Most people look at this title, Sugar-free ANYTHING and just want to cry. Whether you are limiting the sugar in your diet because of health issues or you simply want to lose a few pounds, there are some things you should know before you start.

All sugars are not created equal.

White refined sugar is by far the worst type of sugar for your body. It is the basic product that results when the sugar plant is processed. It has no food value whatsoever, so you are not adding anything to benefit your system, which is a real concern. The fact is that it damages the body because when you ingest even a tablespoon, it raises the sugar levels in your body almost immediately, sending your system on sugar high. Have you ever given a 5yr.old some candy before bedtime? You might as well forget sleep for the next hour. This heightened energy blast will last as long as those sugar crystals are in your system and then you "crash" That's when most people go after more to get that high again. This is unhealthy for anyone, but especially for those of you trying to lose weight. Your body was not meant to react like that and Diabetes is one example of the results of this kind of eating.

Next is brown sugar which is not much better. Many think it is, because it's brown. But brown sugar is simply white refined sugar to which is added Molasses. That's what gives it the brown color, that's all. It is refined a little less than white but stay away from it too.

Fructose, or sugar from fruit and honey is digested completely different. It is natural and because it is eaten the way nature produced it, it is better for you. It is a form of sugar though, so keep that in mind and don't eat exclusively fruit for long periods of time. Fructose is digested and then released into the system slower than white sugar.

The sugar highs and lows are not there. The sweetness of the fruit will usually tell the amount of fructose in it, but if you'd like to be more precise there are many Nutrient guides available online to check the exact grams in each fruit. Strawberries and watermelon are sweeter and have more fructose than a Granny Smith apple............but all are fruits, so enjoy some whenever you get that sweet tooth. Fruits can be eaten whole, diced and added to recipes, to be blended or put in food processor to make delicious sauces, etc. Learn to create all sorts of different recipes with whatever fruit is in season - drinks, smoothies, salads, light muffins, breakfast mixes, deserts, Be Creative!

Warning: Before we get started, I want to warn you about using the 3 little colored packets, pink, yellow and blue, or NutraSweet, Equal and Spoonful. They contain some of the most toxic chemicals that can be found. The process to make these is too difficult to tell you in entirety, but the alcohol that is in Aspartame and artificial sugars converts to formaldehyde at over 86*. Our bodies are 98.6* - you do the math. Because of this, aspartame has been linked to fibromyalgia, MS, depression and chronic fatigue. Just as fructose is natural and works so well with your system, these artificial sugars do just the opposite. So the only answer is to readjust your taste buds, and I know for some of you it will be very difficult, but it may become a matter of serious health conditions if you don't. Promise you'll never use any one of them again.