Choose Your Sweetener Wisely! (Part 2)

Sucrose (C12H22O11), Saccharose, Table Sugar

Found in many plants but mainly extracted from cane or beet juice chemically processed by removing all the fiber and protein, which is 90% of the natural plant, leaving behind refined sucrose. This sugar creates an over acid condition in the body resulting in bone lose, as well as brittle and porous bones. Sugar is an addictive substance, the results of sugar disease is malnutrition, weakened immune system, reduction of normal brain function, weight control, heart disease, tooth decay, stomach problems, allergies, sinusitis, asthma, head aches, fatigue, depression, blood pressure and blood sugar problems just to name a few. Sugar products feed one-celled organisms such as mold, yeast, and parasites, which create bloating and other intestinal problems. (Sugar Blues by William Dufty)

Buyer Information: Sucrose, Maltose, Lactose, Glucose, Dextrose, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, all are forms of sugar that is refined. Despite moves toward artificial sweeteners, refined sugars make up the majority of industrial sweeteners. Read your labels, find "No Added Sugar" products and make a move to kick the sugar habit. It is found in restaurants in the United States generally in a white packet.

Facts by Wikipedia:

  • People, and in fact most other mammals except members of the cat family, will gladly accept a food sweetened with sucrose, even if they aren't hungry.
  • Other (minor) commercial sources for sucrose are sorghum and sugar maples.

Stevia

The leaves of this Paraguayan plant are not only sweet but also highly nutritious. 300 times sweeter than sugar, 1/3 teaspoon of Stevia extract equals 1 cup of sugar with zero calories and zero carbohydrates. Remains stable at extreme temperatures and does not adversely affect blood sugar-so it is safe for diabetics and hypoglycemics. It improves digestion and gastrointestinal functions, soothes upset stomachs, promotes pancreatic health, strengthens the immune system, enhances the body's own production of vitamins, helps prevent overgrowth of candida (yeast), helps control formation of free radicals, supports liver health. It is one of the most beneficial plants on earth.

Buyer Information: Not all brands are created equal. Personally, I have found Wisdom of the Ancients brand to be the best tasting. Too much of this sweetener can create a bitter taste. Use sparingly! Stevia has been banned in the European Union, Singapore and Hong Kong due to unverified concerns that steviol, a principal metabolite of the stevia extract 'stevioside' could be a mutagen. It's use in the United States, Australia and Canada has been limited to be legally defined as a dietary supplement and can not be used commercially despite 35 years of use in Japan (where it accounts for 40% of the sweetener market) without documented side-effects.

Facts by Wikipedia:

  • Stevia is cultivated and used in food in east Asia, including in China (since 1984), Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia, in part of South American (Brazil, Paraguay), and Uruguay and in Israel.
  • China is the world's largest exporter of the stevia extract, stevioside.

Sweet & Slender

This natural sweetener is a blend of fructose (fruit sugar) and the Luo Han Guo Fruit. This fruit is intensely sweet and is native to southern China where the people have used it for centuries. Having zero calories as well as being low on the glycemic index it is 8 to 10 times sweeter than sugar and 5 times sweeter than fructose. Can be used in hot and cold beverages as well as baking and cooking. 1/8 teaspoon equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. It is thermogenic and therefore helps your body burn stored fat.

Buyer Information: Wisdom of the Ancients is the only company that produces this product. Extremely sweet a little goes a long way. Available in health food stores.

Facts by ITM Online:

  • Luo Han Guo Fruit 80% Extracts are nearly 250 times sweeter than sugar with the pure mogrosides 4 and 5 of the extract being estimated at 400 times sweeter than regular sucrose.
  • A process for making a useful sweetener from Luo Han Guo was patented in 1995 by Procter and Gamble Company, however too many additonal flavors were present that its use as an industrial sweetener was not advised.

The Conclusion

The body pays a heavy price for the choices that are made. All known adult and children diseases today can be attributed to a life full of sweets with blame being put on a lot of innocent food items that are essential and necessary for good health. A refined sugar free eating program can change your life. Trying to kick this drug habit is difficult but it can be done. If you can manage to stay away from it for one month it will no longer have the hold on you that it had before. It is easy with herbs like Stevia to help you accomplish this task. If you need more information to help you kick the sugar habit please feel free to use the contact form to let me know.

-- Jeanie L. Anderson CNHP
February 11, 2005 (Part 1)
February 28, 2005 (Part 2)

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