The Lowdown on Sweeteners (Natural or Otherwise)

can-i-use-sweetenersThe question of sweeteners comes up a several times a week in our Facebook group and in Migrai-Neverland. “What can I use?” “Which is best?”

I totally get it. While I’ve always loved to cook, I REALLY loved to bake. You know why? Because that’s what I liked to EAT!

Major sweet tooth, major carb-a-holic here. I used to have multiple glass cake domes on the counter, always filled with pound cakes, pumpkin breads, scones, and the like. Always.

So when we made the transition to a more migraine-friendly diet, it was ROUGH. I, too, wondered how I could ever make the shift. Not only was I losing my beloved comfort foods, I was losing my identity as a baker. I was losing the possibility of my long-held dream of opening a bakery.

After lots of trial and error, I found ways to make gluten-free baked items for holidays and treats actually taste good and not gummy gross. But I never liked stevia and artificial sweeteners, which turned out to be a blessing (but we’ll get to that in a minute). So the sweet factor was still a problem. (Although to be honest, we now reserve even the gluten-free treats to a VERY RARE minimum for the *most special* of occasions and would only eat a bite even then.)

It took some time, that adjustment to cutting out sweets. And I won’t sugar coat it (pun intended) by telling you it was easy. It was NOT. But it was worth it for my migraine freedom. And now, given the choice, I would do it all again, but sooner and with less resistance to the idea!

The funny thing is that now that my tastebuds have reset, everything tastes so much sweeter than I’d ever noticed. We cooked some yellow squash the other night and it was almost too sweet to eat!

And here are some of our frequently asked questions regarding sweeteners and Dr. T’s answers:

Q:  I’ve found that even eating foods with ok sweetener (i.e stevia)  makes me crave sweets. Could that be the case?

A: I think your experience is real. There is definitely evidence to indicate that artificial sweeteners increases sugar cravings, and I’ve noticed the same in myself as well. Just as with sugar, frequent consumption of artificial sweeteners will also blunt your taste for the natural sweetness (and other flavors) in other foods, making you on the whole prefer sweeter to less sweet foods (and to resist foods with other flavors, especially bitter; this looks to be a big reason why we have such a hard time getting American kids, and adults!, to eat their veggies). My own taste preferences have changed markedly since changing my diet.

For the migraineur, Stevia is still preferable to sugar, as it won’t affect metabolism in the same way. HOWEVER, I’d still encourage folks to ultimately wean themselves off the artificial stuff , using it only for very occasional special indulgences.

Q: If I do use one, which is the best and most consistent with the MM diet? Maple syrup? Honey? Coconut sugar? Or are they really all the same?

A: We totally get that you may want to use a sweetener for a special birthday treat or holiday dessert. On the rare occasions that we do use a sweetener, it would be REAL maple syrup or raw honey, primarily because they take longer to digest (and so a lower glycemic index).

Q: What about agave?

A: From an overall health standpoint, agave is arguably worse than table sugar, as it’s very high in fructose (if you recall the discussion on fructose from the book). Unfortunately, it’s been deceptively marketed as a healthy alternative.

I’ve found that the folks who decide to just ditch sweeteners altogether do best (and stop craving sweet stuff as well).

Kicking the sugar habit is not only one of the best things you can do for your health, but absolutely essential to keeping the migraine beast away. Listen to our podcast linked below with strategies for ditching the sweet stuff altogether!

Miracle Moment Episode: 3 Keys to Ditching Sugar
In this episode of the Migraine Miracle Moment podcast, learn 3 key strategies for helping you to do so.