Give me some Sugar,

you Sweet Talker!

It's not so much the sweets as the packaging.  Most processed foods are loaded with simple sugars.  Processed foods are easy and convenient.  We grab for a soda much more quickly than water.  Adapting a healthier diet by cutting back on processed foods will automatically cut back our daily sugar intake.  We can take a good example from people who eat a diet of raw foods; they don't eat sugar or regular processed foods.  As a society we are eating far too many sweet treats; cutting back on all sweeteners, no matter whether natural or artificial, would be good for us all.  Cutting out sugar allows our body to function properly. 

Of course, cutting it out altogether is difficult, if not impossible for most.  Moderation is key, even with natural "sugar alternatives."  Let's understand sugar and the alternate sweeteners and make some healthful decisions here.  We can get control over our diet and our cravings.  Sweet is important in life.  But there is more to sweet than the processed white stuff.

Natural Sweeteners:

Sugar only has about 4 calories a gram or 15 calories a teaspoon, and 4 grams of carbohydrates.  As a general rule, sugar has no preservatives or additives (except powdered sugar).  There are many kinds of Sugar:

Confectioners Sugar, also known as Powdered Sugar or Icing Sugar, is fsugar with 3% corn starch pulverized together (2 T cornstarch to 1/2 cup sugar).  The cornstarch acts to keep it from clumping together but it is also aids as a thickener when used.  Commonly used for desserts, especially in frosting or as a glaze.  Also fun to shake over desserts or French Toast. 

Turbinado Sugar is partially processed raw sugar, also called Raw Sugar.  It is still a processed sugar and is really no better than white sugar but it is processed less so it has a darker color from the molasses that is still in the sugar.  It can be used just as we use regular sugar.  It is not organic and the plants are treated with chemicals and pesticides. 

Demerara has larger sugar crystals and less molasses than Turbinado.  Because of it's larger crystals, it is used in desserts for it's special qualities and is oftentimes used to make that crunchy warm crust atop crème brulee. 

Sugar is not snow white naturally.  While Granulated White Sugar, also called Table Sugar, may lighten up from the cooking, centrifuging, and a serious filtration process, some brands may chemically treat it with lime, phosphoric acid, sulfur dioxide, or calcium hydroxide to bleach it.  Vegans do not use white cane sugar (or other refined products) because the filters are made of bone char. 

Brown Sugar is white sugar (that has been stripped of molasses) that has had a bit molasses added (more for dark brown sugar) for a richer flavor.  It is used for baking as it adds a chewy quality, moist texture, and wonderful flavor. 

Organic sugar is darker than traditional white sugar and does include some trace minerals because it is not filtered.  It has a more robust flavor.  Organic sugar was grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides.  This is important since sugar is a concentrate; therefore conventional sugar also concentrates the chemicals and pesticides.  Organic sugar is produced using renewable energy sources and rotating crops with attention to the environment.  Sugar cane is cut, milled, then crushed, purified, and crystallized.  Luckily, we have organic options for most forms of sugar including Powdered Sugar, Brown Sugar, and regular Sugar. 

While organic sugar is a better option than conventional sugar, even organic sugar is not a health food and has the same issues with increasing our insulin levels as regular sugar. Sugar has been linked to:

• obesity
• cavities and tooth decay
• diabetes
• osteoporosis
• depression
• energy slumps
• premature aging
• high blood pressure
• some cancers and heart disease

Sugar suppresses our immune system and actually feeds cancer while greens create an alkaline environment that cancer doesn't like.

Sugar has a high glycemic index of about 110.

Sugar is 99% sucrose.  Sugar is a simple carbohydrate.  Simple Carbs are absorbed quickly by the body and can add on unwanted weight without any nutritional value.  Most sweeteners are high on the glycemic index.  Sugar, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Sorghum, and Honey are all natural sugars that our body converts into glucose.  When we eat sugar, our body secretes insulin to convert sugar into glucose, then our body burns off the glucose instead of our fat reserves as it should.  Sugar forces our pancreas to work harder to in order to stabilize the sugar in our system. 

Sugar comes from sugar cane or, more likely, from sugar beets.   Nowadays, however, sugar in processed foods has been replaced with a cheaper sweetener:  High Fructose Corn Syrup. 

