SICKENING SWEET - The TRUTH about “Natural” and Artificial Sweeteners

HealthWise is a monthly column written by my mother. She writes these health conscious articles for her community HOA newspaper and I will be posting them once a month. If you would like to contact her about any of the articles, please see her email address below. If you would like to add supplements to your diet, please contact me for more information. Thank you for reading!

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HealthWISE

By Pamela Wise

Could it possibly be that one of the most enjoyed, favored and celebrated “foods” are causing some of our most common, major and serious health problems? Cakes, candies, cookies, pastries and sugary drinks have typically appeared upon our tables at every celebration and Holiday event throughout history as an “American Tradition”. Although the occasional indulgence may have little effect on our overall health, sugar consumption has become the “mainstay” of our everyday diets. The most recent estimate indicates that the average American is eating and drinking 140 pounds of sugar a year! This astounding increase also coincides with the prevalent current epidemics of obesity, diabetes (now coined ‟diabesity‟), heart disease, dementia and cancer. Some authorities and experts on Nutritional Science are claiming that sugar is an acidic toxin that poisons the blood and the brain.

The chemical make up or compounds of most sugars consist primarily of singular molecules of glucose, fructose and sometimes small amounts of maltose and dextrose. Not only does sugar provide "empty" calories but the way the components break down and enter your blood stream, impacts your health in many ways. Refined sugar, sucrose, is an acid which is made up of one molecule of the carbohydrate glucose and one molecule of fructose. Our bodies have a unique way of metabolizing these molecules. Glucose goes directly into the blood stream to be used as energy by every cell in your body, where as fructose goes directly to the liver where it is stored as fat. When fat accumulates in the liver (“fatty liver”) it causes insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. These conditions will lead to serious illnesses. The cells of many human cancers come to depend on insulin to provide the fuel (blood sugar) they need to grow and multiply. Fructose naturally occurring in fruit is metabolized slowly as it is accompanied by fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

“NATURAL” SWEETENERS

REFINED SUGAR– (sucrose) The process from which some of these cane sugars are made determines it‟s qualities such as color, taste and nutritional value. Granulated white, powdered, light and dark brown sugars are all highly refined. Others are made with fewer steps during production which means more of the nutrients remain in the end product.
UNREFINED DRIED SUGAR CANE JUICE- “rapadura” is the least refined of all sugar cane. It is made by cooking the juice that has been pressed form the cane until it is very concentrated, then dried and granulated. The only thing removed from the original source is water.
SUCANAT– is very similar to rapadura as the juice is extracted, heated, cooled until tiny crystals form. It has less sucrose that white sugar.
TURBINADO– The juice is boiled, cooled and crystallized. The resulting granules are refined to a light tan color by washing to remove impurities and surface molasses therefore has less nutritional value.
EVAPORATED CANE JUICE-is a finer lighter version of turbinado, containing trace nutrients.
BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES– is only slightly acidic and contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. It is the byproduct after sugar cane juice has been boiled, cooled and removed of it‟s crystals. It contains significant amounts of manganese , copper, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin B6. It is best to buy organic and unsulfured. Since the flavor and color are so strong it is recommended to use small amounts to replace sugar.
HONEY– that is raw and unprocessed is a slightly alkaline food source that has much to offer nutritionally and medicinally. The fructose content is approximately 38%, glucose 31%, maltose 7% and sucrose1%, which makes it an easily metabolized energy source. Honey has electrolytes, antioxidant and antibacterial properties as well as containing vitamin C, several B vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.
MAPLE SYRUP-is a minimally processed alkaline whole food sweetener. The primary sugar present is 68% sucrose which makes it easy to digest. It has an ample source of manganese, calcium iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. Maple syrup also has 54 different anti-oxidants and polyphenols, which help prevent a „spike‟ in blood sugar.
DATE SUGAR-is a natural whole unrefined, raw and alkaline food source of carbohydrates. It is produced by powdering or grinding dried dates. The composition of date sugar is approximately 40% sucrose, 30% glucose and 30% fructose. It supplies an exceptional array of nutrients including fiber, protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, B vitamins and vitamin K.
STEVIA-is one of the most health restoring plants on earth. Whole leaf stevia contains three intensely sweet glucosides which the body does not metabolize so they pass through elimination. Therefore, there are no calories obtained and has no adverse effect on blood sugar levels. It may be used freely by hypoglycemics and diabetics. Liquid stevia is a pure concentrated form that is easy to use, especially for adding to beverages. Stevia offers a long list of health benefits including aiding weight loss, reducing craving for sugar, resetting the hunger mechanism, reducing blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and many more. There has never been a
complaint that Stevia in any of it‟s consumable forms have caused any harmful side effects in the 1500 years of use. Products such as Truvia, PureVia and Enlighten are NOT pure forms of stevia, they are fractioned and only contain one of the three glucosides. Look for the label Sweet Leaf which is available in liquid, powdered and whole crushed leaves.

