Splenda, why not to use it?

[donnay]

Raw, unfiltered honey FTW

Just make sure it is local.

 

[iGGz]

//

 

[Revolution9]

I get mine shipped from the mountains of CO, thanks though.

The reason for local is prophylaxis against pollen allergies...which are local.

Rev9

 

[iGGz]

//

 

[Chester Copperpot]

Raw, unfiltered honey FTW

Cant argue with you there... good stuff

 

[donnay]

of course stevia tastes like ass, so there is that.

I can honestly say I never tasted ass or kissed ass. Do you care to elaborate?

 

[specsaregood]

I can honestly say I never tasted ass or kissed ass. Do you care to elaborate?

you ever tried stevia?

 

[Danke]

I can honestly say I never tasted ass or kissed ass. Do you care to elaborate?

I think we should take Specs' word on this one. http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...ecific-disclosure/page2&p=4466432#post4466432

 

[Working Poor]

I am very blessed to have gotten home made maple syrup from a farmer who also sells incredible eggs at the farmers market near us.

jealous j/k

I want to add that we do not need to replace sugar just eat right. If you went a month or two without eating anything with added sweetener of any kind and then eat a small amount of sugar or other artificial sweetener you would then be able to taste all the chemicals used to process it instead of the sweet taste then you would know with certainty why it should be avoided.

 

[donnay]

you ever tried stevia?

Yep but it still doesn't answer my question. Nevertheless, Danke's right, I will just take your word on it.

 

[Elwar]

Along the lines of Stevia...Xylitol is a sugar substitute that is also good for the teeth.

It has a slight mint flavor to it so it is often used in mints or gum. Supposedly good for sugar substitute for diabetics.

 

[WhistlinDave]

Whatever you do, don't go to aspartame. If you haven't seen it yet, there's a movie called "Sweet Misery" that's all about the long term dangers of aspartame and how it never should have been approved for human consumption but was pushed through the FDA anyway. (Money is the key reason.)

I used to use 4 packets per day in my 2 cups of coffee for years and years, and after seeing that movie now I use only sugar. No diet sodas either, avoid it at all costs. I think this movie can be found online to watch for free.

I wouldn't be surprised if Splenda turns out to be just as bad. Any time we subject natural things to chemical processes, there's a good chance our bodies are not equipped to deal with the result.

 

[Zippyjuan]

I am very blessed to have gotten home made maple syrup from a farmer who also sells incredible eggs at the farmers market near us.

Maple syrup is little different from table sugar. Both are basically sucrose (maple syrup is over 90% sucrose- table sugar is 100%) though maple syrup has very small quantities of other things including anti-oxidants. Probles is that you would need to comume a lot of that sugar to get the anti-oxidant benefit. Kinda like using sea salt to get more minerals- you need to consume a lot of the salt to get enough of the minerals to make any difference. (and the "Maple Surup has Compounds which fight cancer and diabetes" study was paid for by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). