Sweeteners used to boost coffee, tea, oatmeal, plain yogurt and other beverages come in so many varieties that they should have their own menu.
The many options Healthy foods include white sugar, brown sugar, honey, artificial sweeteners, plant-based sugar substitutes, and more. But what is the healthiest choice?
Before you pick out your favorite pack of sweet treats, here’s what nutrition experts say:
Is sugar healthy or not?
Sugar, in its simplest form, glucose, isn’t bad for your body, says registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, TODAY’s nutrition editor.
“The body needs glucose to live and thrive. It fuels our brain, muscles, and organs to perform daily functions. Additionally, glucose also provides energy for exercise,” she notes.
“That said, “sugar” is present in all carbohydrate-containing foods, but that doesn’t mean all of these foods are healthy.”
For example, bananas, which are high in natural sugars, contain other beneficial nutrients, such as fiber and potassium, but soda only contains added sugar.
Table sugar, honey, maple syrup and molasses are known as nutritive sweeteners, meaning they provide energy in the form of carbohydrates, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nonnutritive sweeteners, called sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners, contain very little, if any, carbohydrates or energy.
As a dietitian, Rizzo says she’s all for natural sugar in foods, but it’s important to limit added sugar, as it’s typically found in foods that don’t provide many nutrients.
Sugar isn’t bad in and of itself; what’s concerning is the amount of extra calories in the diet, adds Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., a registered dietitian and professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota.
“We have an obesity problem,” Slavin told TODAY.com. “But for healthy people, I wouldn’t say sugars are bad. They’re necessary.”
What is the healthiest sweetener?
Using fruit or 100 percent fruit juice to sweeten foods or drinks — such as adding fresh strawberries to plain yogurt, a banana to oatmeal or a splash of orange juice to sparkling water — is a healthy option because fruit contains health-promoting nutrients, Rizzo says.
“If you need a sweet taste, use fruit,” Slavin agrees.
When it comes to the healthiest sweetener for coffee or tea, the choice mostly comes down to personal preference, as the different options aren’t that different, both dietitians say.
“Honestly, all added sugars are very similar,” Rizzo notes.
“From a health perspective, they are in pretty good shape,” Slavin said.
From a taste standpoint, nothing beats sucrose or regular white table sugar for most people, Slavin adds. A teaspoon contains about 16 calories.
According to the American Heart Association, women should limit their added sugar intake to six teaspoons a day and men to nine teaspoons. But people consume more than two to three times that amount, it says.
Is honey a healthier sweetener than sugar?
Not really, experts say.
“If you look at the composition of honey, it might have some vitamins or minerals that would be better than refined sucrose, but to me, that would be splitting hairs, basically,” Slavin says. “It’s the same thing with maple syrup.”
Honey and maple syrup may be “a tiny bit healthier” because of their trace minerals and plant compounds, Rizzo notes, but she still wouldn’t consider them healthy or a good source of those nutrients at the recommended serving size of about 1 tablespoon.
Artificial Sweeteners vs Sugar
Artificial sweeteners are chemically synthesized. They are called non-nutritive sweeteners.
They contain no carbohydrates, so they don’t impact blood sugar levels, and they’re calorie-free, TODAY.com previously reported.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved six artificial sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, neotame, advantame, and saccharin.
The World Health Organization advises against using these “sugar-free sweeteners” for weight management, stressing that they do not help control it.
In 2023, the WHO Cancer Research Group classified aspartame as a potential carcinogen. But the FDA disagreed, noting that aspartame is “one of the most studied food additives in the human diet.”
A 2022 study found a potential link between artificial sweeteners and heart disease.
Rizzo says she doesn’t have much concern about artificial sweeteners. They wouldn’t be on the market if they weren’t generally regarded as safe, Slavin adds. She sees artificial sweeteners as one tool in the nutritional toolbox to help people reduce their sugar intake.
“It’s kind of like splitting hairs to figure out which one is better,” Slavin says. “For a lot of people, it’s not necessary. It’s just a personal choice.”
What about stevia or monk fruit?
Stevia and monk fruit are among three types of high-intensity plant- and fruit-based sweeteners approved by the FDA. The third type is thaumatin, a group of proteins isolated from the West African katemfe fruit.
Stevia is a plant native to South America. The components of its leaves are 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar, the agency notes. Some people find it has a bitter aftertaste.
The WHO lists stevia among the sugar-free sweeteners that do not help with weight control.
Monk fruit, native to southern China, is 100 to 250 times sweeter than sugar.
Many people think that the fact that these products come from a plant rather than chemicals mixed in a lab gives them certain advantages and seems more consumer-friendly, Slavin says.
“But I wouldn’t say, ‘Hey, only use this and never use aspartame or sucralose,'” she notes. “If I had to rank them, I probably wouldn’t put them in front of the other (options).”
In summary :
Of all the things most people have to worry about, a little sugar in their coffee or breakfast is “pretty low” on Slavin’s list.
“When people ask if they should cut sugar out of their coffee, I say for the average person, that’s absolutely not the case,” she notes.
It’s just a matter of not overdoing it.
Just think about what else you’re eating throughout the day and whether you’re also consuming more added sugar than you need, Rizzo advises.