You will find Corn Syrup listed in the ingredients of most every processed food.  Manufacturers use this over other sweeteners because it is a cheap syrup.  It is produced from cornstarch.  Corn is actually a grain, not a vegetable, and it is very high in sugar and therefore quite high on the glycemic index.  One bushel of corn produces enough corn syrup to sweeten 324 cans of soda!  It is now the primary sweetener in sodas, snacks (cookies, crackers), candy, frosting, jams, jellies, salad dressing, ice cream, condiments, and even fruit juice.  You'll see it in most labels, even on things considered health foods like cereal bars and energy bars.

High Fructose Corn Syrup has only been around since the 70s.   HFCS contains 14% fructose.  There have been no studies on the long-term effects of consuming fructose, let alone in these massive amounts.  Never before in history have so many people consumed so much fructose.  We are walking experiments. 

Our bodies metabolize sugar and HFCS differently.  Sugar triggers leptin which helps us feel full and satisfied.  HFCS doesn't do that so our sweet tooth isn't satisfied, we crave more sweets, and we eat more.  Sodas are an interesting thing.  Many of us remember when they moved from sugar to HFCS and how we didn't like the new taste, until we got use to it, of course.  Even though HFCS is much sweeter than sugar, they did not cut back on the sweetener so sodas are actually much sweeter today than they were years ago.  So we are consuming far more of these sweetener which causes us to crave even more sweets. 

Corn is one of the main crops to be GMO.  This is a major concern especially since it is so widely used.  This is another reason to only use Organic Powdered Sugar too.

Corn and it's derivatives are a likely source of the obesity and diabetes in America today.  Like peanuts, corn can grow a toxic mold or fungus.  Called mycotoxin, this toxin may lead to:

• cancer
• heart disease
• diabetes
• other illness

HFCS is not a well tested food, it is GMO, it may contain a toxic mold, and it is high on the glycemic index.  We will increase our lives and health by eliminating or drastically cutting the corn syrup from our diet.

Sugar is a safer option than corn sweetener.  Sugar is a safer option than artificial sweeteners.  Organic sugar is a better option than conventionally processed sugar.  However sweeteners increase our desire for more sweets.  Many sweeteners increase our insulin levels and artificial sweeteners carry risk of cancer and other disease.  Because of this, we should try our best to decrease our consumption of all sweets.

For baking and candy making, however, Corn Syrup, or Glucose, plays an important role.  It adds sweetness and a specific texture.  Substitute a generous 3/4 cup plus of honey plus 2-3 tablespoons of water to reach 1 cup for 1 cup of corn syrup in the recipe.  You can also substitute corn syrup with an equal amount of Golden Syrup, Maple Syrup, or Honey.  Or substitute an equal amount of this sugar syrup:  make your own syrup by boiling 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar until it reaches the same thick consistency, about one minute, and store this in the refrigerator.

Most importantly, corn syrup stops crystals from forming when melting sugar.  However, the same effect can be obtained when we add an acid (lemon juice, for example) to the melting sugar.

Sugar plays an important role in baked goods.  It does more than simply sweeten the cookie or cake.  Sugar actually makes it moist.  Sugar acts to make it tender.  Sugar helps the baked item to brown properly.  Sugar helps create the structure (like making the cookie spread) of the baked good .  Sugar is often beaten with butter because it cuts holes into the butter to create that light and flaky texture.  Sugar acts as a natural preservative in baked goods.  Sugar feeds the yeast to make bread. 

Because sugar is more than just a sweetener in baked goods, it's impossible to keep the integrity of the baked item and replace the sugar completely in a recipe.  But we can make things less sweet and still allow sugar to do it's magic.  Try cutting back by 1/3 to 1/2 of the sugar called for in the recipe.  Or we can replace some of the sugar with another natural sweetener.  When we do this, we have to keep in mind if we are adding liquid (for example, replacing it with honey) and adjust the rest of the recipe accordingly.

Natural sweeteners include:

• Acesulfame K
• Agave Nectar
• Apple Juice Concentrate
• Amasake
• Bananas
• Barley Malt Syrup
• Brown Rice Syrup
• Date Sugar
• Date Syrup
• Evaporated Cane Juice
• Erythritol
• Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)
• Fruit Juice
• Fruit Juice Concentrate
• Golden Syrup
• Honey
• Licorice Root
• Maple Syrup
• Maple Sugar
• Molasses
• Orange Juice
• Rapadura
• Sorghum
• Stevia
• Sucanat
• Sugar, Organic
• Sugar Alcohols
• Sweet One
• Xylitol

