**REVIEW** Monk Fruit Sweetener

A couple of years ago, when I was actually attempting to do Keto, I did a blog post about the different types of sugar substitutes. It's a great post so go and check it out, but as you know, Keto has gone buh-bye for me. I now do intermittent fasting and just attempt to eat low-carb.

One of the serious issues I have cutting out carbs is not bread or preservatives or any of the common carb bombs. My problem has to do with my coffee. Lately, I have gotten better at sipping black coffee during my fasting hours. I'm still working on tea... Now, it looks like I don't have to give up sweetening my coffee. And it's because of these sugar substitutes right here:

Both brands look the same to me

Those are the 2 brands of mong fruit sweetener I am trying. Don't they look a lot like regular table sugar?

Of course, like with any other trend, everyone in the game and their mama has jumped on the wagon. There are so many brands and types of monk fruit out there that I got dizzy trying to read reviews on them all. That's why I finally just chose the 2 brands to test out.

One is from Health Garden (via Walmart) and the other is Lakanto brand (via Amazon but can be found everywhere).

The Health Garden brand on the left is in 6-gram packets (nice for tucking into my purse), and the Lakanto on the right is a loose form.

Again, looking at the nutrition labels, Health Garden is on the left:

 Before a couple of weeks ago, I had never even heard of monk fruit. If I had, I'd forgotten all about it. Now I'm really glad I tried it.

Let me go over what I consider to be the Pros:

• Taste, taste, taste - or, rather, no aftertaste. I literally ate some of both these brands right off a spoon. I wanted to know if I'd get that metallic 'bite' that I do with most sugar substitutes. Nope. Not one tiny taste of nastiness. Remember that I did try Erythritol by itself and I did get that aftertaste. With the other fakes that were tolerable, after this one, they just don't live up to the hype anymore.
• The cost, while much higher than regular table sugar, is right up there with other substitutes. Also, because this is a health issue, I'm not going to cry about paying around $0.50/oz for the loose sweetener. I was paying $0.11/oz for Sugar in the Raw - which was not helping my fasting.
• The packets are more convenient, but the loose sweetener is the most economical. Now that I see there is no difference in taste, I know which type to order.
• You can do everything with this substitute that you can with table sugar - or so I've heard. I don't usually cook with sugar and will probably just stick to using this for my beverages (more on that in a moment).
• This is a 0 on the Glycemic Index, which I learned more about here. That's going to be important for when I am fasting.

I can't help but come back to the taste being what sells me on this. When I talk about being able to use this in beverages, you don't know what a game-changer it is. I've been wanting to do a liquid fast again. Last time, I did okay but I got really tired of just water and plain coffee and green tea. I looked up some information and it looks as if I will be able to fast and have this sweetener in my beverages. That means... I can add lemonade to the mix. Yay. Lemon water is supposed to be all kinds of good for the body but I could never do it without a little sweetening.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know about this sugar substitute.

Peace

--Free

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****REVIEW*** Living Natural's Yacon Syrup

Since Living Natural's Yacon Syrup is not the first that I have tried, I was able to compare flavor and texture. It is a great-tasting Yacon syrup though, which is good because I know that taste varies among different brands and producers. This one has a really rich texture and flavor that I enjoy. One of the other brand of Yacon syrups (which I also liked) was the texture of table syrup and had a very mild flavor. This one has a different look (slightly lighter in color and sort of grainy-looking, even though it doesn't feel grainy) and the molasses-like flavor was more distinctive. I like using this one when I want to add a richer flavor to my beverages (okay, coffee). I like it best in hot coffee than any other drink although I have used it in hot and cold teas.

Living Natural brand
compared to...

...The other brand I like

What I wonder, now that I have tried 3 different brands of Yacon syrup, is whether - brand to brand - they all have a difference in taste and texture. In general, like Yacon syrup for the benefits of using it instead of other sweeteners, but taste is important too. With the Living Natural brand Yacon syrup I have not been disappointed.

I had my sister try this one in her coffee and she actually liked it (even though she is a Splenda user). One of the reasons I think she did like this one more than the first syrup she tried with me (and that I really liked a lot) is because of the stronger flavoring.

There's a reason I want to get my friends and family to try Yacon syrup. Some of the benefits that I have heard of are:

• Yacon root is a natural source of sweetener
• In most cases, fewer in calories and more nutritious
• Yacon syrup contains Fructooligosaccharide (or FOS)
• There are indications that Yacon reduces blood glucose levels & weight loss
• Has a good flavor & lacks the unpleasant after-taste of artificial sweeteners

When my sister first tried Yacon syrup, she commented that she "could get used to it". And getting used to anything new is the main thing. If, like my sister, you have used artificial products -or table sugar, honey, and/or other sweeteners - you will need to get used to Yacon syrup. 

