Sugar Free Food is all about finding the sweetest experiences without the calories, chemicals, or guilt.
Health issues related to poor diet and lifestyle such as obesity and diabetes are on the rise in New Zealand, Australia and the western world. Having high calorie food and drink at hand all day every day is a product of just the past few decades, and the damage to our health is extensive.
Synthetic and artificial sugar substitutes have been used for decades, but consumers are increasingly wary of ingesting "unnatural" products. This is what has driven a shift in thinking and the rise of natural alternatives that provide sweetness without all the issues.
Did you know, natural sweeteners are not actually such a new thing?
Perhaps the oldest natural non-sugar sweetener is the Monkfruit, which was first recorded in China during the 13th century. Of the most widely known natural options, Erythritol has been around since the 1840s and Xylitol gained prominence when sugar was rationed during World War II.
Stevia on the other hand was commercialised in Japan way back in 1971, and while it has been used in South America for centuries, it took until 2008 for it to be legalised in New Zealand.
Allulose is another promising natural sweetener that provides all the mouth watering advantages of sugar, without the damage of high calories. This product is under review by the Ministry of Primary Industries, and very likely to be commercially available in New Zealand in late 2022 or early 2023.
Yes, it takes a little bit of getting used to cooking with sugar alternatives due to the different physical characteristics to sugar, and yes the flavour is somewhat different to sugar. To counter some of the aftertastes and to reduce complexity, we provide a range of blends and you can find all sorts of yummy recipes to experiment with on our website.
The options to replace sugar are endless. Simple beginnings may include adding flavoured Stevia to a banana or vanilla smoothie, adding pure Stevia, Monk Fruit Blend or even our Classic Blend to your coffee, or maybe even topping your porridge with our Golden Brown alternative to brown sugar.
Your health is precious so however you take your first steps, once you get started on your sugar free journey you will never look back!!
