4 Natural Sweeteners That Are Good For Your Health

Stevia

Stevia is a very popular low-calorie sweetener.It is extracted from the leaves of a plant called Stevia rebaudiana.This plant has been grown for sweetness and medicinal purposes for centuries in South America.There are several sweet compounds found in Stevia leaves, the main ones are Stevioside and Rebaudioside A. Both are many hundred times sweeter than sugar, gram for gram.Stevia is very sweet, but has virtually no calories.

There are some studies in humans showing Stevia to have health benefits:

• When blood pressure is high, Stevia can lower it by 6-14%. However, it has no effect on blood pressure that is normal or only mildly elevated .
• Stevia has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics .

There are also studies in rats showing that Stevia can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol and reduce plaque build up in the arteries .If you need to sweeten something, Stevia may be the healthiest choice.

Erythritol

Erythritol is another low-calorie sweetener.It is a sugar alcohol that is found naturally in certain fruits, but if you’re buying powdered erythritol then it will most likely be made via an industrial process.It contains 0.24 calories per gram, or about 6% of the calories as sugar, with 70% of the sweetness.Erythritol doesn’t spike blood sugar or insulin levels and has no effect on biomarkers like cholesterol or triglycerides .It is absorbed into the body from the intestine, but eventually excreted from the kidneys unchanged .Studies show that erythritol is very safe. However, same as with other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive issues if you consume too much at a time .Erythritol tastes very much like sugar, although it can have a mild aftertaste.I wouldn’t say that erythritol is “healthy” – but it certainly doesn’t appear to be harmful in any way and seems to be better tolerated than most other sugar alcohols.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol with a sweetness similar to sugar.It contains 2.4 calories per gram, or about 2/3rds of the caloric value of sugar.Xylitol appears to have some benefits for dental health, reducing the risk of cavities and dental decay .It may also improve bone density, helping to prevent osteoporosis . Xylitol doesn’t raise blood sugar or insulin levels .However, as with other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive side effects at high doses.If you have a dog in your home, then you might want to keep xylitol out of the house because it is highly toxic to dogs .

Yacon Syrup

Recently I reviewed a rather unique sweetener calledYacon syrup.It is harvested from the Yacon plant, which grows natively in the Andes in South America.This sweetener has recently become popular as a weight loss supplement, because one study found that it caused significant weight loss in overweight women .It is very high in fructooligosaccharides, which function as soluble fibers that feed the good bacteria in the intestine .Yacon syrup can help against constipation and it has various benefits due to the high amount of soluble fiber .Don’t eat too much at a time though, as it can cause digestive problems.

5 Worst Sweeteners that Are Not Good For Your Health

Don’t Use: Aspartame

There’s conflicting evidence regarding the safety of aspartame, a common chemical sweetener used in diet soda and other low-cal foods, but some people report headaches or generally feeling unwell after ingesting anything containing the chemical. To make life easier for everyone, this is one instance where you may want to follow the “better safe than sorry” principle. That’s because a University of Liverpool test-tube study found that when mixed with a common food color ingredient, aspartame actually became toxic to brain cells.

Don’t Use: Agave Nectar

While your health food store likely stocks agave sweeteners, it may be best to keep them out of your cart. Many agave nectars consist of 70 to 90 percent fructose–that’s more than what’s found in high-fructose corn syrup! “Agave nectar is probably one of the worst sweeteners on the market, and it’s deceptive because it’s been marketed as a healthy alternative,” says nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS. “Everybody thinks it’s a health food.”

Don’t Use: Sucralose

Sucralose, better known by its brand name, Splenda, but sold under other generic labels as well, may originate with sugar, but the end product is anything but natural. It’s processed using chlorine, and researchers are finding that the artificial sweetener is passing through our bodies and winding up in wastewater treatment plants, where it can’t be broken down. Tests in Norway and Sweden found sucralose in surface water released downstream from treatment discharge sites. Scientists worry it could change organisms’ feeding habits and interfere with photosynthesis, putting the entire food chain at risk.

Don’t Use: Sugar

Sugar is made up of 50 percent glucose, the component that spikes blood sugar, and 50 percent fructose, the stuff that goes straight for the liver. It’s the sheer quantity we’re eating that’s driving obesity and other diseases. About 100 years ago, humans ate the equivalent of one tablespoon of sugar a day; now it’s up to 7 tablespoons daily because sugar is hidden in everything from juices and cereals to bread and condiments.