Natural Sweeteners

Here is the follow-up to my previous issue of Real Health that focused on artificial sweeteners. In this issue we will focus on more natural sweeteners that are options to using white sugar (Sucrose) or artificial sweeteners.

1. Honey

Honey is a simple sugar. There are 4 classes of simple sugars which are regarded by most nutritionists as "harmful" to optimal health when prolonged consumption in amounts above 15% of the carbohydrate calories are ingested: Sucrose, fructose, honey, and malts. The less refined the honey is the better.

Some of you may be surprised to find honey here. Although honey is a natural sweetener, it is considered a refined sugar because 96% of dry matter are simple sugars: fructose, glucose and sucrose. It is little wonder that the honey bear is the only animal found in nature with a problem with tooth-decay (honey decays teeth faster than table sugar). Honey has the highest calorie content of all sugars with 65 calories/tablespoon, compared to the 48 calories/tablespoon found in table sugar. The increased calories are bound to cause increased blood serum fatty acids, as well as weight gain, on top of the risk of more cavities.

My opinion: OK to use in moderation

2. Fructose (sometimes called fruit sugar)

Fructose is promoted as a natural sugar, but in fact it is a refined sugar. Fructose as it is found naturally in its “whole” form in fruit and other foods is combined with many other nutrients and enzymes to allow it to work much more efficiently in the body. The refined white powder form that is sold as sugar, is not so natural.

It is hard to over-consume fructose from unprocecessed or unrefined foods, but excessive intake of unnaturally sweetened foods such as soft drinks, some fruit drinks, cakes, biscuits etc. can result in a diet high in fructose.

Unlike glucose, fructose does not need insulin to be transported into the liver to be broken down to produce energy - this in turn reduces the levels of an appetite control hormone called leptin. This combined effect of fructose (and its independence of insulin) may interfere with our ability to control our appetite and could increase the likelihood of weight gain. This may explain why some sweetened beverages can fail to make us feel full even though we are consuming lots of extra calories.

The route fructose takes to becoming energy can involve the production of undesirable blood fats known as triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, both linked to atherosclerosis. Fructose consumption has been shown in animal models to induce insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, high levels of blood fats (triglycerides), and high blood pressure. The data in humans is unclear, but there is some concern that too much fructose may exacerbate Syndrome X. This syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors which include abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and blood fats, and undesirable insulin levels.More research is needed to determine just how detrimental fructose is to human health. Until we know for sure, when it comes to sweet foods, prefer wherever possible, a variety of naturally sweet whole foods such as dried fruit, freshly squeezed fruit juice and natural honey.

My Opinion: Ok to use in moderation but try to eat the whole natural form

3. Stevia

Stevia Rebaudiana is an herb in the Chrysanthemum family which grows wild as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil.

Stevia is an all-natural herbal product with centuries of safe usage by native Indians in Paraguay. It has been thoroughly tested in dozens of tests around the world and found to be completely non-toxic. It has also been consumed safely in massive quantities (Thousands of tons annually) for the past twenty years. Japanese consumers used the equivalent of 700 metric tons of Stevia leaves in 1987 alone

The crude Stevia leaves and herbal powder (green) are reported to be 10-15 times sweeter than table sugar. The refined extracts of Stevia called steviosides (a white powder, 85-95% Steviosides) claim to be 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar. My experience is that the herbal powder is very sweet while the refined extract is incredibly sweet and needs to be diluted to be properly used. Both products have a slight bitter aftertaste, also characteristic of licorice.

The advantages to using Stevia are that it does not promote tooth decay, does not raise blood sugar levels and has almost zero calories. It can be used in foods and baking, but does not caramelize or crystallize like sugar. The disadvantage (in my opinion) is that it has a slight licorice taste that I don’t particularly like.

