• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
  • Wellness

'Healthy Living for Summer': Alternatives to processed sugar

19:27
Learn to cook healthier with sugar alternatives
Vince Talotta/Toronto Star via Getty Images
ByOLIVIA SMITH
September 22, 2017, 8:04 PM

— -- Avoiding refined sugar may be a challenge for most Americans, but Byron Paidoussi and Whitney Cole, the owners of Fitness and Fuel LA, regularly look for alternatives. In the tenth and final episode of ABC News' "Healthy Living for Summer" series, we asked them for some tips.

Related Articles

'Healthy Living for Summer': Combating cravings

Related Articles

'Healthy Living for Summer': Skin-care safety

Related Articles

'Healthy Living for Summer': The effects of alcohol

Fitness experts Whitney Cole and Byron Paidoussi talk alternatives to sugar.

"We try to avoid processed sugar as much as we can," said Paidoussi.

The couple has experimented with creating different recipes that exclude sugar. In the video above, they make spicy chocolate pumpkin squares with stevia, a sugar substitute, and dates.

"[It's] a really yummy thing we can have around the house, and it's a lot less sugary, a lot less impact on our blood sugar going up and down," Cole said.

Below is a list of advice Cole and Paidoussi gave ABC News.

Related Articles

'Healthy Living for Summer': Eating organic

Related Articles

'Healthy Living for Summer': Staying fit with workout tips

Related Articles

'Healthy Living for Summer': Cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients

Spicy chocolate pumpkin squares.

Quick tips

  • Look at the ingredients to see how many grams of sugar the item contains

  • Check if sugar alternatives come in pure forms, which the couple recommends

  • You can use natural items like dates as alternatives to refined sugar

  • Experiment and get creative with recipes, such as the pumpkin squares pictured above

  • Related Articles

    'Healthy Living for Summer': Travel tips for eating smart and staying active

    Related Articles

    'Healthy Living for Summer': Having a balanced diet

    Related Articles

    'Healthy Living for Summer': How to navigate a farmers market

    Fitness experts Whitney Cole and Byron Paidoussi talk alternatives to sugar.

    Watch ABC News discuss refined sugar alternatives in the video above.
    This is the final episode for the summer series.

    Up Next in Wellness—

    Antidepressant recalled due to presence of potentially cancer-causing impurity

    June 16, 2026

    WABC-TV anchor Bill Ritter shares new details of Alzheimer's diagnosis, future at work

    June 15, 2026

    3 women transform their wellness habits in 'GMA' '6 Week Shape Up'

    June 15, 2026

    Amid social media challenge, calls to poison centers for Benadryl among teens more than double this year than last

    June 11, 2026

    Shop GMA Favorites

    ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

    Sponsored Content by Taboola

    The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
    • Contests
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Info
    • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
    • Advertise with us
    • Your US State Privacy Rights
    • Interest-Based Ads
    • About Nielsen Measurement
    • Press
    • Feedback
    • Shop FAQs
    • ABC News
    • ABC
    • All Videos
    • All Topics
    • Sitemap

    © 2026 ABC News
    • Privacy Policy— 
    • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
    • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
    • Interest-Based Ads— 
    • Terms of Use— 
    • Do Not Sell My Info— 
    • Contact Us— 

    © 2026 ABC News