BUY SAFER SWEETENERS NOW

Evaporated Cane Juice is crystallized raw sugar made from sugar cane juice that is evaporated.  This sugar is brown with some trace minerals and is more flavorful than the white processed sugar.  It gets it's rich flavor and dark color from the molasses has not been removed.  Because of it's flavor, we can use a little less, which is good, but other than that, I haven't read any real benefit or difference between this and regular sugar.  Replace 1:1 with sugar or go 3/4:1 or even 1/2:1 and see which suits your taste best.  Sucanat is unrefined evaporated cane juice crystals.  SuCaNat stands for Sugar Cane Natural and is the whole cane sugar in it's natural state simply with the water removed.  It still contains some vitamins and minerals since it is not refined.  It is dark with a strong flavor and some swear by this for baking and using in place of refined sugar and can be used easily anywhere sugar is listed in a recipe.  Rapadura is another name brand for this product. 

Brown Sugar is sugar with more of the molasses still intact.  You can make your own Brown Sugar by adding 2 tablespoons of molasses to 1 cup of regular sugar.  Molasses adds trace minerals and a little calcium. 

Molasses is rich and thick and has a strong unique flavor but is not as sweet as sugar.  It is rich in minerals (chromium, potassium and iron) and has a good balance of calcium and magnesium.  It is more acidic than sugar too.  Substitute molasses in British recipes that call for Treacle.  Like Maple Syrup, Molasses is sold in grades.  The grades have to do with whether it is from the first, second, third or fourth boiling of the sugar cane.  The last boiling is blackstrap molasses which is quite strong and slightly bitter.  Higher grades like first molasses are better for baking.  Some molasses are labeled as "sulphured" because the sugar cane is picked too young and is ripened with sulphur.  This molasses is also cheaper, doesn't taste as good, and is not really natural.  Avoid "sulphured" molasses. 

Baked goods that include molasses will be dark and have the rich flavor of molasses so adding it for flavor is great but replace no more than half of the sugar in a recipe with molasses because otherwise the flavor may be too strong.  Use 1 and 1/3 cup of molasses for 1 cup of sugar.  Since it's more acidic, add a teaspoon of baking soda too.  Since it adds liquid, reduce other liquid in the recipe by 1/3 cup.  Since it's thicker and browns faster, turn the oven temperature down 25 degrees. The best way to measure molasses for recipes is to first grease the measuring cup with a little oil or cooking spray so that it all falls out easily.

Add a tablespoon of molasses to hot water as a drink to help you warm up!

Maple Syrup has a wonderful flavor and can be used to sweeten more than just pancakes. Use it to sweeten dinners or soups (especially pumpkin soup or other squash soups), smoothies, baked goods, as well as breakfast French toast or pancakes.  Maple Syrup is available in organic brands that are even fair trade.  The difference between organic and conventional maple syrup is that organic assures of quality and that our environment is protected.  The organic label limits the number of taps per tree.  Unlike conventional maple syrup, organic syrup cannot use formaldehyde in the tapping of the trees.  Conventional maple syrup used formaldehyde in the tree taps (even though they are not supposed to now, some still do it for convenience) and that gets into the maple syrup.  The organic label protects the woodland area and tree management and does not allow chemicals or pesticides in the area.  Fair Trade assures that the farmers are paid a fair price.  Always choose organic maple syrup.

Maple Syrup is sold by Grades that have to do with when the sap came from the tree.  The early tapping produces a finer, clearer, and lighter in flavor Grade A while the end of the season will produce the thicker, richer, deeper in color and flavor Grade B.  Grade B tends to be less expensive too.  I love the flavor of Grade B, especially for cooking.  It's a personal preference.

Maple Syrup is sweeter than sugar so when replacing sugar in a recipe we use less maple syrup (use 3/4 cup for every 1 cup of sugar) and cut back (3 tablespoons) on the other liquids in the recipe.  Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of Maple Syrup.

Maple Sugar is maple syrup in powdered form.  It has a lovely flavor and sweetness and can be combined with cinnamon and sprinkled onto bread for cinnamon toast or when making cinnamon buns.  It can be used to replace sugar in baked goods and you'll need less of it, maybe 1/2 as much, as it is sweeter.  Add a pinch of baking soda per cup of Maple Sugar.

Honey has a whopping 65 calories a tablespoon but you need less of it to sweeten the pot.  Studies indicate that people who eat honey have a higher polyphenols in their blood, so perhaps honey has antioxidant qualities as well!  Honey is a good alternative sweetener and adds additional flavor to tea, baked goods, and smoothies.  It's also makes a great glaze or sauce for chicken, fish, and meat. 