A third brand of syrup I tried was not as much to my liking. It had too strong of a flavor (almost with a wine-like aftertaste) that some people might not mind. This Living Natural syrup is probably my favorite. Unlike some of the other sugar alternatives I've used, Yacon syrup has been easy to get used to though. I did have to learn how much to use and when to use it. For instance, I had been trying Yacon syrup for a while before I started using it regularly on my hot cereals. My sugar use is mainly in coffee, so that's where I started out. 

Now that I am used to the taste and coloring of the Yacon syrup, I wish there were more products made using it as the primary sweetener.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

***REVIEW*** Yacon Syrup from Life & Food

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
It's here! I've been  pretty excited to try this Yacon Syrup from Life & Food (lifefoodpro.com) because I've been reading up on it ever since I saw the product on Tomoson.com. The item can be found on the Life & Food site or on Amazon.

So, here's what the syrup looks like on a clear plastic spoon.

looks like molasses, doesn't it?

It's pretty viscous looking, but I find that it's not as thick as molasses - though the taste is oddly similar. I actually could pick up a wine-like flavor under the honey-molasses taste of it. It's not bad, but I don't think I will be eating it right off the spoon, or sucking on it like a honey-stick.

Not as thick as it looks

"Made in an FDA regulated facility"

The suggested usage: To take one (1) teaspoon 3 times a day, preferably taken with or before meals. Can be used as a sweetener in your tea/coffee and other beverages. Can be added to various recipes, salads and/or on top of pancakes.

After I read elsewhere online about the possible effects due to the high fiber content, I decided to start with a low usage. First, I put the first teaspoon in my coffee (along with my caramel vanilla creamer!) in place of other sugars. I was worried that it might not be enough to sweeten my 8 or 9 ounces of java. It was enough. My coffee tasted a lot like it does when I use a small amount of raw or brown sugar. Very much like it, but without being as sweet.

So, for my coffee test: check!

Next up, I added a little less than a teaspoon to some iced tea. It was pretty good, but I kind of wanted to add more Yacon. I resisted because, well, you know, that whole high fiber issue...

This is just the first day. I want to wait a couple more weeks before I tell you whether or not it seems to have any effect on my weight or appetite. For now, I just wanted to let you know about the taste of it. I think that, no matter what else, it will be a good natural low-cal substitute for sugar for people who don't want to go the Stevia-Truvia/blue-pink-yellow packet route.

If I can get my sister to use it (consistently) for a couple of weeks, I'll talk with her about whether she sees a difference in her blood-sugar levels. She is diabetic and is currently using Splenda all the time.

Here is info straight from Life & Food (I bolded some points):

LIFE & FOOD 100% PURE RAW ALL NATURAL YACON SYRUP

Our Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) Syrup is sourced from naturally grown organic Yacon fields in the country of Peru. We use the HIGHEST quality Yacon plant to make a premium pure syrup formula.

Yacon syrup has shown to remain low in calories and low on the glycemic index scale. This is due to the fact that the sugar contains high levels of oligofructose (inulin), a form of sugar that is not metabolized readily by the human body. For this reason, Yacon is ideal for diabetics and acts as a great alternative to conventional low calorie sweeteners.

PRODUCT DETAILS

100% pure Yacon syrup has shown to assist in weight management, increase fiber intake and promotes good bowel function.

Other benefits include: Lowers blood sugar. Prevents and controls hyperglycemia (over activity). Restores renal activity. Is a powerful Antioxidant.

High in prebiotics and probiotics, this syrup contains up to 50% of FOS (fructooligosacharides). It has been found that consumption of FOS does not increase blood glucose, and helps boost your bodies metabolism.

Naturally grown and sourced from the fields in Peru. Organic certified by our manufacturing specialists.

100% pure raw organic syrup formula with no added preservatives. Bottled and tested in a FDA certified GMP facility in the USA.

Of course, the label gives notice that statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and that the product is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. (We need those notices because people get way too excited by possibilities...)

The main things I like can be summed up with this graphic:

Did you notice the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee?
GMP= "Good Manufacturing Practice"

Other than using one's own common sense and practicing decent eating habits, what about the claims of the effect on obesity, diabetes, etc.? Well, you can read up on that here. Here is second viewpoint.

Keep watching this space for updates on my personal experience.

Peace
--Free
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.