Guilt-free Maple Syrup

A few weeks ago I posted this super easy protein french toast recipe, and since then its pretty safe to say I've been on the french toast diet. Ha, no really, I've eaten it every day for breakfast since then.

I usually use agave nectar or a tiny bit of real maple syrup, but sugar-- no matter where it comes from-- is still sugar, and if I planned on being on the french toast diet for a while, I needed to find a better syrup option.

 When I found Walden Farms Pancake syrup on Vitacost.com I was super skeptical. Supposedly calorie free, fat free, sugar free. User reviews gave this a 4.9 out of 5 stars, and it was only $3.20 for 12 ounces. Intriguing, right? So naturally, I bought it, but out of total skepticism. 

Turns out, it tastes like maple syrup. It's a little bit more on the thin side, but not so much watery. The taste isn't chemical or fake. It's literally the best substitution I've found for real maple syrup.

Which unfortunately, doesn't make it completely perfect. Here are the ingredients:

Other Ingredients: Triple filtered purified water, maple flavor, natural flavors, sea salt, cellulose gum, sucralose, lactic acid, sodum benzoate (to preserve freshness).

Sucralose is fake sugar, and sodium benzoate is a preservative that arguably in large doses can become carcinogenic (cancer causing.) The FDA regulates sodium benzoate to a level that "doesn't pose a risk" since they're so low. (This being the last ingredient on the package, it's probably even lower than that.) Sodium benzoate is in most things that are pre-packaged; everything from soda to salsa to makeup and more. You can read more about this preservative in this LA Times article.

For me, I don't usually eat anything containing preservatives, nor do I use fake sugar (with the exception of my occasional Advocare Slam!) I am, however, a sugar addict, so the benefits outweigh the risks for me. When I make my protein french toast, I use a little Walden Farms calorie-free syrup and a little agave nectar. The amount of the bad stuff you're getting is so, so very minimal, as is the amount of sugar (limit yourself to no more than 25g a day!) but you're still getting it, so use your own judgement.