Rice malt ~ A healthy alternative to sugar?

[Amber in AUS]

A friend was telling me i should be using rice malt as a sweetener instead of sugar in things like smoothies. I'd never heard of it before. She claims it has more nutritional benefit than raw sugar. I'm all for making the 'healthier' choice so what does the hive have to say?

 

Is rice malt a healthier alternative to raw sugar? Do you know why?

[Amber in AUS]

Bump. 45 views and no one wants to weigh in on this one?

[Rosie_0801]

It probably contains some trace elements that raw sugar doesn't have. That is why rapadura sugar is "healthier" than raw sugar. Healthy being a relative term when you are talking about sugar. :D

 

Rosie

[kolamum]

I'm not sure I'd say it's the BEST alternative for smoothies. I can't use cane sugar for myself or one child. I have used:

 

• Maple Syrup {real stuff no fake gunk}
  
• Stevia
  
• Honey
  
• Rice Syrup
  
• Agave Syrup
  
• Pureed Dates {because I can't score date sugar here}
  
• Coconut Sugar {please for the love of all things holy do NOT call this palm sugar. I promise you, if you do the research it is NOT the same stuff. Coconut Sugar & Palm Sugar, are NOT made from the same things & someone with a cane sugar problem can NOT handle Palm Sugar even though they CAN handle Coconut Sugar. Getting off my soapbox now, can you tell this issue bugs the living daylights out of me?!}
  

 

 

I have also used juice or juice concentrate, but I find it's not a good sweetener on it's own and mix it with a pinch of stevia. My all time favourite way to sweeten things is 1/4-1/2 t of Stevia & 2 T of honey. It's the quickest, has the least calories/kilojules, & is the cheapest.

 

Thing is, not all Stevia is created the same nor does it all work the same. I think the Nirvana brand is best & most health food stores carry it, but I prefer the powder not tablets or liquid.

 

If you WANT to try Rice Bran Syrup check your local Health Food Store, they generally sell a jar of it. It's thick like maple syrup & may have less carbs/sugars then maple. I don't use Rice Bran anymore, but this is because I was diagnosed with a rice allergy. Having said that, I have used it before, but only occasionally & never in smoothies.

 

If you get the Nirvana Stevia powder there's a scoop inside, 3 of those is usually perfect for sweetening 1 cup of liquid or a full on smoothie made of berries. If I ever add more sweetener to a BERRY smoothie I generally add a splash or so {about a tablespoon} of maple syrup. If you make a chocolate smoothie you will find you'll need more then the 3 scoops of stevia. Probably 4 or 5 plus a tablespoon or two of the syrup. Go with less & add more as needed. :)

 

As for comparing rice to sugar in regards to health, I dunno. You'll probably heat people on both sides speaking their own praise about it. I wouldn't say it is the BEST alternative, but better perhaps.

[Amber in AUS]

Thankyou :)

 

I've got dates, real maple syrup, coconut sugar, raw sugar and honey (rapadura ordered) so plenty of options :). I'm not so worried about the calories to be honest. She was just sure there was a nutritional benefit and I was scratching my head trying to see it.

 

Thanks :)

[MrsBear]

Sugar is sugar is sugar for the most part - some have trace minerals still in the sugar, like molasses, but it's still sugar, so proceed with caution for amount you're using :)

[kolamum]

Ahh, you know what I'm thinking now. She might be thinking that the benefits are things like vitamins and minerals in it.. Kinda like using molasses is more beneficial then say corn syrup. Or the reason some people won't use agave is because it has "nothing" in it & corn syrup does. That kinda thing.. I'm curious though.. I must research this later when school is over.

 

MammaBear, right on! It's why Stevia is my fav because it's an herb & not an actual sugar. It's just a sweet herb. :D

[Mynyel]

I use Xylitol. Sweetens just like sugar but doesn't have the glycemic impact like sugar and it is good for your teeth! Xylitol inhibits plaque from forming. If you look at more natural toothpastes they use Xylitol. Trident uses it as well (along with aspartame:glare:).

 

The caveat is it is expensive. However you will find after using it a bit you will use less and less of it (unless baking:D). I use half a cup in a gallon of sweet tea and even the kids don't complain.

 

So that is a very good alternative for regular sugar as well.

[Guest Kendrick]

Hi Amber,

Never heard of rice malt but curious can diabetic patients can take rice malt?

My mother is type II diabetic and doctor forbade her to use sugar and limit sweet products. Can she use rice malt? Cheers to any input.

[edeemarie]

Hi Amber,

Never heard of rice malt but curious can diabetic patients can take rice malt?

My mother is type II diabetic and doctor forbade her to use sugar and limit sweet products. Can she use rice malt? Cheers to any input.

Not sure what rice malt is either, but my dad is diabetic and does well with stevia. They also make flavored stevia liquid (flavors like vanilla, chocolate, toffee, and many others!) and he had done very well using those. They are great in coffee or to flavor homemade whipped cream.

[LaxMom]

I'm fairly sure brown rice malt is what is called brown rice syrup in NA. It's thick, neutral flavored, and less sweet than other syrups (honey, molasses, maple).

 

I'm pretty much in the camp of "sugar is sugar is sugar" for general purposes. Less processing is desirable (for me) for many reasons, but for general health benefits, it's all just sugar. (I also don't think sugar is evil, though I'm not a fan of it - in any iteration - being added to food for no reason, like HFCS is here)

 

I wouldn't think it would be healthful for diabetics or anyone else who has trouble processing sugars.