After covering the different types of sugar, the amounts in different drinks and the many many alias' of sugar, we're going to have a look at alternatives to it. There are a lot of products out there claiming to be healthier than sugar/sweeter than sugar/a great alternative to sugar, but are they really 'good' for you or are they just 'less bad'? "The UK sweetener sector is valued at £60 million, and more than a quarter of British households buy artificial sweeteners" http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/goodfood/pages/the-truth-about-artificial-sweeteners.aspx and it's growing; I predict that it will overtake sugar sales within the next 10 years!

 

Let's have a look at a handful of sweeteners: 

 

ASPARTHAME

Asparthame is one of the most studied sweeteners and more than 100 countries have reported it to be safe, however there are still studies that link it to epilepsy, headaches, premature births and other illnesses but currently there is no substantial evident to justify these claims. It's advertised as a low-calorie sweetener and is commonly used in cereals, low-calorie drinks (i.e. diet) and sugar-free gum. 

When ingested, your body absorbs and breaks down Asparthame to components including amino acids, aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol which are all found naturally in fruits, milk, vegetables and meat in greater amount. However it is 200x sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) which to me doesn't taste natural at all, but only a little amount is used in each product apparently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUCROLOSE (Splenda)

Sucrolose is a very common sweetener and is 650x sweeter than sucrose! I'm sure many of you have tried Splenda, my father used to use it in his tea as he is a diabetic so I tried a dab of it once to compare it sugar and it tasted like a chemical mess - which is understandable being 650x sweeter than sugar!! There has been 20 years of research into Sucrolose and the EU's Scientific Commitee of Food (SCF) concluded that "repeated consumption of sucrolose is 'unlikely' to lead to accumulation in the body" http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/goodfood/pages/the-truth-about-sucralose.aspx. However, my problem is with the production explained below. 

 

Production

 

It is produced by chlorinating sucrose which creates organic compounds - our bodies though cannot detoxify itself as well with these compounds in it so the chemicals from Sucrolose then stay in the body and accumulate (it is said however that ONLY 11-27% is aborbed by the body - though with further research, another site quoted that it up to 40% is absorbed). 

One compound in particular, Dioxin, is actually 300,000 times MORE carcinogenic (likely to produce cancer) than DDT (an insecticide banned due to its high toxicity)!!!

 

This was all setting off alarm bells when I was reading about it but you of course can make your own opinions...

 

 

 

 

TRUVIA/STEVIA

Stevia is a 'natural sweetener' which can be added to foods and drinks alike with the leaves rating at twice the sweetness of sugar. In fact in 2008, the FDA granted 'GRAS' status (recognised to be safe) to a single constituent of stevia leaf extract called Rebiana  which is now found on supermarket shelves, incorporated into alternative sweeterners such as Truvia.

 

Stevia itself is native to Central and South America and has a long history of culinary and medical use by the people of Paraquay. Some people, myself included, report a bitter or liquorice aftertaste after having Stevia but it is said products with Rebiana in such as Truvia do not have this but are said to be 200x sweeter than table sugar!

 

 

ALTERNATIVES

As far as alternatives, I try to use dates and fruits fruit such as blueberries and bananas as much as possible or if something needs sweetening further then PURE maple syrup is my go to as it doesn't have any additives in it, but use in moderation. 

 

Be careful however when buying products which have fruit in such as blueberry muffins from Starbucks - aside from the fact that these have partially hydrogenated oils, liquid sugars, artificial flavours and propylene glycol which is also used to stop cars from freezing and during colonoscopies(!!!); when you heat fruit, it increases the sugar content as the chemical bonds change. Therefore, eat more FRESH fruit and add to things you buy e.g. fresh berries and plain yoghurt. :)

 

 

WHAT'S BEING DONE?
 

Thankfully, there is starting to be some shifting of opinions and awareness regarding sugar. For one, chef Jamie Oliver has recently put a tax on all sugary drinks in his restaurants and has said that he wants to see a '20p tax per-litre on sugar-sweetened drinks' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/11323096/Jamie-Oliver-Sugar-can-destroy-lives-and-should-be-taxed-like-tobacco.html). I think this is a great idea as, if nothing else, it will at least make more people think about how much sugar they're ingesting. However, not everyone is in support of it; Jeremy Hunt, the UK Health Secretary, ruled out taxing sugar last year, though admitted more needed to be done to tackle childhood obesity... Make of that what you will.

Another man you may have heard of Prof. Robert Lustig who has been campaigning against sugar for a long time! In his documentary 'Sugar: The Bitter Truth', aired in 2009, Lustig states that Fructose is a 'poison' and has absolutely no nutritional value to the body - something i agree on! If you'd like to watch the full documentary, search 'Sugar: The Bitter Truth' on YouTube. 
Now Lustig is travelling around the US and the UK to try and bring more awareness to sugar - he is also working with Jamie Oliver to educate the nation further!

 

SUMMARY

 

So sugar is being 'replaced' by sweeteners (natural and otherwise) which may be causing other side effects but the jury's out on whether they are in fact better than sugar itself. The best thing to do is to avoid the sweet stuff altogether, which is what the BBC programme 'Great British Bakeoff' attempted in their 'Alternative' episode (episode 5) in which the bakers had to make a sugar-free cake (though they were allowed to add alternatives such as Agave if wanted)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever way you look at it, we have a huge problem on our hands which we need to deal with for our own sakes and for future generations! I don't want my children growing up in a world where they have a 33% chance of leaving school obese!! The UK is catching up with America where the food industry profits $450 billion per year yet healthcare costs $2.7 trillion a year!! 75% of this is for treating disease and 75% of that is preventable. That means that America is losing 3x as much money as the food industry is making. Dr. Robert Lustig 'Sweet Revenge 2015: Turning the tables on Processed Foods'.

 

We need to come together and refuse to be addicted to sugar - refuse to buy the products which are POISONING us and make our own meals, buy fresh or frozen foods from LOCAL sources if possible and we will all reap the benefits and have healthy, happy and active liftstyles!