Let's look at a few sweeteners and my sugar mix recipe that can take the place of your "White Sugar" in recipes or your little packet of artificial sweetener!😟
If you haven't heard already--and if you haven't then you really should get out more!!! Artificial sweeteners are bad for your health. They are called artificial because they are chemically made in a lab. Nothing Natural about them. Some examples are:
Sweet-n-Low saccharin
Equal aspartame
Splenda sucralose
Now if you read WebMD they say, "These are fine, no problem, FDA approved (eye roll), etc etc. Oh by the way the particular article I read on WebMD was partly Ad sponsored by Sugar-Free Sweeteners (eye roll again).
So let's do a quick review of some of the artificial sweeteners: These sweeteners are so intense (300 times sweeter than sugar) that they can actually change the way we taste sweetness. By overstimulating the sugar receptors we no longer taste normal sweet as "sweet", like an apple. Our brains crave a MORE sweet taste. Artificial sweeteners are also toxic to our good gut bacteria.
In recent animal studies, artificial sweeteners were more addictive than cocaine!! "In the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, daily consumption of DIET drinks was associated with a 36% greater risk for metabolic syndrome and a 67% increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Aren’t these the diseases that artificial sweeteners were supposed to help prevent in the first place?" Many people also complain of headaches and brain fog, experience weight gain, liver and kidney dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease.
But you say, "The FDA ruled out cancer risk with artificial sweeteners" Yes but their study was done with a fraction of the sweetener that is used in one diet drink!!! We also find them in many things we consume each day. For example, toothpaste and mouthwash, chewable vitamins, cough syrup, and liquid medicines, chewing gum, no-calorie waters, Alcoholic beverages - (Not in Cayman Jack) salad dressings, frozen dessert, candy, breakfast cereals, processed snack foods, “Lite” fruit juices, beverages, and lunch meats. So you see it is cumulative.
You have to be a label reader. Your family's health depends on it. Download the free app called "Think Dirty" you use it anywhere to see the ingredients of over 1 million products. But seriously do you have to look up a Twinkie??? Some things you just know.
My sugar mix can be made in two ways:
50% Stevia powder and 50% organic coconut sugar OR
1/3 Stevia powder, 1/3 Organic coconut sugar, 1/3 Xylitol or Erythritol
Glycemic index scale:
Stevia 0
Coconut sugar 35 (this is considered low on the scale 0-50)
Xylitol 7
Erythritol 1
So let's compare Xylitol and Erythritol, both are sugar alcohols and you decide which or if you want to incorporate it into the mix.
Xylitol: very small impact on blood sugar levels, prevents cavities, reduces ear infections in children by 25% when consumed twice a day in food, drink, gum, lozenges etc. Tastes sweet like sugar but 40% fewer calories. May have a faint aftertaste to some people. In large quantities can cause GI upset.
Erythritol: No impact on blood sugar levels, Strong antioxidant, prevents tooth decay.No aftertaste and no GI upset but can cause acid reflux in large quantities.
****Pregnant and breastfeeding women should stay away from sugar alcohols.
**** Do NOT feed either Xylitol or Erythritol to your pets. It is toxic to animals.
If you need to "ween" off of sugar then try this trick. Make my "Sugar Mix" as follows:
1/3 organic raw cane sugar
1/3 organic Stevia powder
1/3 Erythritol or Xylitol
As your taste for sugar decreases then you can make the mix without the cane sugar. However, this trick will not work if you continue to eat sugary foods and drinks. It is a conscious effort to improve your health.
In my book, Autoimmune Saved Me and on my website blog swainholisticsolutions.com there are recipes for sweets that are made with naturally sweet ingredients or my sugar mix.
Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours!
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