Honey adds a unique wonderful flavor to baked goods.  Choose a honey that you enjoy; flavors vary based upon the flowers in the surrounding area of the bee hive.  When replacing honey for sugar in baked goods, we have to remember that honey brings unique qualities.  Because honey is sweeter than sugar, replace 1 cup of sugar with a generous 3/4 cup of honey.  Because honey is liquid and adds liquid to a recipe, use 2-4 tablespoons less of other liquid in the recipe.  Because honey is more acidic than sugar, and add a pinch of baking soda (unless of course the recipe already calls for sour cream or buttermilk) to neutralize the added acid.  Since honey will make the baked good brown faster, reduce the cooking temperature by 25 degrees.  Honey will make the baked good darker and denser than sugar (think of a traditional honey cake) with a wonderful flavor and a delicious moist texture.

Choose organic honey since others can have pesticides and chemicals.  Conventional honey is gathered by bees from plants sprayed with pesticides and chemicals and those chemicals end up in the honey we eat.  Further, conventional bee keepers use sulfa compounds and antibiotics on the bees regularly.  At the end of the season when they are ready to extract the honey, conventional bee keepers will kill the bees with calcium cyanide and carbolic acid.  Organic bee keepers don't do that; they work with nature.  Getting organic honey is an expensive process.  The bees gather nectar from organic plants.  Since bees can fly around a certain area, the entire radius must be free of pesticides.  The plants depend upon the bees for pollination.  This furthers the entire organic process!  Supporting organic honey supports our earth. 

Sorghum is extracted from the sorghum cane (related to millet) and is similar to molasses in consistency, though the color and flavor is lighter.  It can replace honey or molasses in any recipe as long as the recipe also includes baking soda.  If replacing sugar with sorghum, we must decrease other liquids by 1/3 while increasing the amount of sorghum by 1/3 to the amount of sugar in the recipe.  If the recipe doesn't call for baking soda, we have to add 1/4 teaspoon.

Fruit Juice and fruit juice concentrates are fruit sugar or fructose but should not be confused with High Fructose Corn Sweetener which is very different.  As a general rule, fructose is a good choice for an alternate sweetener since it metabolizes slowly in the body and doesn't cause the surges like regular sugar.  Like sucrose, fructose can raise insulin levels and can have the same ill effects on health; however, fructose is low on the glycemic index.  Whole fruit, with fiber, pectin and nutrients intact, is a perfectly balanced snack (especially if you are healthy; if you have high blood pressure or other health concerns or are beginning a low carbohydrate diet, seek a doctor's advice, of course).  However, too much fructose can raise triglycerides.  And common sense dictates that if you are allergic to the fruit, you are allergic to the fruit concentrate of that juice.

Fruit juice should not be a standard drink for adults or children because it is high in sugar, but using fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate to sweeten your dish, is a good alternative to sugar. 

Since Fructose is sweeter than sugar and adds more liquid to a recipe, we adjust the recipe to use 1/3 less fructose than sugar.  The baked good will be moist and darker.

Fruit Juice Concentrates make great substitutes for sugar and add some flavor too.  Replace 1 cup of sugar with 3/4 cup of concentrate and reduce other liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons.

Apple Juice Concentrate can be used in cooking or sweetening drinks, it dissolves easily.  Orange Juice can be added to meals or baked goods which also adds flavor and sweetness instead of water.  I always add orange juice to the base for French toast.  Applesauce can be used to replace fat and add some sweetness to baked goods. 

Bananas, especially those with brown spots, can be used as a sweetener in smoothies, pancakes and even in baked goods!  Try using one cup of pureed bananas for one cup of sugar.   Mashed Bananas add sweetness to baked goods, as well as moisture and can replace some fat.  They add moistness and a gooey chewy texture so cooking time might need to be lengthened.  Very ripe bananas are sweetest and best for baking.  Frozen in chunks without the skin, they are great to have on hand to sweeten and froth up a cold smoothie.  Frozen Blueberries are great for that too!

Dates pureed with hot water can be used in the same way.

Date Sugar is created from grinding dried dates.  It is sweet with a wonderful flavor and can substitute regular sugar in recipes 1:1 while imparting more flavor, fiber, and nutrients.  However, it does not dissolve in liquid like sugar so it cannot be used in drinks.  In baking, use hot water to try and dissolve it and don't replace all the sugar in a recipe with date sugar.  It's particularly good used in the crumble topping on baked fruit.

