Sugar…Part 3…Searching for Alternatives

Sugar…Part 3…Searching for Alternatives

Now that you’ve given up sugar, there are times when your sweet tooth attacks and you would like to have something other than fruit as a sweet treat…or maybe you wish to bake something sweet. I looked over the different alternatives and their various side effects.

1. SUCROSE…this is table sugar. 16 calories per teaspoon and has no nutritional benefits.
side effects include: tooth decay, obesity, insulin resistance, elevated triglycerides, high blood
pressure, hypoglycemia, yeast infections, inflammatory bowel disease and hardening of the arteries.

2. ACESLULFAME-K…Sunette, Sweet One. 0 Calories.
a potassium salt containing methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.
side effects include: long term exposure can cause nausea, headaches, mood problems, impairment
of liver and kidneys, problems with eyesight and possibly cancer.

3. ASPARTAME…equal, NutraSweet. 0 Calories.
phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol.
side effects include: headaches, fibromyalgia, anxiety, memory loss, arthritis, abdominal pain,
irritable bowel syndrome, seizures, neurological disorders, vision problems, brain tumors and
weight gane.

4. SUCRALOSE…Splenda 0 Calories.
A synthetic additive created by chlorinating sugar. The chemical structure of the chlorine in
sucralose is almost the same as that in the now banned pesticide DDT.
side effects include: head and muscle aches, stomach cramps, diarrhea, bladder issues, skin
irritations, dizziness and inflammation.
Research has shown that sucralose can cause shrinking of the thymus gland. It reduces healthy
intestinal bacteria needed for proper digestion and can impact the effectiveness of prescription
and other drugs.

5. SACCHARIN…Sweet’n low 0 Calories
A sulfa based sweetener. It’s primary ingredient is benzoic sulfilimine.
side effects include: nausea, diarrhea, skin problems.

6. STEVIA…REBIANA…Truvia, Pure Via 0 Calories
It is made from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, a native of South America.
side effects include: can cause an allergic reaction if you have a pre-existing allergy to
chrysanthemums, marigolds, ragweed or daisies. It can lead to feelings of nausea and decreased
appetite. Can lead to adverse reaction if consumed with certain medications…lithium, diabetes
medications. Can lead to aching and sore muscles or a feeling of numbness and dizziness. Not
recommended if you are breast feeding.

7. NATURAL SWEETENERS…fruit juices, nectars, honey, molasses and maple syrup.

I personally have decided to leave the artificial sweeteners alone and will persevere with being basically off all sugar and if I am going to make something at home, will be experimenting with sweetening with fruit, some honey, molasses and maple syrup.
The information above was taken from basically http://www.fitday.com
www. ehow.com
http://www.livestrong.com
all three websites have a wealth of information about the various sweeteners if you need more information. I always feel that we need to make intelligent choices with our health…to think for ourselves.
til next time…Eva