Eating wisely is one of the most powerful ways to fight the effects of type 2 diabetes. Both what you eat and how much you eat. Do you know that saturated fats and refined sugar make up about a quarter of the average person’s caloric diet?

Sugar is found in everything, and unfortunately, if we’re not careful about the foods we eat, we can end up adding excessive amounts of refined sugar to our diet. Foods like yogurt and even salad dressings, generally considered “health foods,” are often known to contain added sugar. However, there are ways you can avoid adding these foods to your diet by making your recipes at home and using healthy sugar swaps to sweeten your recipes.

Let’s take a look at five healthy sugar swaps you can use for healthy baking and to sweeten things like your morning cup of coffee or your morning bowl of oatmeal.

Five healthy sugar swaps…

1. Raw honey. Raw honey is an excellent natural sweetener and, unlike processed sugar, contains additional health benefits. Raw honey has impressive antibacterial and antiviral properties, making it a great food to support your immune health. You can use raw honey instead of refined sweeteners in your baking recipes, sprinkle it over oatmeal, or mix it into your morning tea.

2. Pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is another great alternative to sugar as it contains vitamins and minerals and tastes great when used in healthy baking recipes. Try using pure maple syrup instead of refined table sugar when making treats like muffins, or use it to sweeten a bowl of sugar-free yogurt.

3. Stevia. Stevia is another natural sweetener option that comes with the benefit of being carbohydrate-free. A little goes a long way when it comes to using Stevia in your recipes, and it’s an ideal choice for anyone who wants to stay away from sweeteners that contain added sugar.

4. Bananas. Bananas are another healthy sweetener option, as they are naturally sweet, complement many baking recipes, and provide fiber to help slow the absorption of carbohydrates.

5. Blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is incredibly sweet and contains some additional health benefits as well. Molasses is rich in iron and can also help maintain digestive regularity. When it comes to using molasses, you only need a small amount, so start with a teaspoon or so.

You’d be surprised how all these natural sweeteners complement your recipes and how easy it is to avoid processed sugar when added to your diet. However, note that although these are natural sweeteners; They remain sources of carbohydrate, less stevia. Just be careful to use them sparingly, and do a great favor to your health to choosing natural sweeteners instead of sugar refined options toxic and inflammatory.