Natural Sweetener - Alternatives to White Sugar

White sugar is something that I replaced in my cupboard with raw sugar. It's less processed and white sugar is essentially bleached of it's colour with chemicals. There are many natural sweeteners that you can find such as:

1) Raw Unpasteurized Honey: If you read the labels of some of the brands of honey that they sell in grocery stores and it's a wonder that they can even call it honey. You want raw unpasteurized honey. I buy mine at our local farmer's market.

2) Raw Sugar: Has a light brown colour to it. Can be found in the same aisle as the white and brown sugar.

3)  Coconut Sugar: You can find this at stores like Bulk Barn but is a bit on the pricey side

4) Agave Syrup: I buy mine in the health section at my grocery store or at Bulk Barn.

5) Stevia extract: Make sure that you read the label and see that the extract is 100% from stevia leaf. There are a few products that you will find in the sweetener section but have more chemicals than the stevia plant itself. Read read read labels! You can find this at your local health store.

6) Maple Syrup: Make sure it's 100% natural, will be more expensive than other syrups sold for your pancakes, but worth it. You can find at the grocery store or your local farmer's market.

My personal favourite is the Agave Syrup. I use this to make my homemade oat bars and I find it works better than honey. Would definitely recommend trying this. 

                                    

I tried the same bar recipe with honey and found that it came out a bit crunchier. For me, the agave syrup gave a chewier feel to the bar and tasted better with the ingredients in it. Give them all a try. :)