Is Natural Sugar the New Health Food?

Oh, the whims of a fickle health-food population. It appears that we'll never know just what to expect from them.

Is "natural" sugar finding popularity among health food consumers? With the rising sales behind natural sugar soft drinks, and the growing consumption of smaller portioned treats made with the real stuff (instead of artificial sweeteners), it might just might be so.

It used to be that butter was all we ate. Then it was margarine. Then it was anything but margarine.

Then sugar became the bad guy and artificial sweeteners were "in."

But the current trend towards the consumption of goods sweetened with good, old fashioned, real sugar indicates a desire to take the science out of our food, and put the taste back in it.

Regardless of taste, the trend seems to be one of reduced use of things like, crystalline fructose and other sweeteners.

What's next, bacon?

In order to appeal to consumers who are concerned about calorie content, candy makers and snack manufacturers have found a successful means of marketing their treats in smaller portions, whether it's in the 100-calorie pack or simply smaller versions of popular goods.

So, should savvy food manufacturing companies be doing the same?

It depends on your customers' demands.

For instance, kids don't usually care what's in their goodies, while adults, and particularly women, definitely do.

Diabetics definitely need non-sugar options, and those who follow strictly healthy lifestyles often do the same.

If you're following the cost of sugar, the good news is that sugar prices are set to start falling soon, so opting for a natural sugar product may be even more viable for many manufacturers very shortly.

Just don't wait too long, or you may miss the sugar resurgence and be rushing to cash in on that bacon craze that's on the horizon. Yum.