Artificial Sweeteners and Natural Sweeteners Have Side Effects
There are a lot of sweeteners out there you can use to sweeten whatever you eat or drink, but there are a lot of things to consider in trying to find the right one. If you have been trying to decipher between all the choices in natural sweeteners or artificial sweeteners available to you on the market these days, you are not alone. Many people are searching for the best sweetening solution that will fit into their health and/or diet plan. Here are a few fast facts about sweeteners for your consideration.
The first thing to consider is artificial versus all natural sweeteners. With the ability of man to engineer very complex things these days it is no wonder we have available several chemicals that work to sweeten drinks and foods but not provide calories or other side effects the chemical was engineered to avoid. There are also various other natural sweeteners that mother nature has invented for us that add wonderful flavor to the foods we eat and drink. My tendency is to always go with whatever is as close to mother nature as possible. Regardless of man made or natural, our bodies are going to react differently with different substances.
The most common artificial sweeteners being widely distributed under many different names are Sucralose and Aspartame. Engineered to trick your body of its sweetness upon entry and exit the body without being broken down like a carbohydrate or leaving behind those unwanted calories, artificial sweeteners have become very popular. However, as time passes, reports are mounting of the negative side effects of these impostors. These side effects include headaches, migraines, upset stomach and even seizures. In addition to having potentially dangerous side effects you might also consider that cooking with artificial sweeteners is less than desirable. Aspartame breaks down in heat and becomes useless and because of all the filler required, Sucralose will leave your food sweet to the taste but quite dry in texture. Be sure to consider the long term effects of going artificial. It might be cheap and it might be easy but since when has cheap and easy ever had lasting benefit.
Quickly catching up in popularity are the all natural sweeteners. Some of them you may have heard of are Erythritol, Xylitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol and Stevia. All of these are 100% natural and sweet to the taste. However, just because it is all natural doesn't mean it won't have side effects. Three of the above mentioned seem to stand out as better alternatives to sugar; Erythritol, Xylitol and Stevia. Xylitol and Stevia will cause digestion issues if you aren't careful with the quantity you consume. Erythritol however is digested differently by the body and will not cause gastric pain. Another nice benefit of Erythritol is that it is the only one that doesn't promote tooth decay and it is the only one on the list to be zero calorie.
Found in fruits and vegetables, Erythritol is approximately 70% as sweet as sugar. As listed above it is considered calorie free and will digest very quick and easily in you body leaving no gastric pain commonly caused by natural products. Another great benefit of Erythritol is that it does not affect the blood sugar levels making it an excellent choice for diabetics. Erythritol can be found online or in stores and used as a natural sweetener on its own. Some products are now available that use Erythritol as the base blended with a super sweet ingredient to bring the sweetness level up with sugar. The properties of Erythritol make it great for cooking as well.
The above paragraphs are very basic and only a glimpse into the world of sugar alternatives. There are a lot of factors to consider and huge number of opinions to filter through. Hopefully the thought process shared in this article will help you get a little closer to finding the right fit for you. - 17273
The first thing to consider is artificial versus all natural sweeteners. With the ability of man to engineer very complex things these days it is no wonder we have available several chemicals that work to sweeten drinks and foods but not provide calories or other side effects the chemical was engineered to avoid. There are also various other natural sweeteners that mother nature has invented for us that add wonderful flavor to the foods we eat and drink. My tendency is to always go with whatever is as close to mother nature as possible. Regardless of man made or natural, our bodies are going to react differently with different substances.
The most common artificial sweeteners being widely distributed under many different names are Sucralose and Aspartame. Engineered to trick your body of its sweetness upon entry and exit the body without being broken down like a carbohydrate or leaving behind those unwanted calories, artificial sweeteners have become very popular. However, as time passes, reports are mounting of the negative side effects of these impostors. These side effects include headaches, migraines, upset stomach and even seizures. In addition to having potentially dangerous side effects you might also consider that cooking with artificial sweeteners is less than desirable. Aspartame breaks down in heat and becomes useless and because of all the filler required, Sucralose will leave your food sweet to the taste but quite dry in texture. Be sure to consider the long term effects of going artificial. It might be cheap and it might be easy but since when has cheap and easy ever had lasting benefit.
Quickly catching up in popularity are the all natural sweeteners. Some of them you may have heard of are Erythritol, Xylitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol and Stevia. All of these are 100% natural and sweet to the taste. However, just because it is all natural doesn't mean it won't have side effects. Three of the above mentioned seem to stand out as better alternatives to sugar; Erythritol, Xylitol and Stevia. Xylitol and Stevia will cause digestion issues if you aren't careful with the quantity you consume. Erythritol however is digested differently by the body and will not cause gastric pain. Another nice benefit of Erythritol is that it is the only one that doesn't promote tooth decay and it is the only one on the list to be zero calorie.
Found in fruits and vegetables, Erythritol is approximately 70% as sweet as sugar. As listed above it is considered calorie free and will digest very quick and easily in you body leaving no gastric pain commonly caused by natural products. Another great benefit of Erythritol is that it does not affect the blood sugar levels making it an excellent choice for diabetics. Erythritol can be found online or in stores and used as a natural sweetener on its own. Some products are now available that use Erythritol as the base blended with a super sweet ingredient to bring the sweetness level up with sugar. The properties of Erythritol make it great for cooking as well.
The above paragraphs are very basic and only a glimpse into the world of sugar alternatives. There are a lot of factors to consider and huge number of opinions to filter through. Hopefully the thought process shared in this article will help you get a little closer to finding the right fit for you. - 17273
About the Author:
Jamis Hartley, as an advocate for healthy foods and promoter of healthy eating has discovered Doctor Grandma's Natural Sweeteners to have the best performance in flavor and function as an alternative to sugar. Jamis also shares Doctor Grandma's love for Healthy Breakfast Foods.
posted by X - Men at
1:27 PM
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