Sugar Substitutes: Harm Or Benefit

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Sugar substitutes are they harmful or beneficial…

What sugar substitutes are. What sugar substitutes exist. How to choose the right sugar replacement. And why Fructose is harmful.

The topic of the problem of sugar and its consumption has been around for a long time.

Recently I recalled how in childhood our parents told us and my sister to eat fewer candies and “lean” more on honey or jam.

Everyone knows that consuming sugar leads to nothing good, that it is empty calories, that it is one of the causes of excess weight and even obesity. But for some reason many people do not consider that same jam, even homemade, as a source of that same simple white sugar.

How many people think about the fact that the beneficial properties of honey directly depend on its quality? And that in an ordinary supermarket you are unlikely to find honey that has not been heated or filtered, or even worse — diluted with sugar syrup?

But a fairly large number of people try to find a less caloric replacement for sugar. But not always a healthy one. And as they say, if there is demand — offers will always follow.

Now on the market of goods there exists a huge number of the most varied sugar substitutes, and how can one not get lost and make the right choice?

Switching to natural, wholesome nutrition, I asked myself this question.

And now I can boldly share my personal experience on how not to get lost in the sea of sugar substitutes, give up white sugar and improve your health!

What are sugar substitutes?

These are substances that have a sweet taste, most often several times exceeding the sweetness of simple sugar.

There are artificial, natural, alditols (sugar alcohol) and dietary sugar-substitute additives.

Artificial sugar substitutes

These are substances of a synthetic nature.

They have no calories. But they carry serious consequences for our health. There isn’t enough space to list all places, so I will focus on the most common ones.

Aspartame (E951) Aspartame

Perhaps the most toxic and most popular artificial sweetener. It consists of Aspartic acid, Phenylalanine and Methyl alcohol.

Aspartic acid and Phenylalanine directly affect the nervous system, leading to various diseases and psychological conditions. Methyl alcohol inside our body turns into Formaldehyde, which accumulates in organs and tissues. Phenylalanine decomposes into a well-known and powerful carcinogen — Diketopiperazine.

Also, Aspartame can lead to obesity and diabetes.

Acesulfame-K (E950) Acesulfame-K

It consists of Potassium salt and Methylene chloride (carcinogen).

Methylene chloride can cause disruption of normal liver and kidney function, problems with the optic nerve and malignant tumors.

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Sucralose (E955) Sucralose

This synthetic sweetener is created by chlorinating!!! a sugar molecule.

Sucralose causes a reduction of the thymus, which plays an important role in the normal functioning of our immune system, as well as the liver and kidneys. It destroys the beneficial bacteria that inhabit our intestines, which can lead to digestive problems and Thrush and candidiasis.

Saccharin (E954) Saccharin

The main ingredient is Benzoic Sulfimide. A link has been proven between bladder cancer and the consumption of Saccharin.

Cyclamate (E952) Cyclamate

It provokes the development of bladder cancer. For me it was a shock to see it in the ingredients of cookies advertised for healthy eating! Please, always carefully read the ingredient list !

Sugar alcohol or Alditols

They are called that because their chemical structure resembles the structures of sugar and alcohol. But in their properties, they are neither sugar nor alcohol. I know, that’s confusing. Anyway, sugar alcohol is a carbohydrate.

These include Xylitol, Sorbitol, Maltitol, Mannitol. They usually contain 2 times fewer calories than regular sugar.

The reason why they contain fewer calories is simple — they are not fully absorbed by our body, some part is simply not digested. Therefore, consuming large amounts of alditols can lead to gastrointestinal problems: bloating, diarrhea, etc.

Xylitol/Xylitol — is the most beneficial alditol because it slowly raises blood sugar, unlike Maltitol/Maltitol, which gives sugar a sharp spike upward. Also, Xylitol not only does not cause the development of caries, but also prevents it (reduces the number of pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity).

Therefore, now you can find many natural toothpastes containing Xylitol (my little sister uses it, she really likes it).

