coconut (it’s actually from syrup from the coconut trees), and it’s one of the lowest glycemic index sweeteners out there. If you need a recipe to try it, we recommend these gluten-free brownies. The giveaway is closed—sad face—but the recipe is still deelicious!
So, yeah, if you love baking, you simply must try these out. And then tell us what yummy treats you made! —Jenn