Date Syrup is the consistency of honey and the color of molasses.

Malt Syrups like Brown Rice Syrups and Barley Malt Syrups may have corn syrup added so check the ingredients.  They are not as sweet as honey but have the consistency of honey.  Since brown rice syrup isn't absorbed as quickly by the body, this is a little bit lower on the glycemic index.

In baked goods we can substitute 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of malt syrup but the baked good will not be as sweet.  Since we're adding liquid with the syrup and since this is a thinner syrup, we have to cut back 1/4 cup on other liquid in the recipe. 

Agave Nectar, also called Agave Syrup, is a relatively new sweetener, developed in the 1990s.  It is naturally "tapped" like maple syrup.  It comes from the Agave cactus, native to Mexico, and best known for its use in making tequila.  It is similar in consistency to honey but pours more easily.  It dissolves nicely in liquid.  It is 10% glucose and 90% fructose, but this is fructose in it's natural form (unlike high fructose corn syrup).  It is absorbed more slowly by the body and is therefore lower on the glycemic index, eliminating the highs and lows of regular sugar.  It does have a slight but pleasant flavor to it; the lighter varieties have less than the darker varieties.  It contains minerals like Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium. 

Most all Agave you will find is organic, natural, unrefined, economical, raw, and kosher.

Like honey, it is sweeter than sugar so you need less of it.  Use it to flavor cold drinks like lemonade and iced tea instead of sugar.  You can even use it in your coffee or tea.  And it's perfect for smoothies.  Use it in vinaigrettes, on cereal, or as a glaze to fish or poultry.    Use it in place of sugar in your homemade ice cream.  You can use it anywhere you'd use honey, replace it in equal amounts. You can also use it in places you'd use maple syrup like atop pancakes or in desserts.  Use 3/4 cup to replace 1 cup of sugar in recipe.  Like honey, you must also reduce the liquids in recipe by 1/3.  It also helps to reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees if baking with it.  Baked goods come out moist and smooth with Agave.  Buy Agave

Golden Syrup is commonly used abroad (Lyle's Golden Syrup) and has a unique sweet delicious flavor.  This is the lighter syrup from the first boil of the sugar cane.  If you can't find it, you can swap it in the recipe in equal amounts with Corn Syrup or Honey. 

Amasake is made by fermenting sweet brown rice.

Natural Sweeteners that are probably okay in moderation.  Not high on the glycemic index but may have other things about which we should be concerned:

Stevia is from the leaves of an herb and is considered a natural sweetener and is better than any artificial sweetener.  It comes from the leaves of the South American plant, stevia rebaudiana, and is used to sweeten tea in Japan and South America.  It is sweeter than regular sugar (1 teaspoon of Stevia leaves or only 1/4 teaspoon of Stevia extract powder replaces 1 cup of sugar!) and has far fewer calories.  Since we need far less Stevia than a recipe would call for sugar, and since sugar has many other jobs in baking, we must adjust liquids in the recipe and use some sugar for tenderness, etc.  Stevia is beneficial in balancing blood sugar and it has antimicrobial properties.  There are no long term studies, though, so it's unknown if there are cancer causing elements.  European studies show potential infertility issues as well as depression, anxiety, cancer, and hyperactivity.  In small amounts, it is probably okay.  Advocates say it's been used for years and while the Japanese have used it since the 70s, they have used it little in their daily lives.  Us Americans think if a little is good, a lot is better, and there is not enough research on the effect of daily consumption in sodas and baked goods the way we would devour it.

Xylitol, Sorbitol, Malititol, & Mannitol also called sugar alcohols or polyols are actually neither sugar nor alcohol and are classified as a carbohydrate.   Polyols do not promote tooth decay.  These appear to be safe, for the most part.

Erythritol is a newer sugar alcohol to America.  It is granular and looks like sugar.  It tastes like sugar and is almost as sweet as sugar, but has no calories.  It can be used like sugar in recipes but you may have to add 30% more to compensate for the same sweet flavor.  No aftertaste like other sugar substitutes.  It does not dissolve as readily as regular sugar.  It is made from fermented sugar or corn that has been filtered and allowed to crystallize.  No chemicals are used to create organic erythirtol but if purchasing the one made from corn, be sure to get it only if organic because, as we all know, "conventional" corn is surely genetically modified.  Unlike other plyols, up to 90% of the ingested erythiritol is rapidly absorbed in the body and then excreted unchanged through urine.  Like xylitol, erythritol is does not cause tooth decay and may have the same laxative side effects for excessive (over 80 grams a day) as xylitol.