Don’t forget that Alditols are toxic to animals, although the same applies to regular sugar.

Natural Sugar Substitutes

These are products found in nature.

But before we touch on them, I want to raise an interesting and important topic for many.

Is Fructose Beneficial?

You often come across statements by people claiming that Fructose is the healthiest and safest Sugar Substitute. And all they base this on is the fact that Fructose is found in fruits.

Yes, you can’t argue with that, BUT in fruits it is found in a “bound” state, mixed with fiber, enzymes and other substances that help it be absorbed. Pure Fructose is toxic!

It is metabolized into fat much faster than any other sugar and even artificial Sugar Substitutes. Fructose cannot be metabolized by our cells; it needs the liver for that. Frequent consumption of pure Fructose wears out and damages the liver and has absolutely the same effect on it as alcohol. A destructive one!

Fructose leads to the accumulation of fat deposits in the abdominal area. It is fat in this area that is considered the most dangerous and leads to cardiovascular diseases.

Fructose disrupts metabolism and stimulates appetite. It can provoke candidiasis and Thrush, as it supplies food — its beloved self — to the intestines for “bad” bacteria.

Cancer cells, by the way, use only Fructose as an energy source.

It raises “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowers “good” HDL, increases blood pressure and blood sugar — that is, it provokes the so-called Metabolic Syndrome.

Over time this will lead to insulin resistance, which is the cause of not only type 2 diabetes, but also heart disease, arthritis and cancer.

Glucose, in turn, does not cause metabolic syndrome and does not burden the liver, since it is metabolized in our cells.

Now, let’s move on to natural sweeteners, all of which have calories and contain Fructose. The most common include: honey, maple syrup and agave syrup.

Honey, for example, contains a large amount of Fructose (about 53%), which, from the standpoint of everything written above, is not good. But since Fructose in honey is “bound” and, in addition to this, honey, like fruits, has beneficial properties, it can be consumed, like all other sweeteners, in moderate amounts.

Do not forget that all beneficial substances are destroyed when heated. Therefore, if you buy ordinary store-bought honey or heat honey, do not expect that it will be any better than plain sugar.

Maple Syrup is also rich in beneficial substances. But unlike honey, it contains almost exclusively Glucose, which makes it a healthier option for a natural sweetener.

Do not forget that it, just like honey, should be chosen as a quality, minimally processed product.

Agave Syrup is obtained from the agave cactus. This sweetener appeared relatively recently, but very quickly gained popularity.

Agave syrup is almost pure Fructose, and moreover contains no significant vitamins, minerals or antioxidants. Therefore, I will say this — if you have a choice: plain white sugar or agave syrup, boldly take the sugar. This syrup is that harmful!

Dietary Sugar Substitute Supplements

Dietary sweetening additives include Stevia and Luo Han Kuo.

Stevia/Stevia — this is a plant native to Latin America, which can easily be grown on your own windowsill.

Luo Han Kuo/Lo Han Guo — this is a fruit whose homeland is China.

Both of these sugar substitutes have been used by local peoples for many thousands of years.

At the moment, you can buy extracts in the form of drops or powder. They contain no calories and are much sweeter than sugar.

In our family, we try to avoid sugar, whether white or brown, there is no particular difference, and artificial sugar substitutes.

At home we use fresh, “raw”, unprocessed, unfiltered honey, 100% natural extract of Stevia in drops and sometimes Grade B maple syrup.

I know that avoiding sugar in everyday life is very difficult, it surrounds us everywhere, even in products where we would not expect to see it. For example, in ketchup!

Sugar is a kind of drug (in principle, even its mechanism of action is the same), so why then is our attitude toward narcotic substances absolutely negative, while toward sugar, artificial substitutes and pure fructose it is frivolous?

I just want to urge everyone to stop blaming fats for all our health problems and turn their attention to sugar and its harmful alternatives!

They are not as safe as many think, and sometimes they are the cause of many chronic diseases in people of our generation!

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