My Opinion: Good to use as a healthy alternative to sugar

4. Sugar Alcohols (a list is shown below)

As a group, sugar alcohols are not as sweet as sucrose, and they contain fewer calories than sucrose. But their flavor is more like sucrose, and they can be used to mask the unpleasant aftertastes of some high intensity sweeteners. One of the advantages is that sugar alcohols are not metabolized by oral bacteria, and so they do not contribute to tooth decay. A disadvantage is that they do not brown or caramelize when heated.

In addition to their sweetness, some sugar alcohols can produce a noticeable cooling sensation in the mouth when highly concentrated, for instance in sugar-free hard candy or chewing gum. This happens, for example, with the crystalline phase of Sorbitol, Erythritol, Xylitol, Mannitol, Lactitol and Maltitol. The cooling sensation is due to the dissolving of the sugar alcohol being an endothermic (heat-absorbing) reaction, one with a strong heat of solution.

Sugar alcohols are usually incompletely absorbed into the blood stream from the small intestines which generally results in a smaller change in blood glucose than "regular" sugar (sucrose). This property makes them popular sweeteners among diabetics and people on low-carbohydrate diets. However, as with many other incompletely digestible substances (such as dietary fiber), overconsumption of sugar alcohols can lead to bloating, diarrhea and flatulence because they are not absorbed in the small intestine. Some individuals experience such symptoms even in a single-serving quantity. With continued use, most people develop a degree of tolerance to sugar alcohols and no longer experience these symptoms. As an exception, Erythritol is actually absorbed in the small intestine and excreted unchanged through urine, so it has no side effects at typical levels of consumption.

The table below presents the relative sweetness of the most widely-used sugar alcohols.

Sugar alcohols as food additives

Name/Sweetness
Arabitol 0.7
Erythritol 0.8
Glycerol 0.6
HSH 0.4-0.9
Isomalt 0.5
Lactitol 0.4
Maltitol 0.9
Mannitol 0.5
Sorbitol 0.6
Xylitol 1.0
Compared to Sucrose 1.0

Personally, I have been using a natural sugar alcohol called Xylitol for the past year and I find that its flavor is closest to sugar without an aftertaste. I have not experienced any of the bloating or diarrhea that some people can, but you might want to experiment and see how it works for you. It is a little expensive, but you can find it on sale in 1-2 lb bags and save 30-50% if you look around. It looks and tastes like white sugar. Natural food and health food stores carry it or you can find it online at numerous sources. Xylitol is also showing up in more retail products like Trident and other gums. Because it is more expensive than the usual bulk sweeteners like High Fructose Corn Syrup, it may take a while before we see Xylitol used extensively in food products.

Xylitol, which is a natural product has several advantages over other sweeteners because it tastes like sugar (with no aftertaste but not quite as sweet), does not promote tooth decay, does not raise blood sugar levels (which avoids the insulin issues) and is much lower in calories than sugar. The disadvantages are that it can cause bloating in some people and it is much more expensive than sugar.

My Opinion: Use Xylitol or Erythritol for a natural alternative to sugar.

Sugar alternatives summary:
The two best choices would seem to be using a sugar alcohol like Xylitol or Erythritol or the herb Stevia. Stevia is becoming very popular right now as the “new” natural sweetener even though many of us were using it years ago. It is catching on with consumers and is being marketed by some very large companies. One of the new products available using Stevia is a sweetener called Truvia. Truvia is a blend of Stevia and Erythritol, with Erythritol being added to mask some of the licorice taste that comes with Stevia. Truvia is a good choice for those that like the flavor of Stevia and it is available in the major grocery stores now. Remember that Stevia can be very sweet, so take it easy on how much you use until you get a feel for the intense sweetness.

For those of you that just don’t appreciate the subtle licorice flavor of Stevia (like me), you can stick with Xylitol or Erythritol. You may have to look a little harder to find it, but you shouldn’t have any problem locating it. Whichever natural sweetener you choose, it will be a substantial improvement over white sugar or artificial sweeteners that are harmful to your health.

So stay healthy and keep your sweet disposition. Until the next issue of Real Health

J D Roma