Sugar Substitutes from the WWII Home Front

It seems that all we hear about sugar is how bad it is for you.  I have to agree, to a point.  I love sweets and I love baking.  I also prefer using real sugar for cooking and baking and I've never poisoned anyone.  However too much of anything--sugar, salt, or even protein, is not good for anyone.

There are plenty of sugar substitutes out there, but I have to agree that some of them undoubtedly do more harm than sugar allegedly does.  For instance, I will not allow Equal in my house because it's aspertane.  Nor will I buy diet drinks or any other food product containing Equal, or aspertane.  I do, however, use Spenda from time to time because it's more natural and made from sugar.  You can even use it alongside sugar, but I found when I tried Spenda for baking the cookies didn't come out quite as nice, either in texture or taste.

During WWII, when sugar was in short supply, chefs and housewives alike had to find sugar alternatives.  Spenda and Equal were unheard of at that time, so natural sugar substitutes were used. These natural substitutes can still be used today by health-conscience cooks and bakers who enjoy sweet treats but want to avoid unnatural sweeteners.  Below is a chart from Anna's Kitchen, my WWII ration cookbook, on natural sweeteners that can be used as sugar substitutes.  The amount of each listed is equal to one cup of sugar.

Enjoy your sweet treats.

GM


Maple sugar -- 1 cup
Maple syrup -- 1 cup
Honey -- 1 cup
Sorghum syrup -- 1 1/2 cups
Cane syrup -- 1 1/2 cups
Corn syrup -- 2 cups