Xylitol may be used safely in small amounts, especially good for diabetics and people that are hypoglycemic.  Xylitol comes from the birch tree so it is technically natural.   Xylitol, in the small quantities, is seen as perfectly safe and actually good for us!  Xylitol can replace sugar 1:1.

It's used a lot in chewing gums because it actually inhibits bacterial growth so there is less chance of cavities.  A 1986 study indicates Xylitol is safe and actually got the highest and safest ADI (acceptable daily intake) rating. 

Studies show that xylitol inhibits the growth of bacteria that promote tooth decay so this gum will help you avoid cavities! It decreases plaque, hardens tooth enamel, cut dental acids, repairs emerging cavities, has a cooling effect in the mouth, has no aftertaste.  Studies also indicate xylitol is good to prevent ear infections.  They suspect, since it's the same bacteria that causes sinus infections, doctors think it will help prevent sinus infections as well.  Xylitol is known to stabilize insulin levels, stabilize hormone levels and generally promote good overall health.

You can also purchase xylitol from most holistic dentists to use as a sweetener in drinks and baked goods.  Xylitol is an alcohol-based sweetener and is therefore low on the glycemic index.  Because it is a sugar alcohol, our body does not convert it as fully as sucrose.  Excess amounts (more than 80 grams a day) turn into glucose (not good for diabetics!) or travel through our body unabsorbed which can have a laxative effect.   Extremely large amounts may produce weight gain, diarrhea, tumor growth, or dysfunction of brain, kidney, and liver. 

Sorbitol and Mannitol are extracted from corn.  Commonly used in chewing gum, yet they offer a good environment for bacteria to grow and cause cavities.  Not nearly as sweet as sugar, you'll need twice as much of either of these to replace sugar.  They are indeed low on the glycemic index.  There are some studies which indicate they may be carcinogenic but there are just not enough studies on these sweeteners.  Large amounts can cause gas and diarrhea.  Mannitol is about half as sweet as sugar.

Malititol is almost as sweet as sugar and offers a creamy texture to baked goods so can replace some of the fat as well.

Erythritol, like Stevia, has been used in Japan in small amounts.  Found in fermented foods and some fruits, this sweetener is derived from corn.  Erythritol has been used since 1990 in chocolates, candies and chewing gum, jam and jelly, yogurts, drinks, and baked goods.  It is very low on the glycemic index, low in calories, and is viewed as a "natural" sweetener.  Studies indicate that most of it leaves the body intact.  In limited amounts, a gram a day per kilogram of body weight, this is seen as a safe alternative sweetener.  It looks like sugar and is 60 - 80% as sweet but doesn't perform the same in baked goods and doesn't have the same taste and "mouth feel" in products using it.  Because of that, it is often paired with chemical artificial sweeteners to mimic sugar's richness, taste, sweetness, and to down play the artificial aftertaste common to chemical sweeteners.  It is GRAS (generally recognized as safe) by the FDA.

Licorice Root is used in some natural candies as a sweetener.  When the entire root is used, there have been no ill effects, however in excess, or when glycyrrhizin is taken from the root alone, this sweetener can cause blood sugars to rise, water retention, and hypertension.  Used in small amounts, like in coffee or tea, it should be fine, even for diabetics, especially in it's whole form.

Seems the whole world is on artificial sweeteners and we can't exist without saccharine or NutraSweet or Splenda.   Some people choose them because they actually think an artificial sweetener is healthier than sugar.  It is not.  All artificial sweeteners are poisons.  And isn't it ironic that most people who are using these sugar-free substitutes are overweight and don't seem to lose weight.  It's no coincidence.  Are artificial sweeteners helping us fight the battle of the bulge? 

You grab a diet soda each day to help you lose weight; at this point, it has simply become a habit.  Yet, there are no studies which prove that diet sodas help us lose weight!  In actuality, the very opposite is likely true.  The sweetness of the soda tends to stimulate our appetite, especially for more sweets.  A recent study found that people who drank diet soda had a greater likelihood of being obese and overweight, even over people who drank regular soda!  Why is that?  Diet soda triggers our craving for sugar. 

In addition, diet soda lulls one into a false sense of security that it's okay to eat something else.   How many people have you seen drink a diet soda with a dessert loaded with sugar, fat and empty white flour! 

As if that wasn't enough, diet soda also triggers our body to STORE more fat! 

