Sugar Substitutes - kicking the habit

Ok, so no sugar then? But if you have got a sweet tooth then what? Refined sugar is virtually devoid of nutritional benefits and, at best, represents empty calories in the diet……and it makes you fat. So what can you eat instead?

Let me introduce you to two healthy substitutes which will remove any cravings you ever had for sugar, and both of them are good for you.

Stevia

Stevia is a herb, it’s been employed as a sweetening agent for centuries in South America. The powdered concentrate is 300 times sweeter than sugar and it is calorie-free. Stevia is a commonly used sugar substitute. It represents 41% of the sweetener market in Japan, which includes sugar, and until it was substituted by aspartame in an effort to homogenize the product, it was the sweetener in Japanese Diet Coke. Millions of people consume stevia every day, and there have been no incidents of toxicity.

There are many good things to gain from using stevia. When in its purest state, it has zero calories and no effect on glucose levels. Stevia, unlike artificial sweeteners, has little aftertaste when it is used in the proper dosage. Compared to other chemical sweeteners it has been used worldwide for many years without producing negative consequences.

Research in natural Stevia has been conducted which reveals that the substance is advantageous to people who are overweight, besides the fact that it is low in glucose and calories. It is believed that in many people who are overweight, there is a defect between the stomach and hypothalamus that fails to turn off the hunger sensations when you are actually full. Stevia, from initial research, has been found to possibly correct this problem and actually reset hunger mechanism by turning off the hunger sensations when satiation occurs.

If this is true, Stevia will be one of the most important advancement in weight management ever found. Adding Stevia to your daily diet is simple. It has perfect uses in the kitchen for both cooking and baking when the leaves and distillate are either whole or in powder form.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a naturally found substance in various hardwood trees such as birch, corn cobs, and in fibrous vegetables and fruit. It’s a natural product and our body actually produces up to 15 grams of it daily.

Xylitol may look and taste just like sugar, but the similarities stop there. Sugar damages the body, while xylitol repairs and heals. Xylitol builds up immunity, protects against certain degenerative diseases and has many anti-ageing benefits. Xylitol is a five carbon sugar which makes this substance an antimicrobial(a substance that kills bacteria, fungi and viruses). Xylitol forms a healhty alkaline state in the stomach, sugar creates and acidic environment allowing harmful bacteria to flourish. Other forms of sugar, even the popular sweetener sorbitol, are six-carbon sugar structures that actually feed harmful bacteria and fungi.

Xylitol does not have any known toxic levels and was approved by the FDA back in 1963. It’s only known side effect is mild diarrhea and light cramping when used in very large doses. Any discomfort that occurs in people will disappears in a few days since the body makes it daily, as well as the enzymes to break it down, and the body’s enzymatic activity will adjust to a higher intake.

Great news for those trying to lose weight, xylitol has 40 percent fewer calories than sugar, and for those who are on a “low-carb” diet, xylitol has 75 percent fewer carbohydrates than sugar. These traits together mean that it is metabolized and absorbed slower, which means less changes in insulin. The liver absorbs approximately thirty-three percent of xylitol when it is consumed. The remaining two-thirds are converted by stomach bacteria into short-chain fatty acids inside the intestinal tract.

Xylitol has the same look, feel and even tastes just like sugar and also leaves no weird aftertaste. It comes in a number of different forms. You can replace sugar in cooking, baking or sweetening of beverages by using its crystalline form. It can also be found in mints, nasal sprays and some types of chewing gum.