You may have heard that white refined sugar isn't very good for you, that it contains no nutritional value only empty calories. I'm a bit on the fence about this, my sweet tooth influencing me no doubt but I do believe we shouldn't eat too much of it. There are a number of delicious natural sweeteners that you can use on a daily basis as a healthier alternative in your beverages, cooking and baking.

Honey Honey makes a great table sweetener for hot beverages like coffee or tea, and drizzled on cereal. Many people substitute raw honey for sugar in baking recipes.  You can get great results but it does involve tweaking the recipe a bit.  Keep in mind it is about twice as sweet as sugar and contains more moisture. Look for recipes that are call for honey if you aren't into experimenting.

Rapadura or Sucanat
The easier substitution for sugar is to use a non-refined cane sugar like Rapadura or Sucanat.  These are dehydrated cane extracts, which means you get not only the sweetness, but all the nutrients normally present in sugarcane.  The crystals are dark brown in color and sweet, and can be easily substituted for refined sugar.  Don't confuse these with brown sugar or turbinado sugar, which is merely refined sugar with a bit of molasses added back in.

Molasses
Cane molasses is a common ingredient in baking, often used in baked goods such as bran muffins and gingerbread cookies There are three grades of molasses, mild, dark and black strap. Black strap molasses contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals and is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. Look for unsulfured molasses as it has not been treated with sulfur dioxide.

Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is the concentrated sap of the sugar maple tree. It's delicious on pancakes or waffles and can be used in baking as well. It's not as sweet as refined sugar syrups or honey and of coarse it has a natural maple flavor.