The world loves sugar, and dietary guidelines suggest we need to drastically reduce this intake. Here are three easy ways to add flavor to recipes with naturally sweet foods available around the globe
Sautéed fruits
Heat boosts the sweetness of fruits. Berries get their rich color from disease-fighting anthocyanins and are great candidates for a quick sauté.
GOOD FOR A syrup stand-in on French toast; a mixer for oatmeal or Greek yogurt
TRY IT Coat a medium skillet with 2 tsp grapeseed oil and place over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup berries; cook, stirring often, until soft, 3–4 minutes. Mix berries into cooked oatmeal, along with slivered almonds, flaxseeds, and chia seeds. Top with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a dash of nutmeg.
Dried dates
Because fruit is comprised largely of water and sugar, drying concentrates its sugar content, amping up sweetness. Dried dates in particular add a high sweet factor, plus nutrition in the form of fiber—just one Medjool date delivers up to 6 percent of your recommended daily fiber intake.
GOOD FOR A honey substitute in smoothies; blended with almond milk and ice for a healthy shake; a binder in fruit-and-nut bar recipes
TRY IT Blend a pitted Medjool date with a frozen banana, almond milk, and cinnamon.
Caramelized onions
Veggies have natural sugars, too. When onions are cooked over low, slow heat, their complex sugars break down into simpler ones, yielding a slightly sweet flavor. Onions also contain the antioxidant quercetin, which may help lower your risk for certain cancers.
GOOD FOR Topping for a sandwich, baked potato, or pizza; an omelet filling.
TRY IT Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ½ sliced onion, cover, and cook until golden, 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook while stirring until onion browns, 5–10 minutes.
Trick your taste buds
Cinnamon
BENEFIT This spice offers minimal-calorie sweetness via cinnamaldehyde, a natural compound in the cinnamon plant.
USE IT Instead of honey, dust cinnamon over Greek yogurt. Or swap 1 tsp sugar for 1/8 tsp cinnamon in your coffee. Try the Ceylon variety—it’s one of the sweetest.
Vanilla bean
BENEFIT Both cured vanilla beans and pure vanilla extract contain vanillin, a compound that adds delicious flavor.
USE IT Reduce the added sugar in a pancake or muffin recipe by 25 percent; now add a pinch of scraped vanilla bean or ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract.
Salt
BENEFIT Salt helps balance bitterness, boosting a food’s sweet factor.
USE IT Add an extra pinch to brownie or cookie batter; now subtract 1 tbsp added sugar from the recipe. Don’t sub in more salt than that, or your recipe will taste salty!
Use these spices in place of sugar next time you whip up a snack or treat. Each adds a subtle sweetness to dishes so you can reduce your sugar load without sacrificing flavor.
By Amy Gorin, MS, RDN
Source: Jackie Newgent, RDN, an NYC–based culinary nutritionist
This article was first published in the print edition of Yoga Journal Singapore, which is now Yogahood online.
