Ideal Bite

Wanna get high off some white crystals?

Submitted by tmeronek on Wed, 04/09/2008 - 1:17am.

The Bite:

Try some organic sugar. Whether you bake or not, when the alternative sweeteners like agave don't quite fit the recipe, organic versions of a sweet tooth's fave drug taste way better than artificial sweeteners, and fewer pesticides help sweeten the deal.

The Benefits:

Fighting our pesticide addiction. As little as 1 tsp of the common herbicide paraquat, which is used on sugarcane crops, is a known toxin.
A healthier, more natural high. Those little blue, pink, or yellow packets contain ingredients such as aspartame and sucralose (which can lead to headaches and even depression), and a recent study links sugar substitutes to weight gain.

Personally Speaking:

We actually use natural sugar alternatives for everything from sweetening our coffee (in the SF office, we use agave) to our toast (stevia or xylitol work great for "sugar toast"), but we usually bake using the real thing, so it's sweet to have some eco-options.

Wanna Try:

Wholesome Sweeteners Powdered Sugar - classic powdered sugar from sugarcane ($19/96 oz).
Aunt Patty's Date Sugar - made from dates; a great alternative to brown sugar ($7/11 oz).
Maple Valley Maple Sugar - made using boiled-down maple syrup for a distinct maple taste ($6/5 oz).
Domino Organic Sugar - look for the organic version of this big producer's sugar in many supermarkets; made from sugarcane that's harvested and made into sugar on the same day, so it comes only from fresh crops ($3/24 oz).
Most natural food stores (ie. Whole Foods) offer their own organic sugar versions too.

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Bang For The Bite

Most organic versions still come with a less-than-sweet price tag, but the environmental impact of choosing better sugar helps move pesticides outta circulation (both on the earth and in your body).