Whether you want to believe it or not, the evidence is overwhelming and consistent. Refined cane sugar is bad news. The list is endless, but amongst other things, it causes premature aging by accelerating the breakdown of skin proteins, elastin and collagen, and the consumption of sugar can also lead to chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. Eliminating sugar from your diet normalizes levels of hormones, leptin and insulin, thereby stimulating longevity. The good news is that there is a growing and very tasty list of alternative natural sweetners that are readily available and plenty of recipes to support their use. The most common include Stevia, Xylitol, rice malt syrup, coconut sugar, dextrose and Agave.Stevia, is a part of the sunflower family and is grown largely for its sweet leaves. Stevia grows very easily so you can easily create your own sugar supply. The leaves can be distilled or crushed to make a syrup or powder which has a slower onset but longer lasting taste than sugar. Only a tiny amount is needed to generate the same sweetness. A teaspoon stevia liquid or powder equates to a cup of sugar. It does however have a slightly artificial taste to some people, so try it before you dump it into your favourite dessert. Xylitol can be found naturally in fibrous vegetables and fruits like corn and plums. It is an excellent alternative to cane sugar as it looks like white sugar and tastes pretty much the same. If you are baking, the quantities are the same. The down sides are that Xylitol is comparatively expensive and in some cases, has been known to cause stomach cramps and diarrhoea.Rice malt syrup, created by culturing rice with enzymes, is also excellent for baking. It is light, but very sweet so is a very versatile sweetener and be used in raw food desserts and the like.Natural sugars found in fruits typically have high fibre and low glycaemic index.Image: fotoknips/Shutterstock