“If only a small fraction of what is already known about the effects of sugar were to be revealed in relation to any other material used as a food additive, that material would promptly be banned.”
- John Yudkin, MD
Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison says, “If you could make one simple change in your diet to help you melt fat, sleep better, and improve your memory… wouldn’t you do it? What if that same simple dietary change could increase your energy, conquer depression, save your eyesight, restore your mental alertness, get your bedroom energy rockin‘, and increase your lifespan?”
“It’s as simple as reducing the amount of sugar you eat.” (The average American now consumes a whopping 3 to 5 pounds per week!)
Simple maybe, but not easy. Most if not all of us have at least some need for a sweet fix. It tastes good and makes us feel good initially. And it’s addicting.
“In a study comparing the addictive properties of sweeteners, saccharin and sucrose proved more addictive than cocaine!”
There is more bad news about artificial sweeteners. He says they are actually drugs in disguise. Splenda, he says, was created in a pesticides lab. Aspertame is dangerous, too. I remember when Sacharine was banned. The company that made Sweet ‘n Low was reportedly well connected enough to get it back on the market. Cyclamate was banned in the US in 1966, but is still used in some other countries. Interestingly, saccharine is banned in Canada but not cyclamate.
“Over time, “sweetener addiction” leads to the hard-to-diagnose symptoms, and a host of dreaded diseases like insulin resistance, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. To avoid the sabotage, you must understand how to get your sweet fix without becoming addicted.”
There are several safe alternatives to artificial sweeteners: erythritol, stevia, agave, xylitol and luo han guo.
Choosing which natural sweetener to use depends on which one tastes best to you. Agave nectar usually wins. It stimulates taste buds exactly the same way sucrose does. But unlike common table sugar, very little of its active ingredient – inulin – is absorbed. Therefore, you are protected from the dangers of sugar addiction.
As a “nectar,” agave is a bit harder to bake with. This is where erythritol wins.
All natural sweeteners are known to help control appetite, keep insulin and blood sugar low, and prevent the formation of AGE products. None of them are addicting, nor will they diminish your lifespan, he claims.
I use stevia occasionally, but I can’t say that I’m wild about it. It still reminds me of an artificial sweetener. I prefer to avoid sugar altogether (although I haven’t made that step yet) rather than use an artificial sweetener. The effect just doesn’t work for me.
I used to eat a lot of sweets when my children were small. I baked cookies, quick breads, and muffins on a regular basis. At the time, I thought it was wholesome food because I used whole wheat flour and other whole food ingredients. We didn’t keep candy in the house except small amounts for holidays.
Since my mom died so young, I wanted to do whatever I could to live a healthier life. I determined to kick my sweet tooth. It took time, but little by little I worked toward making healthier choices. Just using less sugar than I really wanted in iced tea allowed me to gradually reduce the amount I actually wanted to begin with.
Still, I do have some sweeteners in my diet and should continue to find ways to cut back. Karla, at Looking Toward Heaven, recently received an ultimatum from her doctor -”Get off sugar!!!!!!” (She says he wrote it down just like that.) I was impressed that he didn’t just send her for a bunch of tests or write another prescription. Her post inspired me to dig up the above information which included the list of natural alternatives.
Since stevia hasn’t been a big hit, I think I’ll try the agave nectar and see how that works out.
Update: According to this article, concern about the use of artificial sweeteners is increasing. It includes links to additional research reports, etc.
Filed under: Health | Tagged: Artificial Sweeteners, Health, Sugar
Great post- on New Year’s I resolved to cut back my sugar intake, mainly by not having dessert EVERY night. It was so hard those first few nights, because I was really craving the sugar.
The next few nights were better and after a week, I didn’t have a sugar craving at all. In 2 weeks I lost those last 10 baby pounds I haven’t been able to lose in almost two years. Plus, my skin seemed a lot brighter, and not as dry.
I have seen such a difference by eliminating just that amount of sugar in a dessert. Like so many other things, we have too much sugar in our diets.
I switched out my Splenda about a year ago with NuNaturals white stevia powder and love it. Some of the other sweetners were too bitter for me, but I would highly recommend this one, if you like Splenda, Equal, etc. It is so much sweeter too than artificial ones- I can use half a packet in my iced tea, where I was using 1 or 2 packets of Splenda.
Thanks for the informative post, and it has helped me resolve to keep watching my family’s sugar intake.
Thanks for the great comment. Congratulations on making the changes – and for losing the weight. That’s an awesome accomplishment.
I need to get better about this as well. I had been doing so well but allowed myself to creep back up in sugar intake. I’m with you about stevia. It just doesn’t taste very good. I’d much rather just learn to do without, or at least with much less, sugar.
If all doctors would write a prescription right on that small prescription pad that reads “NO MORE SUGAR!!!”, maybe that would prompt more people to take a look at their unhealthy toxic diets. Sugar has been referred to as “suicide in a spoon” and soda is known as “osteoporosis in a can”. If you would push that chocolate cake away (or take just a very small taste) and remember that all those baked goods, the processed foods, almost everything you eat contains unhealthy amounts of sugar. And if that doesn’t alarm you, consider that your body has to pull nutrients from your immune system in order to digest all that sugar. So you are literally removing all the tools that nature put there to protect your body. Get that sugar out of your life right now! You will see the difference immediately in terms of more energy, a more positive outlook on life, a chance to live that healthier life, and of course that brass ring – weight loss…….! Enough said – just do it!