Let’s take a look and get to know more about other, better sugar alternatives. Now, before getting too involved, remember the following substitutes are to be used only in moderation. Sweeteners, though not made of sugar, can trick your body into thinking it has eaten sugar. Therefore, you’ll start to crave more sugar. It’s a slippery slope.
Any sweet flavor — even from a “healthy” substitute like stevia — can stimulate an insulin response that hikes up your blood sugar levels and leaves you wanting more. But, when consumed in moderation, there are several sweeteners that act as a great alternative to sugar.
So, what sweetening agents can you turn to in order to continue to make, bake, and enjoy your favorite foods?
Here’s a list of several options. But remember… consume in moderation.
Allulose
Allulose is special because it can potentially enhance the conversion of fat in healthy humans to usable energy just after you eat. This means it could support a healthy body weight by supporting overall energy metabolism.
Erythritol
Erythritol belongs to a family of natural sugar alcohols also known as polyols. Current research states polyols might actually be able to shift the microbiome toward an increase in bifidobacteria in healthy individuals. Therefore, polyols like erythritol could actually be beneficial as prebiotic agents.
Inulin
Inulin is a water-soluble polysaccharide in the fructans group of non-digestible carbohydrates. Inulin has been utilized as a prebiotic, potential fat substitute, sugar substitute, and texture modifier in certain foods due to its beneficial role in gastric health. Inulin is a type of fiber that’s found in certain plant foods like the chicory root.
Monk fruit
Monk fruit was discovered in the 1930s. In China, monk fruit has been used as a natural sugar replacement for decades. Monk fruit is said to have a sweetening strength of 250 times that of regular sugar.
Stevia
Stevia sweeteners come from the Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni plant — native to South America. There, Stevia has been used as a sweet substitute for hundreds of years. Stevia is plant-based and zero-calories. But when measuring the sweetness of Stevia, it can be up to 350 times sweeter than regular sugar. Is there such a thing as ‘too sweet’? Seems so. Still, it’s a better option than most other sweeteners.
Yacón
A perennial plant from South America, yacón is an abundant source of fructooligosaccharides. Not only that but the end products of fructooligosaccharide fermentation act as signaling molecules in the regulation of your body’s immune response. Furthermore, they may help support healthy blood sugar regulation and the breakdown and storage of certain fats.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER?
As you may have imagined, honey isn’t the only bad sugar alternative. The grocery store is usually inundated with heavily marketed artificial sweeteners. On occasion, you’ll run across a sweetener that won’t do much harm, but several products out there are just as bad for you as sugar.
And just because raw honey is considered one of the natural sweeteners doesn’t mean it’s good for you. “Natural” doesn’t always mean “healthy”.
Various sweeteners like sucralose, saccharin, and aspartame alter the gut microbiome by killing friendly bacteria and allowing your bad gut bugs to grow.
Believe it or not, a recent study out of Duke University showed that a single packet of a very popular artificial sweetener kills half of your normal intestinal flora. Isn’t it funny how a product meant to help your health can actually harm your health?
Even though artificial sweeteners aren’t technically “real” sugar like high-fructose corn syrup or turbinado sugar, they are still endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors cause trouble by altering your body’s internal clock and can actually trigger weight gain. Endocrine disruptors can interrupt developmental, neurological, reproductive, and immune processes in humans.
Bottom line: Endocrine disruptors can harm your body in significant ways.
If you're trying to get rid of some extra pounds, keep these sweeteners (artificial and natural) on your "NO list":
- Acesulfame K
- Aspartame
- Agave nectar
- Coconut sugar
- Raw honey
- Maltodextrin
- Maple syrup
- Sucralose
- Sugar
- Saccharin
- High-fructose corn syrup
Many health foods hide these sweeteners in their ingredients list. So even if a food is labeled “healthy” it may contain any one of the sweeteners above. And sodas labeled as “diet” are full of artificial sweeteners, so avoid them at all costs. If you notice any of the above sweeteners on your food label, you know what to do: ditch it.
Source
https://gundrymd.com/is-honey-good-substitute/
