Safest non-sugar sweetener for green smoothies

[Dark_Star]

I make green smoothies every day which are about 60-70% kale or spinach, banana, some frozen fruit/berries and flax seeds. I have been using 1 tbsp of stevia for 4 cups of smoothie but I am wondering if there is another sweetener that is safer?

I am trying to avoid additional sugar and honey as I am pre-diabetic and every woman in my family gets gestational diabetes, with twins I will certainly get it.

 

[cheree89]

Could you add in a date? I used to add a date for sweetness, but now I find I just do without anything. The banana and fruit is sweet enough for me.

 

[MnGmakes3]

I used to smoothie all the time. I used almond milk and sweet fruits so didn't really need the added sugar. However I found that pomegranate juice or honey worked really well if I needed something sweeter.

 

[shelby1090]

Local honey would be a great immune boost and healthy sweetener!

 

[2have4kids]

I make almost the same smoothy as you with added vit C (EmergenC). Have never used extra sweetener, maybe the Orange of the vit C helps? But I don't generally add sugar to anything either ie tea/coffee. Stevia is much better than artificial sweeteners as it's plant based and often has added chromium or inulin which helps evens out blood sugar spikes.

 

[LittleLala]

Stevia is a good natural sweetener so I wouldn't worry too much. I find adding carrots really sweetens it too

 

[Dark_Star]

I only use about 1/2 banana and 1/2 cup of berries to about 6 cups packed spinach/kale... some sweetness is definitely necessary.

 

[paintrider89]

We use almost exclusively Agave in our home. It's super super sweet, so I only need half the recommended ammount for my drinks. I use it in the baby's goat milk as well as molasses.

 

[2have4kids]

Agave, like honey will spur an insulin reaction.

 

[bighouse]

Light agave, stevia, and xylitol are all good natural sweetener choices. I was a green smoothie die-hard until my pregnancy nausea kicked in I never added sweetener (and mine were 100% veggie and no fruit!) but it took me years to get to that point (they started as 90% fruit to 20% veg and I worked down from there gradually). Another thing you can add to help sweeten without too much natural sugar is carrot juice.

 

[likeaustralia]

Frozen cherries are super sweet. I was adding just a few of those to my green smoothies before i got pregnant. When the nausea kicked in, I couldn't tolerate them anymore though... Hopefully in a few weeks I can get back to them!

 

[2have4kids]

I love dark cherries, they're great for antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as being sweet!

 

[Dark_Star]

Unfortunately the sugar in fruit impacts blood sugar just the same as using white sugar does, so adding additional fruit is out for me. Agave, honey, molasses, etc are out as they are also sugar.

It looks like stevia is still my best bet, I will look into xylitol as well.

 

[mod19]

Yeah xylitol is more of a sugar substance as to where stevia is liquid or powdered. I work in a health foods store and xylitol sells much faster than the stevia does, although you cant get it in flavors. I'm not sure of the sugar content in lemons, but that's what I always added to hide the taste of the greens.

 

[discohospital]

I was reading a book that was waaay too strict about what to eat/not eat (I just use common sense now), but one thing it did scare me away from artificial sweeteners.

They suggested not to avoid sugar, but to use things that are all natural - like evaporated cane sugar. We already used that at home, but not because we're health nuts; it's good and not as overpowering as refined white sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Trader Joe's carries it, but I'm sure lots of other stores do!

https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31r00megnUL.jpg

 

[cheree89]

How about full fat coconut milk? I like that when I use kale. It cuts this bitterness.

 

[bighouse]

As far as taste goes, xylitol wins over stevia HANDS DOWN. Stevia can have a bitter aftertaste. The only time I use stevia is in baking. I never use it "raw" because I just don't like the taste. Xylitol can be used raw with no funky aftertaste.

I never use the regular agave. The light agave has a much lower glycemic index. Brand I use is "sweet cactus farms" I think.

But, I would still choose xylitol over agave when blood sugar issues are concerned. I like agave on pancakes and waffles (since it has that syrup-y consistency), but that's about the only thing I use it for anymore. I used to use it more until I found xylitol, which is now my go-to choice.