Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Friday, May 25, 2012
Bye, Bye Artificial Sweenteners
Back in 2009 I had read the book Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin. While I didn't agree with the book as a whole (especially since it encourages veganism), the chapter "Sugar is the Devil" did open my eyes on artificial sweeteners. After reading it, I pretty much swore off all Diet Cokes and started looking for natural sweeteners.
Now, I'm not going to go through citing the whole chapter, but here are some quick points.
Aspartame
Aspartame is found in a lot of diet or light versions of foods and drinks. The most common sweeteners that contain aspartame are Equal and NutraSweet. "When aspartame was put before the FDA for approval, it was denied eight times."(32) "When methyl alcohol, a component of aspartame, enters your body, it turns into formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Laboratory scientists use formaldehyde as a disinfectant or preservative."(14) "When Aspartame is paired with carbs, it causes your brain to slow down it's production of serotonin." (14) This last citing was also talked about in The Doctor's TV show clip I posted a few days ago.
Sucralose
Most commonly know as Splenda. "Splenda is made by chlorinating sugar, changing its molecular structure."(35) "The FDA calls sucralose 98 percent pure. The other 2 percent contains small amounts of heavy metals, methanol, and arsenic."(36)
Refined sugars, such as white sugar or high fructose corn syrup, aren't good for your body either, but they are better than artificial sweeteners. If you really want to do what is best for your body, natural sweeteners, like agave nectar or stevia, arethe best ways to go.
Stevia
"This natural, herbal sweetener contains no calories, has no glycemic index (meaning it won't alter blood sugar), and is even safe for diabetics."(30) Stevia comes in liquid form or the most common brand in a crystalized version is Truvia.
"Other good substitutes for refined sugar included evaporated can juice, Sucanat, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, Rapadura sugar, Turbinado sugar, raw sugar, beet sugar, date sugar, maple syrup, molasses, and blackstrap molasses"(31)
Now while some of these natural sugars do contain calories (stevia doesn't!), they also contain vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for your body. Don't be afraid of the extra calories! You will actual eat less because the artificial sweeteners will trick you into overeating, and more than likely you'll crave sweets!
Since 2009, a few foods with artificial sweeteners have somehow crept back into my diet and it is time for them to go!
References:
Barnouin, Kim & Freedman, Rory. (2005). Skinny Bitch. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press Book Publishers.
Now, I'm not going to go through citing the whole chapter, but here are some quick points.
Aspartame
Aspartame is found in a lot of diet or light versions of foods and drinks. The most common sweeteners that contain aspartame are Equal and NutraSweet. "When aspartame was put before the FDA for approval, it was denied eight times."(32) "When methyl alcohol, a component of aspartame, enters your body, it turns into formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Laboratory scientists use formaldehyde as a disinfectant or preservative."(14) "When Aspartame is paired with carbs, it causes your brain to slow down it's production of serotonin." (14) This last citing was also talked about in The Doctor's TV show clip I posted a few days ago.
Sucralose
Most commonly know as Splenda. "Splenda is made by chlorinating sugar, changing its molecular structure."(35) "The FDA calls sucralose 98 percent pure. The other 2 percent contains small amounts of heavy metals, methanol, and arsenic."(36)
Refined sugars, such as white sugar or high fructose corn syrup, aren't good for your body either, but they are better than artificial sweeteners. If you really want to do what is best for your body, natural sweeteners, like agave nectar or stevia, arethe best ways to go.
Stevia
"This natural, herbal sweetener contains no calories, has no glycemic index (meaning it won't alter blood sugar), and is even safe for diabetics."(30) Stevia comes in liquid form or the most common brand in a crystalized version is Truvia.
"Other good substitutes for refined sugar included evaporated can juice, Sucanat, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, Rapadura sugar, Turbinado sugar, raw sugar, beet sugar, date sugar, maple syrup, molasses, and blackstrap molasses"(31)
Now while some of these natural sugars do contain calories (stevia doesn't!), they also contain vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for your body. Don't be afraid of the extra calories! You will actual eat less because the artificial sweeteners will trick you into overeating, and more than likely you'll crave sweets!
Since 2009, a few foods with artificial sweeteners have somehow crept back into my diet and it is time for them to go!
References:
Barnouin, Kim & Freedman, Rory. (2005). Skinny Bitch. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press Book Publishers.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Top 5 Foods You Should Avoid
This is an excerpt from The Doctor's tv show (love this show!) that talks about 5 foods that you should avoid because they increase your appetite and cause you to overeat. It gives you some great alternatives if these are vices in your own diet. Take a look!
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