Sugar is a very dangerous product for humans. A sad fact for sweet lovers. Fortunately for me, I am not a sweet tooth, but I used sugar until I learned the whole truth about it.
To date, a large body of research has shown that sugar consumption is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Refined sugar in its various forms (cane sugar, beet sugar, corn sugar, etc.) is one of the most dangerous foods with a high glycemic index *.
Consuming artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, suclarose is also not an option: these are toxic products that poison our body. In addition, despite the low calorie content, they in most cases contribute to weight gain (I note this for those who have illusions about the possibility of losing weight using sweeteners).
There is an opinion that fruits should be avoided due to their high sugar content – fructose, but this is not entirely true. A small amount of fructose, which is found in ripe fruits, does not harm humans; and if you take into account the benefits of vitamins, minerals and fiber that fruits are rich in, you should not give up their use at all. But concentrated fructose, which can be found in agave syrup, maple syrup, in various fruit syrups and juices, in honey, is as harmful as any other sugar.
Stevia Is the only calorie-free sweetener that can be recommended, and then only in small doses. Stevia is 100 times sweeter than regular sugar. It has been used for over 1500 years in cooking and for medical treatment in South America, and nowadays it is widely used in Japan, USA, Canada and Europe. However, for example, the US Food and Drug Administration does not consider stevia “safe”. In particular, laboratory experiments on rodents have shown that in large quantities, it can lead to a decrease in sperm production and to infertility.
However, scientists have not yet identified any negative effects on humans from small doses of stevia. On the contrary, numerous studies have found health benefits of stevia – lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels, increasing energy and improving mental alertness, reducing the urge to smoke and alcohol, and having antibacterial effects on the oral cavity.
Stevia is sold as a powder (extract) and dried leaves. It can also be purchased in the form of syrup or small tablets, but often such forms contain additional substances or even sweeteners, so carefully read the composition of the purchased product.
Another suitable sweetener is xylitol, a low glycemic index substitute, which is actually a sugar alcohol found naturally in the fibers of fruits and vegetables. Xylitol is believed to have a positive effect on oral health and to reduce the risk of otitis media.
I find it best to avoid sweetening food and drinks and avoiding foods that contain sugar and sweeteners. In some cases, you can indulge in moderate consumption of stevia and some other harmless sweeteners.
* The glycemic index is an indicator that reflects the rate of absorption by the body of the sugar contained in the product. The reference point is the rate of assimilation of pure glucose, the glycemic index of which is 100. When a product is assigned a low glycemic index, it means that when it is consumed, blood sugar levels rise slowly. The higher the glycemic index, the faster it rises, therefore, the higher the instantaneous blood sugar level after eating a meal.