Let food be thy medicine ~ Hippocrates, father of medicine.
Food is information - "The very foods you choose to eat are changing the expression of your DNA" ~ Dr. David Permutter, MD.
So what does all that mean? Simplified it means that every morsel of food, every molecule, is affecting your health. Therefore, if health is your end goal, you will want to put in mostly nourishing, health giving foods and limit or eliminate toxic or health robbing foods.
Next up on the list are sweeteners.
We all love our sweets, it's just built into our DNA and taste buds, in fact, sugar increases levels of dopamine (as do drugs like heroin). Unfortunately, the current epidemic of obesity and rising rates of diabetes all point to the consumption of too much added sugar in the diet. So while we all need a little something sweet every now and again be very mindful of just how much sugar you are taking in.
Glycemic Index (GI) - This is a comparative tool to let you know how much your blood sugar will spike with different sweeteners. Regular table sugar has a GI of 100 - so that's your gold standard. The lower the GI the better in terms of raising blood glucose. But that is not the only factor to consider, we also have to consider if the compound robbing you of your health.
Requirements
It's sweet and tastes good! (Obviously)
It doesn't harm your health (caveat - when eaten in strict moderation)
The Short List
1) Sugar Alcohols - Specifically Xylitol (GI 12) & Erythritol (GI 1). These sweeteners are great to bake with or use any other place you would normally use sugar. Erythritol has 0 calories to xylitol's 10 per teaspoon.
Some people do experience intestinal distress when ingesting too much of these compounds. Erythritol is the better tolerated of the two but Xylitol has been shown to have benefits for dental health. The best way to use them is to start out small and gradually increase the amount you use. There are other sugar alcohols like Sorbitol and Mannitol but I find them to be less well tolerated.
Erythritol should be from a GMO-free source - personally, I use Anthony's Brand.
Xylitol should be made from North American Hardwoods to avoid the xylitol made with GMO corn from China -I use the Xyla Brand
2) Honey (GI 50) - Buy Raw and Unfiltered local honey if you can. It's wonderful in a cup of tea or drizzled over just about anything. Honey has a whole host of health benefits including increasing antioxidant levels, lowering cholesterol and inflammation markers. It's also antiviral and antibacterial. It can be used in skincare products, to promote wound healing and as a sleep aid (drink 1 tablespoon of honey + 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in warm water before bed).
3) Organic Sugar (GI 100) - Sometimes you just need to use sugar. Very rarely, but if you need it buy the organic version. For me that rare instance is when making my own Kombucha, the little critters in the SCOBY digest the sugar and create all the good probiotics. Depending on the length of fermentation only a fraction of the sugar remains.
The Second String
4) Stevia (GI 0) - I am not a fan of stevia, for me, it has that bitter aftertaste. But a lot of people do like the taste. As with everything brand matters, some of the more commercial stevia products use fillers and are highly processed (i.e. Truvia®). The SweetLeaf brand is one that most health conscious people endorse. They also make flavored drops which can add a little excitement to your coffee without the calories.
5) Coconut Sugar (GI 35) - This sugar derived from coconuts has a really nice flavor and I particularly love it in my chai tea with cream. Just one more sweetener in your arsenal and you may find you love it.
The Crap List - Get these out of your life and off your ingredient labels
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) - This cheap sweetener made from corn starch is used in sodas (Coke, Pepsi, etc.), ketchup and a whole host of other products. Read the ingredient labels carefully and don't buy brands that use this sweetener. As quoted in this article:
Joshua Rabinowitz, a metabolism researcher at Princeton University. In humans, too much fructose puts the liver at risk for conditions such as fatty liver disease, and raises the overall risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes
Artificial Sweeteners - Aspartame (NutraSweet® and Equal®), Saccharine (Sweet 'N Low®), Sucralose (Splenda®). Granted these sweeteners have no calories which is what has made them attractive to the dieting public their health ramifications outweigh the benefit of these compounds. These have been shown to alter your gut microbiota and increase your chances of becoming glucose intolerant, which leads to diabetes. They also have been shown to play a role in developing metabolic disease which is a complex resulting in weight gain, elevated fasting blood glucose, and elevated blood sugar.
These crap sweeteners are all over the place, in your sodas, in your salad dressings, condiments, cereal, bread etc. When shopping at the grocery store read each and every ingredient label before you put it in your cart - you might be surprised at what you find lurking in your favorite brands. It takes a little detective work but you can find alternatives - for example, organic ketchup doesn't use the HFCS where the traditional one does.
Conclusion
We all love a little sweet treat every now and again but moderation is key. When you drink sodas, even the diet kind, or have a candy bar daily your body becomes accustomed to always having the sweet taste and then you crave more and more putting yourself in the downward spiral toward diabetes and metabolic disease. All those extra calories get converted straight to fat and who wants that? Use Sweeteners that are healthful in small quantities and try to reduce your dependence on sweet things, then when you do have that sweet treat it is truly just a treat and not a way of life.
In Peace, Love and Health
T
(The Full Monty - links to Amazon products in my posts are "Affiliate Links" meaning you won't pay a penny more for the product but I may get a small commission for pointing you in the right direction)
Previous Post in the Series:
Clean the Crap Out of Kitchen - Part I - Cooking Oils and Fats
References:
Why Sugar Makes Us Feel So Good
Are Xylitol, Sorbitol, and Other Sugar Alcohols Safe Replacements For Sugar?
How Artificial Sweeteners Wreak Havoc on Your Gut
Sugar-and-Sweetener-Guide Glycemic Index for Sweeteners
Does It Matter If A Sweetener Is "Natural"?