Because I have diabetes in my family, I've resolved to completely eliminate refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from my regular diet. For those of you interested in doing the same thing for health reasons, one of the best ways to eliminate both of these sweeteners, particularly HFCS, is to avoid fast food altogether. Ice creams, cookies, pies, and even the hamburger buns from every fast food chain from A to Z contain high fructose corn syrup. Not only has the consumption been correlated to the rise in diabetes in the US, but also that of obesity. It is very much possible that you may lose some weight by simply eating "All Natural" breads, beverages, and desserts.

Both of these important characteristics of refined sugar in baked goods can be found in other natural sweeteners, but with the possibility of some cons in addition to pros. Most turbinado and raw sugars I have found in the markets contained large sugar granules compared to standard refined sugar. Advantages of this would be greater amount of air incorporated into the batter during the creaming process, but with the disadvantage of the granules not dissolving in the batter completely prior to baking. This gives the final product with a slight "crunchy" but airy texture instead of a "soft" texture, which may be preferable for some bakers. Sucanat, on the other hand, has an opposite effect. The baking results are usually a denser product due to poor air incorporation but not that much different from the use of refined sugar with a slightly richer taste due to the extra molasses found on Sucanat.

However, the sweetener of my preference when making baked goods has so far been Palm Sugar. Palm sugar is often difficult to find but is almost always available in Asian food stores since it is a staple ingredient for many Thai dishes. It has been known to give more depth of flavor to baked goods and is also low on the glycemic index. Palm sugar usually comes in a cake form rather than in granules and though difficult to measure out due to its density, I enjoy the fact that it provides added moisture to my baked goods and prevents me from feeling a sugar crash after eating desserts. Nonetheless, due to its liquid/solid form, the downfall of Palm sugar is that it does not incorporate as much air into the product, but I generally prefer a denser texture in my baked goods anyways. Palm sugar granules are also available in some health stores and once I get a hold on some, will love to see the difference in product between the two different physical states of sugar on the resulting baked goods and report back.