The good news is there are smart, simple ways to sweeten foods without adding sugar or artificial sweeteners. (Because let’s face it, liking sweet foods is what makes us human.) We sat down with Jennifer Tyler Lee, author of Half the Sugar, All the Love: 100 Easy, Low-Sugar Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, to learn the most effective ingredients for cooking and baking with less added sugar. “These ingredients, available in most well stocked grocery stores, preserve texture and add flavor so you won’t miss the sugar one bit,” says Tyler Lee. Sweetness. “Pears add natural sweetness and creamy texture to everything from poppy seed salad dressing to blueberry scones,” says Tyler Lee. “And sweet potato is the secret ingredient in my Double chocolate brownies—it boosts sweetness while cutting down added sugar by two-thirds compared to a boxed brownie mix.” Similarly, add pumpkin to sweeten and add depth of flavor to treats like waffles, pies, and cakes. Keep frozen fruits and vegetables on hand too; they’re widely available and shelf-stable. RELATED: 7 “Unhealthy” Foods That Are Actually Great for You Unsweetened nut butters can also add sweetness to everything from sauces (like hoisin sauce) to cakes and smoothies. For someone with food allergies, pumpkin and sunflower seeds are an easy swap for nuts; and sunflower seed butter or tahini can substitute for nut butter. RELATED: 12 Foods Registered Dietitians Never Eat Excerpted from Half the Sugar, All the Love by Jennifer Tyler Lee and Anisha Patel, MD, MSPH. Workman Publishing © 2019.
