This part 5 of my video series, Switch Over to a Real Food Lifestyle in 10 Easy Steps. You can view the introduction video here, step 1 here, step 2 here, step 3 here, and step 4 here.Don’t forget that you can buy your own copy of How to Switch Over to a Real Food Lifestyle in 10 Easy Steps and follow along while we take this journey (it’s only $4.99).

Step 5 - Swap Out Your Sweeteners

Most processed and conventional foods are laced with artificial sweeteners. These sweeteners are devoid of any naturally occurring minerals and enzymes and are most likely genetically modified.

A few artificial sweeteners you want to stay away from are:

• Splenda
• Sweet and Low
• Aspartame (now known as AminoSweet)
• Sugar (if not labeled as non-GMO project verified, the word sugar in food products means the sweetener most likely comes from genetically modified sugar beets. You can learn more about that here).

Luckily, there are some great natural sweeteners to swap out and these sweeteners are wholesome, full of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals and are perfectly sweet.

It’s always best to source locally for your natural sweeteners. Farmer’s markets and health food stores are a great start. Need to find a farmer’s market near you? Check out this website.
 

Links Mentioned in the Video:

• Find rapadura here
• Find sucanat here
• Find raw, unfiltered honey here
• Find real maple syrup here
• Find coconut sugar here
• Find organic evaporated cane juice here

Your Challenge

Your challenge this week is to source a natural sweetener you’ve never used, purchase it and use it in your kitchen. I’d love to hear which sweetener you chose and what you thought of it.