Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
In this article on sweeteners, I will present a few
acceptable alternatives to the chemical slurries commonly used. There are six
sweeteners to consider: stevia, stevia based alternative, xylitol, dextrose or
pure glucose, and lastly, sugar and honey in moderation.
We’ll start with my favorite of the bunch, stevia. Stevia
belongs in the herb and shrub genus in the sunflower family. It comes from the
Central and South Americas. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar, has no
calories, no fat, carbs or sugars. It has a negligible effect on blood glucose,
so diabetics and low carb dieters can use it without worry.
Japan began using stevia as an alternative to saccharin and
aspartame. The leaves, extracts from the leaves and purified steviosides are
all used as sweeteners. Stevia accounts for 40% of the sweetener market in
Japan. So why isn’t it popular here in the USA? The FDA has banned the import
of this herb. Why? To protect the market share of aspartame, promoted by
Monsanto. How do I know? Well, I don’t for sure, but consider this. In the mid
1980’s, Celestial Seasonings tried to market some specialty teas with stevia as
a no calorie drink. An anonymous complaint was made to the FDA, likely from the
makers of aspartame. The FDA banned it as a sweetener, started search and
seizure in manufacturing facilities and warehouses. In 1996 the FDA claimed the
herb was a “non-safe food additive,” despite acknowledging its use throughout
history, at about the same time aspartame was approved. The studies they cited
were incomplete and absurd. The FDA refuses to read studies from Japan and
Germany which show its safety and beneficial effects. After the decision to ban
stevia, several members of the FDA panel left for high paying jobs at…Monsanto.
Now do you get why? Stevia can be sold
as a nutritional supplement in the USA, but not as a food additive or
sweetener. How those green packets are
sold legally is anyone’s guess, I just hope they don’t disappear.
There are two general components in stevia; stevioside,
which makes about 17% of the leaf, and rebaudioside A which is just 3-4% of the
leaf. Stevia is sold in several forms. First, is the ‘tea’ cut, and is good for
herbal tea mixtures. Second is natural stevia powder. It is the whole leaf
simply ground up after drying, and is green in color. It has the most
nutritional value, but has a severely bitter after taste, which most people do
not like, including me. Next is the liquid stevia, sometimes blended with other
ingredients, so check the label. Make your own more economically with stevia
powder and purified water. Lastly is the white powder stevia. You want to
verify the content of the white powder. If a label says 80% steviosides, it is
really misleading, because stevioside is the least desirable of the sweetening
components of stevia. It leaves more after taste and is cheap to buy.
Rebaudioside A (Reb A) content is what you want to look for. 80% or more Reb A
is pure sweetness, without the bitter aftertaste, and much more costly since it
is only 3-4% of the leaf. If you buy cheap stevia what you get is stevioside,
primarily.
Other benefits of stevia found in research include
anti-inflammatory properties, immune support actions, and improvement in
insulin resistance. I buy mine from Canada on the web at: Herb-Care.com. It may
seem expensive, but consider that you can sweeten a cup of tea by dipping a
toothpick into the stevia and then swirl it in. I can sweeten a gallon of green
tea (to ‘sweet tea’ status) with a quarter teaspoon.
Stevia based sweeteners such as Truvia by Coca-Cola and
PureVia from Pepsi are just that, based on stevia, but not stevia only. So we
have an FDA that has banned real stevia, but declares derivatives of stevia
safe. Huh? There are no long term studies of these patented products, but my
hunch is they are still safer than pink, blue or yellow. I’ll stick with the
real stuff. Even the green packets are a stevia extract.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is not as sweet as sugar,
and has significantly less calories. Note it is less calories, not “no calories.”
That is because it is a sugar that is not completely absorbed by the
intestines. It can have a side effect of gas and bloating due to the non-absorption,
but that comes with extreme amounts generally over 30 grams a day. If you eat
that much, you deserve some gas. Xylitol also fights tooth decay and ear
infections with its antimicrobial actions that decrease bacteria. It is
definitely a reasonably safe and beneficial sweetener.
Pure glucose (dextrose) is also a safe alternative. It is
about 70% as sweet as sugar, so you will use more of it. It has calories, but
it has no fructose, that very detrimental sugar you need to stay away from.
Glucose can and is used by every cell in your body. Go to Amazon.com, you can
buy it in bulk there.
Finally there is plain old sugar. Here is a list of sugars’
aliases: cane sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar, brown rice syrup, fruit juice,
molasses, maple syrup, sucanate, sorghum, turbinado. They are all sugar, and
all contain high fructose levels. Fructose is first stored in the liver as
glycogen. When the liver is full it swells. It is then stored in the belly,
buttocks, breasts and thighs (DUH!). When those are full, it goes to active
organs such as the heart and kidneys, which adversely affects the entire body.
So, no, sugar is not good for you by any means. Cut out as
much sugar as you can. But, it is still a safe thing to use in very limited
quantities, and definitely safer than pink, blue or yellow.
Honey is another natural sweetener. Honey has both sucrose and fructose, but
unlike sugar, the bees have added an enzyme that has broken them down into
simple sugars already. The body can use
each immediately, so the glycemic index is lower in honey. A tablespoon of sugar has about 46 calories,
honey has 64 calories. The difference is
honey is sweeter than sugar, so you actually use less of it, therefore you eat
fewer calories. It still has some
fructose, so go easy with honey as well.
All things considered, stevia is your best bet for
sweetening drinks, cereals and fruits. It isn’t easy to bake with, but there
are cookbooks out there with plenty of recipes to get you started. Try it and
save your body from the other sources of chemical pollution that damage your
health: pink, blue and yellow.