Healthy Living // Monk Fruit - Nature's Healthiest Sugar Alternative (That Actually Tastes Good)

in health •  7 years ago  (edited)


Hi Friends!

A few weeks ago, I posted an article talking about how I have recently lost 25 pounds and all the changes I have been making to my diet. In that article, I mentioned how much I am obsessed with Monk Fruit extract as a sugar replacement. In passing, I mentioned that I could easily write an entire post talking about it! My friend @littlescribe mentioned that she would love to learn more – and so it is!

Disclaimer: I am not a nutrition specialist. I am simply sharing my experience of using monk fruit and am sharing some of the research I have discovered.

The Problem with Most Sugar Free Sweeteners


Well… there are a few. Most are heavily processed and difficult for your body to digest. One of the biggest problems from a health perspective though – is that even though they do not contain sugar, the sweet taste can trick your body into your thinking you are consuming sugar. This can result in a spike in your glycemic index… and the inevitable “sugar crash”.

One of the largest touted benefits of Monk Fruit, is that your body does not view it as sugar, and thus does not impact your glycemic index.

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An Organic, Natural Option that Actually Tastes Good


Obviously Stevia is going to be a more natural option than their chemical counterparts Splenda or Aspartame. I personally cannot stand the taste of Stevia though – and so that was never an option for me. Even though I am aiming to eat healthier, I am a foodie at heart and won’t accept a substitute into my diet unless I actually think it tastes good.

Monk Fruit has a pretty “generic” sweet taste. Almost like sugar – where it is sweet without too many of its own distinct flavors. The main difference I have noticed between sugar and monk fruit is that sugar has a better impact on the palette. Sugar seems to hit the front end of your flavor palette, and so you get the sweet taste right away. I don’t notice monk fruit until it hits the back of my palette. It’s just a slightly different experience.

A Superfood That is Actually Good for Your Health


If everything I have mentioned above isn’t enough… this stuff is actually a Superfood?? I know… it’s crazy. It is a powerful antioxidant and can help to fight free radicals in the body. I consume it more for the flavor and lack of “sugar crash”, but it’s great to know that there are other benefits to using Monk Fruit.

Here is a chart from Dr. Axe’s website listing a few of the health benefits:

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Any Negative Side Effects?


Based on my research, there have been no negative side effects ever reported. I personally have not noticed any and have been using monk fruit daily for over a month now. Monk Fruit was only just approved by the FDA in 2010, which is fairly. I personally don’t take much stock in their stamp of approval… but I wanted you guys to have all the information!

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How Do I Use It?


Because it is so sweet, I actually dilute it down in a dropper bottle. (pictured in the thumbnail image) I put 1 tsp in a bottle that size and fill the rest with water. This lasts me quite a while! Even though monk fruit may look expensive – it lasts for SO long that I actually think it is quite reasonable.

I substitute monk fruit anywhere I would have otherwise used sugar. For example, I put a few drop in my coffee every morning! I also use it for mixing cocktails. I’ve been playing around with making my own sweet and sour mix for margaritas using monk fruit and fresh citrus.

One of my favorite ways to use it is on my Saturday morning pancakes! @raised2b and I have been making these awesome paleo pancakes on Saturday morning and then topping them with almond butter and a homemade blueberry syrup. I simply cook down some frozen blueberries, add some fresh lemon zest and monk fruit. SO good!

The dry from can also be used in baking. Just be careful to calculate the conversion so that you don’t over sweeten the item.

Thanks for Watching/Reading. I hope You all have a SWEET Day!


Bahahah sorry for the dad joke there. I hope you guys found this post helpful or at least informational! You’d think I was paid to promote these guys…but I’m not. I’m just really excited about their product.

If you have any questions about Monk Fruit, please feel free to shoot them below!

Xo, Lea

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Equipment Used in this Vlog


In order to add an extra layer of transparancy and value to my vlog's, I will be adding a list of equipment used at the bottom of each one! If you ever have questions about the gear I use, or how I use it - please don't hesitate to ask.

  • Camera – Iphone X
  • Video Editor – Imovie
  • Thumbnail Photo Editor – Snapseed

▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS
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Awesome! I’ve been looking for a sugar replacement that was healthy. Stevia has a bitter aftertaste. Gonna try monk fruit. Thanks for the share.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

I've noticed you only give a 1% upvote or less to your followers and commenters. Why is that? I give up to a 50% upvote sometimes to qualify comments from followers I receive. People who write out well-written comments and spend time on your posts offering you feedback should be rewarded more. Some are not as fortunate as you on Steemit. You have some interesting posts and you have a lot of energy, I just feel you should give back a little more. Take care.

Hey @jfitmisc... Please refrain from spamming my posts or else I will need to flag you.

I make the top list of people who upvote comments on their posts almost every week and so this is not even close to accurate.

I have been hearing about monk fruit but never tried this!

The paleo pancakes you make with @raised2b sound yummy!! I will have to try those!

We use the Birch Benders Paleo Mix! I wish it was organic... but it seems like few paleo things are. It is super fluffy and yummy.

and why not stevia? ;-) but i will check it out =)

Monk fuit sounds interesting, will have to try it out!

I've never heard of Monk Fruit til reading about it in your post today, so thanks so much for sharing the info and your experience with it. I noticed I have a sensitivity to sugar, if I eat something that has too much processed sugar I get that glycemic unbalance and I feel a bit sick. So I will definitely try the Monk Fruit. Steem on!

That's a great post of food and this food is delicious and this post is helpful for us..
Thanks for sharing...

I snooped around on the internet, but I couldn't find anything about whether Monk Fruit would be able to grow in the Southern US. That would be interesting.

It's not the prettiest gourd. "It's what's on the inside that counts!"
http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/gd_monkz.html

Wow. This is amazing. I have never heard of Monk Fruit, but it does really sound like a great alternative for sugar and I'll definitely will be looking for it in the store.
Thank you so much for sharing it. I love learning about natural health products.

sugar is most dangerous poison ! be careful ;)

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