Each year the average American consumes between 120 and 150 pounds of refined sugar, according to Healthy Habits: 20 Simple Ways to Improve Your Health authors David and Anne Frahm. Stripped of all vitamins and minerals and left virtually devoid of any nutritional content whatsoever, refined sugar is linked to health troubles like hormonal imbalances, impaired brain function, and abnormal blood pressure—not to mention rotting teeth.

Since sugar is America’s #1 food additive, mixed into everything from canned veggies to cured meats, it’s hard to avoid the refined stuff altogether. But when you’re seeking a sweetener for your coffee, tea, baking recipes, or other cooking needs, there’s a whole lot of refined-sugar-superior alternatives out there. From health-food-store staples to down-home classics, here’s what ThisNext members are using to satisfy their sweet tooths.

...continued: How sweet ThisNext is!

We are always impressed with bloggers who are able to convey pithy matters with grace and eloquence. And in the words of, um, The Food Ass: “Stop eating crap.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. But he’s on to something. Most store-bought peanut butters are in fact full of crap. Luckily, Mr. Ass does some legwork for us and brings us a jarful of crap-free Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter with Honey. He even includes a pic of the ingredients on the label so you can see how perfectly crapless it is. We’re just here to spread the word.

Being a gourmet requires an adventurous palate and a desire — nay, a compulsion — to taste anything. And who wouldn’t want to taste a wee sample of  delectable Savanna Bee Blackberry Honey …

… soap?  

Heed Kate at Pie in the Sky’s words: Read carefully before you partake of store samples. 

If you think all honey comes out of a plastic bear, we’ve got some sweet news for you. The flavor and complexion of all honey is influenced by the flowers the bees draw their nectar from. Queen (bee) among honeys is Tupelo honey, from southern Georgia and northwest Florida. But even sweeter is Savannah Bee’s Tupelo nectar, harvested in the first few weeks of spring. Think of it as the extra-virgin olive oil of the honey world: Sweet, fruity and bursting with the flavors of the balmy south.

At ThisNext, we insist on the best whenever we can get it. Thanks to Charles & Marie for turning us on to the best that honey can bee.