Artificial and Natural Sugar Substitutes, Sugar & Sugar Types


Why You should Avoid Sugars?

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate like all other refined foods and should be avoided. All types of sugars are only empty calories, have no nutrition value, raise the insulin levels rapidly, and damage the blood sugar balance. The raised insulin levels make fat that is stored in the body.

Chemical Formula of Sugar

The common table sugar or cane sugar is Sucrose whose chemical formula (molecular formula) is C11H22O11

Fructose (also called fruit sugar) and Glucose (or dextrose) both have molecular formula C6H12O6/, but differ in structure.




Eating too much sugar increases your risk for heart disease such as higher triglycerides and lower levels of HDL cholesterol; and also makes you fat, reports Dr. Miriam Vos of Emory School of Medicine in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Apr 2010).

Daily Sugar Intake : How Much Daily Sugar?

The American Heart Association warns that too much sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. The association recommends (Aug 2009) that women should not eat more than 100 calories per day from sugar, i.e 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added processed sugar a day, while men should keep it to just 150 calories or 9 teaspoons (37.5 grams).

Sugar Facts

  1. Note that all sugars are the same, white or brown or crystals or cubes, so far as the blood sugar is concerned. Brown sugar is as bad as white sugar. Even sugar substitutes are damaging, as they are chemicals.

    Sugar Type
    100g

    Sugar
    gram

    Sugars, granulated100.0
    Sugars, powdered97.9
    Sugars, brown96.3
    Honey82.1
  2. If a label says "no added sugar" or "sugar free", that does not mean that it does not contain sugar of any kind! They may be using different forms of sugars, viz., Sucrose, Fructose, Glucose, Dextrose, Lactose, and Maltose. Remember the -ose at the end of each word. Also avoid maltodextrin as
  3. A can of soft drink can contain about 8-10 teaspoon of sugar! The diet varieties contain chemical sweeteners. We don't know what these chemicals are doing to our body.
    The sweeteners slow down the digestive process and increase the appetite. The American Cancer Society has reported that people who regularly use artificial sugars tend to gain weight.
    It is always better to use natural sugar substitutes like stevia or maple syrup.
  4. Read the food labels. The higher up sugar appears on the ingredient list, the more the product contains. A food with less than 5 g sugar per 100 g is considered low sugar food while foods with more than 10 g sugar per 100g should be avoided.

Sugar Substitutes

Artificial Sugar Substitutes

The artificial sweeteners present is sodas and other drinks are chemicals, so their un limited use is not good for health. Their unlimited use can also lead to addiction.

Following is a list of the top most dangerous artificial sweeteners:

  1. Aspartame: headache, migraine, vision problems, depression, phobias, brain and nerve damage, hyperactivity in children, birth defects including mental retardation.
  2. Saccharin: may cause nausea, diarrhea, skin problems or other allergy-related symptoms for people with sulfa allergies, when consumed in very large amounts.
  3. Cyclamates: found to cause cancer in lab rats, banned in some countries.
  4. Sucralose: possible side effects include migraine, cravings, head and muscle aches, stomach cramps and diarrhea, bladder issues, skin irritation, dizziness and inflammation.
  5. Acesulfame potassium: studies on lab rats have shown to cause certain forms of tumors,nausea, headaches, mood problems, impairment of the liver and kidneys, etc.

The artificial sweeteners don't help in weight loss, rather they may increase your weight because drinking these cause dehydration and a feeling of false satiety which make a person eat and drink more than what is required.

Natural Sugar Substitutes

  1. Barley Malt Syrup
    What is this?
    Sprouted barley. 65% maltose, 30% complex carbohydrate, 3% protein. Strong flavor, dark brown, thick and sticky. Sweetness 50% of white sugar. Store refrigerated.
    Where it can be used?
    cookies and cakes .
  2. Blackstrap Molasses
    What is this?
    70% sucrose. It is a source of iron, magnesium, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and chromium. Very strong flavor.
    Where it can be used?Where it can be used?
    Excellent sweetener for breads, cookies, cakes and pies.
  3. Brown Rice Syrup
    What is this?
    Brown rice and various enzymes. 50% maltose and 35% complex carbohydrate. Butterscotch flavor. Sweetness 50% of white sugar.
    Where it can be used?
    Use this if you want to make very crisp or hard cookies, crisps, granola and pies.
  4. Honey
    What is this?
    Extracted from flower nectar by bees. Fructose, glucose, sucrose. 30 - 60% more sweet than white sugar.Where it can be used?
    All baked goods, drinks, desserts, etc. Not safe for children under age 2, as it can transmit botulism.



  5. Maple Syrup
    What is this?
    From sap of maple tree. 60% sucrose plus invert sugars; dark brown with maple flavor, high in calcium and potassium
    .Where it can be used?
    All baked goods
  6. Maple Syrup Granules (known as Maple Sugar)
    What is this?
    Dehydrated maple syrup from maple tree. 93% sucrose, 1 - 3% invert sugars. Light brown granules with maple flavor.Where it can be used?
    All baked goods, desserts, drinks, etc.
  7. Mixed Fruit Juice Concentrate
    What is this?
    Fruit juice. Sucrose and some natural fructose.
    Where it can be used?
    Use in all baked goods, drinks and desserts
  8. Stevia
    What is this?
    A perennial shrub whose leaves are 10-300 times sweeter than white sugar depending on its quality and with 0 calories.
    Where it can be used?
    In all recipes. It makes sugar free cookies.





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