Friday, October 23, 2009

What Is A Real Sugar Substitute

By Esther George

There has been a lot in the news recently about sugar substitute safety. Almost all of the natural sweetener options on the market are not natural at all . They are man made products with side-effects and unknown risks . The more you know about sugar substitute products, the better chance you have of making the safe and healthy call about which one to use.

A sugar substitute is actually anything that is used to sweeten that is not just sugar. Sugar substitutes could be a natural sweetener or a man made product. Many sugar substitutes on the market are made with natural ingredients, but have been processed to add in ingredients that are not natural.

Natural sweeteners are often used to refer to artificial sweeteners. Essentially, anytime a product contains additives and preservatives it is no longer natural even though it might still contain some other natural ingredients. A natural sugar substitute should be not processed or contain preservatives. This is very had to do hence most products are really not natural.

When concerned about your health and well-being it is important to understand the meaning of what is called a natural sweetener when looking for a sugar substitute. Artificial sweeteners pose some sort of health concerns due to the side effects which are prevalent.

The major health concern with artificial sweeteners is that they have been associated with cancer. In some studies, sugar substitutes have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Also the use of such sweeteners in addition has been shown to cause weight gain. This is an important point to notice since so many folks use substitutes as a way to avoid the empty calories of sugar and to help in weight loss.

There is a smarter choice in a sugar substitute. That smarter choice is to select a natural sweetener that really is healthy and has been proved to be healthy. This natural choice is honey. You can find honey is both liquid and crystal form. Either form is 100% natural. It can be employed in all the same techniques you would use regular sugar or a substitute.

Another benefit of honey as a sweetener is that it tastes good. Many artificial sweeteners have a bad after taste and they really do not compare to sugar. Honey, on the other hand, tastes good. In fact, honey compares quite nicely to sugar. It can be used in baking, it's got a pleasing taste and it is simple to use.

Finally, when looking for a sugar substitute you have to be careful and avoid most artificial sweeteners as they are essentially chemicals with potential negative side effects. Instead consider replacing sugar from your diet with honey a natural sweetener that we know is safe and healthy.

About the Author:

No comments: