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I'm mostly partial to Raw Honey, Manuka Honey, or raw agave sryup.

I never considered Stevia, or maple syrup. My goal is a Last pound or two of fat loss so I don't want to use anything that will throw this off, but I could use something in my tea...

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Can you eventually do 15- 30 days of elimination of all sweeteners? When you reintroduce them you will see how sweet they all are! – Lady_Arwen Dec 7 2011 at 3:57
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Hate to break it to you, but: NONE. Sugar is sugar is sugar is sugar, be it glucose, fructose, sucrose, honey, stevia, agave. I recently learned that even if it's artificial, the body recognizes it as sugar, and responds in the same way. Best bet is to get off it. Reset your tastebuds. I'm fortunate to have not been cursed with a sweet tooth (for me, it was carbs, which break down to -- wait for it -- SUGAR!). I'm convinced that it's an addictive substance, and should be avoided, aside from what is naturally available from veggies and limited amounts of fruit. Good luck! – Albert Dec 8 2011 at 2:19
I have used small amounts of xylitol, which tastes closest to sugar in my opinion. I found stevia to a have an aftertaste. – Lady_Arwen Mar 24 2012 at 6:01

12 Answers

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Whatever you do, ditch the agave. It's basically HFCS disguised in a pretty package.

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And it has much more fructose than HFCS. At least 56%, and as high as 92%. It's also just as heavily processed as HFCS. – January Dec 7 2011 at 4:41
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My vote is for stevia.

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Same here. I use alcohol-free liquid drops, very easy to control portion, very convenient. – Canis Minor Dec 7 2011 at 5:46
I grew a stevia plant last summer- the leaves are amazingly sweet. – henny Dec 7 2011 at 13:43
Makes me very sick, so start with caution. – Nance Dec 7 2011 at 21:43
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Your search for "sweeteners" means you are still caught up in satisfying "sweet." Find a way to get over that. Seriously. Get rid of sugar and deal with the consequences, at every level of your being. When you no longer think of yourself as having a "sweet tooth," you are home free. Otherwise...

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Dorado ...do you think that this is truly 100% possible? It has been my dream and goal for years now...my only last culprits are sugar free gum...tastes like heroin (or so i imagine) and stevia. If i seriously kick those..you truly believe that my taste for sweets will die? – Paleo4ever Feb 22 2012 at 1:36
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in tea? a teeny tiny bit of lemon. barely any sugar, but combined with (and depending on the) tea a trick of the tongue makes it seem much more sweet than sour.

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I agree - don't use agave. I use raw honey (often times still in the honeycomb) and 100% maple syrup. Don't forget that fruits can do the trick too.

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I use raw honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar (it has a lower glycemic index if that is important to you). I agree with the others: stay away from agave. It is heavily processed and not a healthy choice at all.

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Stevia made me quite sick so start carefully if you choose to try that.

For weight loss, the best sweetener is basically no sweetener. A low-GI fruit like grapefruit or lemon is about it. If you're really off sugar, properly brewed water kefir tastes surprisingly sweet even though all the glucose and most of the fructose is gone--but to people who use sweeteners it tastes like vinegar. I know because I thought mine was delicious but all my SAD taste-testers made horrible faces. :O

Don't lose all hope, though. I've found that second best is unprocessed honey. If I don't average more than a tablespoon divided between 2-3 mugs of coffee, my BG is level and weight loss is nice and steady. I don't use a scale but I use a tape on my waist and watch the fit of my clothes very closely.

Otherwise, I strictly avoid sweeteners and I limit sweet fruits to tiny portions no more than twice per week. I'm hoping the sweet fruits can be eaten more often when I shift to maintenance.

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I've found that stevia seems to have at least as much effect on my sugar cravings and energy levels as sugar - if I eat it in the morning, I'm passed out in the afternoon. The type I have is mixed with erythritol, and I'd be curious to try plain stevia and see if I have the same issue. I also have a packet form, and find it way sweeter than would be expected - 1 packet is way too sweet for coffee (and I'm fine with a few spoonfuls of sugar on occasion), and I usually use 1 packet to sweeten a multi-serving dessert. – jess6 Dec 7 2011 at 15:14
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Ok i know a lot of people won't like this answer but I use xylitol. I don't eat many sweet things but find this product to be very useful as it is almost always substitutable gram for gram as a sugar alternative and also my "trying his best to be paleo" husband who can't give up sugar in his tea notices no difference when using xylitol.

I go out of my way to purchase xylitol which is 100% birch and does not have ANY corn products in it. You have to be cautious with cheaper versions (actually with a lot of versions) which are often mixed with corn products. I found a brand which does 100% birch, made in Finland - but I don't know if it is available in the US (I'm in Australia). The brand is Lotus anyway.

Supposedly it has protective qulities for your teeth too (see other discussions on PH).

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Tea with licorice in it is sweet, like chai.

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careful with licorice if you have blood pressure issues, though! :) – gydle Dec 7 2011 at 16:43
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Perhaps add a bit of fresh fruit juice to your tea? It will sweeten it and add flavor. Peaches, pineapple, cherry, etc.

I'm partial to RW Knudsen's Black Cherry, which I treat myself to on rare occasion.

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None - I have lost any need for sweet foods. I find 90% dark chocolate sweet now. If I bake sweet potatoes or carrots they become almost too sweet to eat now. I drink home made kombucha, which to most people tastes close to vinegar but it is very sweet to me. Green tea I drink plain. I do make a drink with apple cider vinegar, ginger, sea salt & just a touch of honey (the honey is so my son will drink it but there is very little in there its just a psychological thing for him lol) - I make a big jar of this and drink it, its very refreshing.

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I also vote for stevia. However, read the labels. Not all Stevia products on the market are created equal. For example, Member's Mark (Sam's Club) stevia contains maltodextrin, which I can't stomach at all. Others may contain dextrose. The one I'm using now is Sweetleaf, which contains inulin soluble fiber. Another thing to keep in mind is if you are using the packets, each packet is 2 servings. Stevia is VERY sweet. I find I only need 1/4 to 1/2 a packet for my tea. Some of my herbal tea already has stevia leaf in it, so I don't add more. I haven't tried the drops myself, but I have seen some of those come in flavors so just check the ingredients.

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