NOT SO “NATURAL” SWEETENERS

AGAVE NECTAR-sounds perfectly fresh, natural and healthy, doesn‟t it? You can find it in all the health food stores so it must be good for you, right? Think again! Agave syrup is not a whole food. It contains 90% fructose which is attained by a less than desirable manufacturing process. It begins as an extract from the starchy core of the agave cactus, not from the leaves as you might expect. The processing involves using chemical enzymes, caustic acids, clarifiers and filtration chemicals. The result is a concentrated highly refined fructose that contains none of the original nutrients. The claim is that it is a “low glycemic” sweetener because fructose does not enter the bloodstream the same way as glucose, therefore does not spike insulin levels-still NOT a healthy choice!
HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP-is anything but “natural” as the manufacturers and the advertisers lead you to believe. HFCS is an industrial food product that is produced by extracting a substance from genetically modified corn stalks through a chemical enzymatic process resulting in a chemically and biologically “new fangled” compound. During this process chlor-alkali products are used in it‟s manufacturing and HFCS often contains high levels of MERCURY as well as “unidentified” chemical composites. Sucrose (sugar) has one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule which are bound tightly together, and are absorbed into the body during digestion. HFCS contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose, but there is no chemical bond between them. No digestion is required so they more rapidly absorb into the bloodstream. Fructose goes immediately to the liver which causes the production of triglycerides and cholesterol (“fatty liver”) as well as causing intestinal wall damage, triggering an immune response and body wide inflammation. Because it is absorbed so quickly it doesn‟t stimulate insulin production thus prevents the body‟s signal for being full, which is a major factor encouraging obesity.

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

There is absolutely NOTHING GOOD to say about them! ALL artificial sweeteners are manufactured chemical, toxic, extremely acidic carcinogens. The FDA has approved most of these poisons after improper and insufficient testing and lack of long term studies, claiming the results as “inconclusive”. Typically these types of sweeteners are present in overly processed, packaged foods and beverages along with a whole host of ill effects!!
SUCRALOSE-aka- SPLENDA– is 600 times sweeter than sugar. Although it is advertised as being made from sugar...It is NOT. It is manufactured by chemically altering the structure of sugar molecules while adding chlorine atoms. Sucralose is therefore a „chlorocarbon‟ that is also used in bleach, disinfectants, insecticides, poison gas and hydrochloric acid! This product has not been approved in most European nations. The FDA conducted short term tests that proved “...the potential for toxicity...”, but approved it anyway! There is a long list of adverse side effects from consuming Splenda.
SACCHARIN-aka- Sweet"N"Low, NutraSweet, Equal, have many safety concerns, not only that it is a proven carcinogen, but can potentially cause allergic reactions to a class of compounds known as sulfonamides, or sulfites. Other reactions to this substance can include headaches, breathing difficulties, skin eruptions, just to name a few. Saccharin has also been used in baby formulas!! The FDA has not posed ANY limitations.
ACESULFAME K– is an ingredient in many processed foods that most people are not aware of. It contains the carcinogen methylene chloride which causes headaches, depression, nausea, mental confusion, liver and kidney damage, visual disturbances and cancer. There has been little research; the FDA has not required further testing.
NEOTAME– is a relatively new „version‟ of aspartame that the FDA has approved, with a potency of
approximately 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sucrose (white sugar), and is being promoted as a „flavor enhancer‟. The chemical similarities to aspartame may mean it can cause the same serious ill effects.
ASPARTAME-is, by far, one of the most dangerous of all the artificial sweeteners. This extremely toxic sweetener has warranted so much attention that there has been a book written on the entire subject and a web-site devoted to the extensive list of symptoms and illnesses related to its consumption. The book is entitled “Sweet Poison”, by Janet Starr Hull http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html. The potential side effects are so severe and covers an enormous population. They are too numerous to mention in this article, but include every part of the body and can mimic, cause and trigger serious diseases and DEATH!

Tests have proven that ALL artificial sweeteners can falsely trigger insulin output, which in turn causes the body to store fat. Contrary to popular belief, “diet” foods and beverages tend to increase your BMI (body mass index: fat), even though they contain no calories.

In conclusion, we MUST learn to be proficient LABEL READERS!! You need to understand what is in your food and what you are putting into your body! It is imperative and crucial to maintaining good health! Over consumption of fructose and artificial sweeteners causes accelerated aging, increases blood lactic acid, leads to mineral losses, especially iron, calcium, potassium and zinc and will inevitably lead to life threatening disease.

To Your Health, Pamela

For more information, references and resources: contact- wise.guys@eabweb.com

Next Month's Article: CHEMICAL CUISINE….What's lurking in YOUR food?