Contents:
- Medical Video: Five Best Sugar Substitutes | Dr. Josh Axe
- Pros and cons of artificial sweeteners
- Benefits of artificial sweeteners
- Risk of using artificial sweeteners
- What about natural sweeteners?
- Material that is often used as a substitute for sugar
- 1. Asamsulfate potassium
- 2. Honey
- 3. Agave nectar
- 4. Fructose corn syrup
- 5. Stevia
- 6. Sukanat
- 7. Sucralose
Medical Video: Five Best Sugar Substitutes | Dr. Josh Axe
Sugar is a food that is inevitable in our daily lives. Making sweet drinks like tea, juice, or milk also requires sugar. There are also dishes that require basic ingredients of sugar, although not much sugar is needed. When you are tired of using sugar, we also wonder about other ingredients to replace sugar. Some are called artificial sweeteners. You may have heard of it as one of the basic ingredients of sugar in packaged foods. There are also some natural ingredients such as honey which can be used as alternative substitutes. But is it true that artificial sweeteners and natural ingredients are healthier than sugar?
Pros and cons of artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are usually sweeter than ordinary sugar and made from natural substances and sugar itself. This artificial sweetener can also be called a substitute for synthetic sugar. The claim of this artificial sweetener is that it contains no calories, this is the reason we often find products that claim to be gula sugar free ’or‘zero sugar' Artificial sweeteners are usually also used for home-based ingredients too, such as for cooking and baking. When going to use artificial sweeteners, you should first check labels on artificial sweeteners so that the dosage is right, because the dosage of sugar with artificial sweeteners is different. You only need a little compared to sugar, to make food taste sweet.
Benefits of artificial sweeteners
Besides not going to cause cavities, artificial sweeteners have several benefits such as:
- A stable weight, because as already explained, no calories are found in artificial sweeteners. But you need to underline, artificial sweeteners also do not nourish the body. Unlike sugar that has calories, you can imagine that a 12-ounce softdrink contains about 10 teaspoons of added sugar, so there are about 150 calories. If you want to prevent weight gain or weight loss, you should replace your sugar. However, this method is not entirely effective, because there are several researchers based on the Mayo Clinic site, that precisely artificial sweeteners can increase your weight.
- Alternative sugar for diabetics. This is because artificial sweeteners are not carbohydrates so they do not increase blood sugar levels. But you need to consult a doctor about the categories of artificial sweeteners that will be used.
Risk of using artificial sweeteners
But artificial sweeteners are thought to cause serious problems with your health, such as triggering cancer. In 1970, saccharin (a type of artificial sweetener) was thought to be related to bladder cancer found in a rat research laboratory. As a result of this, saccharin had received a warning "not good for health". However, different opinions expressed by the National Cancer Institute quoted by the Mayo Clinic, found no scientific evidence of artificial sweeteners that have been licensed can cause cancer or other serious health problems.
What about natural sweeteners?
Natural sweeteners are believed to be healthier than sugar, but in fact there are no significant differences in the vitamin content and minerals. When digested in the body, both will become glucose and fructose. Usually natural sweeteners are combined with drinks such as tea assuming that they are healthier, and as topping food. In addition to the same nutritional problems, the problems caused are no different. Natural sweeteners can also cause cavities, gain weight, and even increase triglycerides.
Material that is often used as a substitute for sugar
After knowing the explanation of natural and artificial sweeteners, here is a list of other sweeteners besides sugar:
1. Asamsulfate potassium
Found on soft drinks, gelatin, gum, frozen dessert. There are no nutrients that can be taken from asamsulfate potassium. But this artificial sweetener was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1988 until now, this means showing no problems caused. Asamsulfate potassium is included in artificial sweeteners.
2. Honey
Honey is obtained from bees that take juice from the flower and carry it to a honeycomb, which is converted into thick syrup for food for the colonies. One of the advantages of honey compared to sugar is that honey does not increase blood sugar in a fast time, but the calories contained in honey are greater than ordinary sugar. Another plus is that honey offers around 132 mg of potassium which works to help reduce sore throats. While raw honey is rich in vitamins B and C which is good for body immunity.
3. Agave nectar
Has an excess of low glycemic index. It can also reduce insulin sensitivity - not dramatically increase blood sugar - because it contains more fructose than sugar. The manufacturing process also takes a long time, produced from the same plants tequila. Then, the leaves are cut and the sap is taken from the core of the plant called pina. After going through the screening and heating process, finally the carbohydrate breaks down into sugar. The calories are almost the same as honey, the difference between agave nectar does not contain antioxidants.
4. Fructose corn syrup
Fructose and glucose obtained from processed corn syrup. Usually a substitute for sucrose (artificial sweeteners), because it is considered healthier for consumption than sucrose. But the calories can increase the risk of obesity.
5. Stevia
The resulting sweetness comes from leaves called glycosides. Leaves are placed in hot water, so that glycosides can be collected. Stevia is thought to reduce blood pressure and the level of sugar in the blood, another advantage is that it is calorie free, so it is very helpful in losing weight
6. Sukanat
Sugarcane is extracted and heated to dry, crystallizes and creates dark brown granules. In addition sukanat also contains calcium, vitamins A and B6, potassium and chromium.
7. Sucralose
One of the studies cited by Health.com states that Sucralose can react negatively to body immunity, but other studies cannot find this correlation. This sweetener is also one that is not sensitive to heat. In addition, sucralose is also good for diabetics or those who are on a diet program, because there are no carbohydrate calories.
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