The Holy Grail of sweeteners would be one that tastes like sugar, has no calories, and was not created in a laboratory. I think you can't have your cake and eat it too. However, I have found a few sweeteners that are healthier than the more popular sweeteners such as refined sugar, honey, and corn syrup. They can be purchased at Whole Foods.

Agave nectar is clear, a thinner consistency than honey, and does not have a strong taste. It could easily be substituted for sugar or honey. I tried it this morning mixed into my plain yogurt and it was very good. Agave nectar's main benefit is that it is low on the glycemic index, thus it takes longer to digest and does not give you a sugar high immediately after eating it. For an athlete doing an endurance workout, it's good to have some of both the simple and complex sugars to get that immediate boost as well as a prolonged one.

Brown rice syrup is also low on the glycemic index. It has a nutty flavor and tastes a lot like very sweet brown rice. I haven't tried this mixed in with other foods yet, but it may have more of an influence on the flavor of whatever food you sweeten. However it has more nutritional benefit than agave nectar.

I also have been doing some research on the various oils, and like sweeteners, oils have varying qualities and nutritional content. Some are rich in polyunsaturated fats while others are high in monounsaturated fats. As usual, the lower quality oils are more commonly used, such as corn, canola, and vegetable oils. Higher quality oils are olive (extra virgin), grapeseed, macadamia nut, and almond. All oils contain about the same amount of fat (14 grams per tablespoon), but the quality of the fat varies widely. The smoke point of an oil has more to do with the amount it has been refined rather than the quality of the fats. That's why extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point, but the cheap version of olive oil does not.

I think that the reason why lower quality sugars and oils are used in most of the processed foods you buy in the grocery store is because it costs far less for manufacturers to mass produce those foods. Even a lot of so-called 'health' foods are full of lower quality ingredients; the only way to discern is to look at the wrapper. I rarely, if ever, see almond butter as an ingredient in a processed 'health' food, because almond butter is more expensive than peanut butter by magnitudes.

For my energy bar project, I would like to use higher quality ingredients to provide myself (and others) with an opportunity to try an energy food that is truly nutritionally superior. However, I wonder if commercializing a product for longer shelf life requires a downgrade into the usual ingredients, or if manufacturers do this purely as a matter of saving costs. I hope this project provides that kind of enlightenment.