So there you are, thinking you're doing the right thing and thinking you're going to lose weight.  You drink your diet soda, that makes you want something sweet, you figure you deserve a little something since you saved all those calories, you get a dessert or a little something extra, you end up eating more calories in the day, and then your body holds on to the fat instead of releasing it.  That sounds like a plan!

And what are we fighting against here?  Remember that a gram sugar only contains 4 measly calories (a teaspoon is about 15; a tablespoon is 45).  While sugar has it's own issues, if you're going to indulge, on occasion, make it real.

Note:  if you're diabetic, then you have reasons to seek alternate sweet sources, but choose your alternate sweetener wisely.  There are many natural sweeteners that are much safer than any artificial sweeteners.  Best bet, once you stop eating so many sweets you will stop craving sweets and be healthier for it.  Diabetics also need to watch intake of breads and other empty carbohydrates that can raise insulin levels.

Aspartame a/k/a NutraSweet a/k/a  Equal breaks down to phenylalanine and aspartic acid in our hot bodies and when heated.  The methanol in Aspartame converts into formaldehyde in our bodies.  Formaldehyde is a poison known to damage the immune and nervous system as well as cause genetic damage.  Aspartame breaks down the protective coating surrounding neurons in our brain; this causes a break in the blood-brain barrier which allows toxins to move directly into the bloodstream.  Asparatame should never be given to children.  People with PKU (phenylketonuria) should never use it either.   Almost half of aspartame itself is a toxin, technically an excitotoxin, Aspartate.  About 10% of the population has a tendency to MS but never actually have the symptoms, and these people can be pushed into full blown MS with continual usage of products with Aspartame.  "Recent studies have also shown that even a single exposure.." can have long-term effects. ('Sweet Misery')  Since it is in thousands of products, it's easy to consume a lot of this and over a longer period of time, this constant ingestion will lead to holes in your brain, illness and death.  CHEC on Aspartame.  Consuming products with Aspartame may lead to:

• birth defects
• brain cancer
• brain damage
• chronic fatigue
• diabetes
• dizziness
• emotional disorders
• Epilepsy
• Graves Disease
• headaches
• inferior short-term memory
• Lou Gehrig's Disease
• lowered intelligence
• lowered sperm count
• migraines
• MS - Multiple Sclerosis
• Parkinson's Disease symptoms
• seizures

Aspartame can also be under the name Neotame, Aspertame (misspelling of Aspartame).

Acesulfame K is Acesulfame Potassium and found in Sweet One, Swiss Sweet and Sunnet and is called E Number in Europe for the code E950 listed in ingredients.  To mask the bitter aftertaste, additional chemicals like Sodium Ferulate or other artificial sweeteners may be used with products that contain Ace K.  Found in many diet sodas. 

Sugar Twin or Cyclamates is another artificial sweetener.  This chemical has been banned in the U.S. since 1970 based upon the possible link with cancer.

When Saccharin was found to cause cancer in 1977, the U.S. made an exception, as long as Saccharin affixed a warning, and it was not banned because there were no alternative sweeteners for diabetics at the time.   Saccharin or Sweet 'n Low has been around the longest of any artificial sweetener and has had the most studies on it's possible effects.  It is much sweeter than sugar.  Low on the glycemic index, but saccharin may lead to:

• cancer

Splenda or Sucralose have the least amount of studies surrounding this chemical (under 100!) (yet it's in EVERYTHING!)and what little research has been done shows that it may lead to:

• Diarrhea
• Shrunken Thymus Glands
• Enlarged Liver
• Enlarged Kidneys
• Atrophy of Lymph follicles in the Spleen and Thymus
• Increased cecal weight
• Reduced growth rate
• Decreased red blood cell count
• Hyperplasia of the pelvis
• Extension of the pregnancy period
• Aborted pregnancy
• Decreased fetal body weights
• Lower placenta weights
• other dangers because it has small amounts of toxins:  pesticides, metals, even lead

While no sweetener is not without it's controversy, artificial sweeteners can be quite damaging to our health and may cause serious illness.  It's best to avoid them completely.  I'd probably go with small amounts of Stevia or Xylitol over any artificial sweetener.
 

