Its time for “Favorite Find Wednesday” yet again! This is another post that I’ve been meaning to do for a while! I literally have a shelf full of sugar free syrups that I’ve been meaning to review for all of you!
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I love my protein pancakes. They are so simple, and so healthy! Egg whites, oats, spices and vanilla, cooked into a pancake!
So of course, enjoying my protein pancakes on a regular basis, I like a bit of syrup on them!
Typically I steer away from traditional pancake type syrups and maple syrup simply because of the sugar content. While having it once in a while is fine, but its not something I have regularly. I don’t do well with sugar. To much makes me crave more sugar, and it also tends to make me itchy (slight allergy perhaps?)
I did a post a while back, “Which Sweeteners Are Best” . While I do chose stevia 90% of the time, I do sometimes use other sweeteners. Its really all personal preference.
I must say, I have tried A LOT of different syrups! So here is my “Recommender Guide”, for some of the lower calorie syrups out there that I’ve tried.
ED Smith
I’m not sure if ED Smith is available in the US. I don’t think it is. This is actually the only low sugar syrup I can buy locally (the rest on this list I got online).
Key Points:
– Sweetened with white grape juice & sucralose (Splenda)
– Per 3 Tbsp : 30 calories, 7g carbs, 6g sugars
– Taste: Very good. Thicker consistency, goes runnier when warmed. Doesn’t have much of a maple flavor though.
Walden Farms
Walden Farms is known for all their calorie-free dressings and syrups. To be honest, I’ve tried a lot of their stuff and find most of it to be very yucky. This is one things I actually like.
Key Points:
– Sweetened with sucralose (Splenda)
– 0 cals, 0 of everything, except 70 mg of sodium per serving.
– Taste: Pretty good! Not as thick as the ED Smith, but good maple flavor.
Vermont
This one I also got online. The serving size is large 1/4 cup.
Key Points:
– Sweetened with sorbitol (natural sugar alcohol), sucralose (Splenda), Acesulfame Potassium (artificial sweetener)
– Per 1/4 cup. 35 calories, 100mg sodium, 11g carbs (10g from sugar alcohol sorbitol)
– Taste: Not so good. I find it has much more of a chemical taste versus the others, and I don’t like all the sweeteners in it, not sure why they used so many.
Joseph’s
This is by far the one that tastes most like regular syrup. It is very thick, but its higher carb than the others.
Key Points:
– Sweetened with maltitol (natural sugar alcohol)
– Per 1/4 cup. 35 calories, 30mg sodium, 9g carbs (from the sugar alcohol)
– Taste: It tastes very good. Some find that maltitol may bother their stomach (or other sugar alcohols) but I seem ok with it. Some prefer sugar alcohols versus artificial sweeteners like sucralose.
Ali’s All Natural
This is the first stevia sweetened syrup I’ve seen on the market. I ordered it online.
Key Points:
– Sweetened with stevia only
– Per 1/4 cup. 5 calories, 55mg sodium, 1g carbs
– A lot more watery than the other syrups, and very mild tasting
– Taste: If your not a fan of the bitter taste of stevia, you may not like this syrup. It has a bit on tangy-ness to it, almost lemony. Different from traditional syrup, but if your against any sort of artificial sweetener or sugar alcohol, this is an option.
Nature’s Hollow
Nature’s Hollow is the only brand I’ve seen sweetened with xylitol, which is a natural sugar alcohol. Xylitol actually inhibits bacteria in the mouth, so it can also prevent cavities and ear infections in children! It cannot be ingested by dogs though.
Key Points:
– Sweetened with xylitol only.
– Per 1/4 cup. 57 calories, 20g carbs (2 g effective carbs, as most of the carbs are from the sugar alcohol)
– Taste: It tastes very good. A little watery, but I give this one to my 3 year old, and she loves it.
So out of all of these, I probably use the ED Smith the most, as well as the Nature’s Hollow and Walden Farms. I use syrup probably once or twice a week. Otherwise, I use a double fruit jam or coconut butter to top my protein pancakes!
Question! What do you like to top your pancakes with?
p.s. Now that the Kerplunk Contest is over, I need to announce the winners!
