Got a craving for sugar? Beat it with these 9 healthy(ish) alternatives!

With the recent hike in the price of sugar (by 25sen per kilogramme), we can't really afford to dump spoonfuls of sugar into our drinks anymore. It's bad for our health anyway, so why don't we start thinking about alternative and healthy substitutes to make our meals more tasty? Here are nine suggestions for you to try:

1. Raw honey

Not exactly the healthiest alternative to sugar, but in moderate amounts, it's fine. Since it's really sweet anyway, you wouldn't need to add much. Tastes great with milo, tea, oatmeal porridge, and even as a drink by itself (with a few slices of lemon). Good for curing sore throats, especially Manuka Honey.

2. Stevia

Considered one of the healthiest alternatives to sugar, stevia is actually natural - it's a sweet leaf that might taste bitter if you add too much. It's about 300 times sweeter than sugar, so only a drop is sufficient. This should be available at pharmacies.

3. Cinnamon

Known as kayu manis locally, cinnamon doesn't really sweeten your cup of coffee, but it does give it a fragrance that nothing else would. Stir a stick into your cup of coffee, or use it to enhance that steaming hot cup of milo.

4. Pandan leaf

Best used in cooking, since its strong flavour would probably compensate for the sugar that you're using less of. You can even add it to drinks - it would make a glass of barley smell so good.

5. Winter melon

This goes best with Chinese herbal drinks and tonics. The next time you boil red bean soup, lo han kuo or any other leong sui, try using melon instead of rock sugar, or worse, refined sugar.

6. Sugar cane

Just like honey, it's good for you in moderate amounts. Perfect drink on a hot day, without having to add any sort of sweetener into your drink. Instead of sucking on sweets, chew on raw sugar cane. You can also get young sugar cane (chie sui) that's light orange in colour at Chinese medicine shops. These are good at cooling the body down on hot days.

7. Big onions

The big yellow onions are especially useful at sweetening your cooking. Perfect to be boiled with soup, used for pasta, sautéed with vegetables, or even for steak sauces, onions are the best. Caramelised onions are heavenly.

8. Fruits/dates

Chinese people love to use red dates to boil their soup because it sweetens it, and they believe that eating it gives you natural, healthy flush. Try it for drinks. Fruits are great to sweeten up cakes, muffins, and pastries too.

9. Maple syrup

Incredibly sweet and thick, this is perfect to spread over pancakes, waffles, even some toast bread. Use this instead of condensed milk for roti. Try it!