• Eliminate Soda as much as possible.  Personally, our family rarely if ever drinks soda.  I'm always shocked when I see a parent feeding their child soda.  There is just no reason for it nutritionally and it's setting up bad habits.  It increases your child's risk of cavities and the likelihood of them becoming overweight.  I know every parent wants what is best for their child.  I realize that in many cases we simply repeat what our parents did and if we don't know, we can't change.  Soda is not food.  Soda is empty calories and actually, once your taste buds have cleared to real food, most really don't taste good.  Soda isn't nutrition, has way too much sugar, decays teeth, ages us beyond our years, stimulates appetite, simply is of no value to our bodies.  Of course, if you must indulge on occasion, there are organic alternatives, but any soda should be consumed sparingly if at all.
• Eliminate Corn Syrup.  There are alternatives.  We don't have anything with corn syrup in our home.  Read labels diligently and especially cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup.
• Greatly reduce "sweets" from our diet.  This is the tough one, especially with kids, but I find that once sugars are reduced or eliminated, fruit has a new level of sweetness.  We use frozen fruits to sweeten smoothies, for example.  Of course we allow for the occasional chocolate, especially dark chocolate but overall we try our best to decrease the sweets while still offering cookies and snacks on occasion so the children don't feel deprived.  It's important to us that they shouldn't feel that they need to stuff their faces with junk when they are away from us because they never had it.  We also explain why we are making these choices because when they are at school, they need the tools to make their own decisions .  So far, I'm proud to say, it's working!  The teachers have actually stopped me to explain that my children pass on the candies, doughnuts, cookies, and other snacks offered at school.  (Don't even get me started on the junk offered in schools in the first place!)  Instead we bring our own snacks so they can have something at snack time.  They make their own good choices. 
• Eliminate sweetener from coffee or tea.  If you want to drink coffee or tea, try getting a taste for it without chemical or natural sweeteners.  If you must, use a little sugar or natural sweetener.  Honey or Agave could be used in tea very easily and also do a great job in lemonade! 
• Choose fruit and enjoy the splendor of it's sweetness!  Once off lots of sugar, you will delight in the flavor of a piece of fruit.  To intensify the sweetness, try dried fruits like dried mangos!
• Use natural alternatives to refined processed white sugar.  Many options listed on this page.

BUY SAFER SWEETENERS NOW

 

• The Murky World of High Fructose Corn Syrup, Weston A Price Foundation
• Why HFCS May Make Your Fat, Today Show
• How Sweet it Isn't, Miami Herald, March 2004
• Sweet Poison
• Repeal of Saccharin Warning Label Leaves Consumer Group with Bitter Aftertaste
• Saccharin
• Fructose Sweetener Linked to Obesity Rise, Comcast
• Aspartame is Not Safe, David Oliver Rietz
• Holistic Med Healthier Sweetener Resources
• Organic Honey:  The Sweet Healer, the O'Mama Report
• Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills
• Chemicals, CHEC
• Stevia.Net
• 'Sweet Misery' Chronicles Medical Horrors of Aspartame
• Experimenting with Sugar, All Recipes
• How Baking Works, Baking 911
• Functions of Baking Ingredients, NebFacts
• Sugars and Honey FAQs, Real Food Living
• Natural Sweeteners, LivRite
• Stevia: A Bittersweet Tale, Nutrition Action

• Next Generation Sugar Substitute Erythritol, Nutrition Science News

• Diet Drinks won't Provide Shield from Extra Pounds, Study Shows Sodas in General Increase the Odds of Gaining Weight in Middle Age, Houston Chronicle

• Sweet Savvy reviews recipes and natural sweeteners by Debra Lynn Dadd

• Sugar, Answers.com

• The Nutrition Bible, Jean Anderson and Barbara Deskins, PhD, RD

• Big Sugar: Sweet, White and Deadly

• Dr. Mercola
  • Killer Sugar
  • 124 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
  • Aspartame:  What you Don't Know Can Hurt You
  • Potential Dangers of Sucralose, Dr. Mercola
  • Yes, You Can Be Dependent on Sugar
  • Dr. Mercola, Total Health Cookbook

Disclaimer:  These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.  These pages are not presented as medical advice.  Always contact their health care professional before adding new foods to your diet.  Information on whether these sweeteners are safe for diabetics is not intended to be a final answer and you should consult your doctor for verification.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of  Delicious Organics, Inc., unless otherwise noted. Articles are synopsis of our opinions based upon research we've done on these issues and we retain copyright to all information and articles contained herein.  We've provided links for further research and encourage you to make your own opinions based upon the information we provide as well as any information you find contrary to our opinion.  We see this site as an easy summary of the many issues we research and a good starting point for you to use.  We encourage each of us to continue researching and learn more about how we can live a better and healthier life in a cleaner and stronger world.  We DO it for ourselves, our children, our environment and our future.