With my goal to greatly decrease the amount of sugar I consume, I am always experimenting with alternative ways to get that hint of sweet. (And, I am not talking anything artificial. Chemicals like aspartame and Splenda do not belong anywhere near your lips or anyone else’s lips you care about.) I am referring to unprocessed forms of sweet.
This alternative sugar topic is a tad complicated as many experts disagree on which is best. But the way I look at it is if I am going to add “sweet” to whatever I am making (and I do not add a lot) it should at least have some nutritional benefit. And, as it turns out, some do!
I shared my use of maple syrup here and why and the delights of raw honey here. They are both good ones to reach for – in moderation – but I couldn’t resist trying a new one I spied at the market recently: date syrup. Maybe you will want to make a space for it on your shelves as well.
WHY DATE SYRUP MAKES FOR A HEALTHY SWEETENER
I wrote about my use of dates in a smoothie recipe and the health benefits of dates here. Thus, it just makes sense to me that with such little processing to create the syrup (no more than making a smoothie really), you are accessing the fruit’s rich array of vitamins and minerals as well as its high fiber content. And, the taste? Mmmm! I like!
Date syrup is made by soaking pitted dates in water, then blending them with more water to create a delightful pour. Date syrup can be created at home and this blogger shares just that: how to make your own date syrup. But, well . . . I didn’t do that. Nope, I took the easy route and bought a jar at Mom’s Organic Market in my area.
Here is the one I chose: Date Lady – Pure Organic Date Syrup
It is on the expensive side at just under $10 for 12 ounces, but actually so is sugar these days. The syrup packs a lot of sweet, thus, I find I use a lot less of it than I would have used regular sugar. And, it dissolves and blends so well, which makes you use less, too.
HOW TO USE DATE SYRUP
I just bought my first jar a few days ago, but here are some ways I have used it already:
- Glazed carrots with lemon and date syrup
- Quick breakfast of plain organic Greek yogurt and a swirl of date syrup and some walnuts
- A tablespoon of my smoothie that had cacao in it to counteract the bitterness of the cacao
- Combined it with cinnamon and cardamon and made some turmeric tea (more on this tea some other time!)
I am addicted to date syrup and stopped buying any other sweetener and sugar 5 years ago after using date syrup. Since I am in canada I buy Earth’s Eats Organic date syrup. I use it in my porridge, baking, coffee, … you name it. I am not missing sugar or honey, …
Sooo good! Those are all great ways to use it!
“Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post!
It’s the little changes which will make the greatest changes.
Thanks a lot for sharing!”
Ramona Mills
You're welcome, Shelley! You two are always experimenting, I know, and creating great stuff in your kitchens. If you haven't checked out their blog, readers, you should: Two Healthy Kitchens (twohealthykitchens.com).
Love this post! I actually have never tried purchased date syrup, although Gretchen and I use dates (and sort of a thickened form of date paste) to help sweeten some of our recipes – I've totally got to keep my eye out for this product if it turns up in any of my local markets! Thanks so much for the awesome tip! 😀
Hi Eva! It sure was good! I roasted them and at the end squeezed some lots of lemon juice, a bit of salt and pepper and drizzled some date syrup on top and heated them up again for a minute and everyone loved them! Thanks for stopping by and I encourage you to try this sweetener!
I've seen date syrup on the shelf, but I haven't tried it. Dates sure are sweet, though! Sounds really good with carrots.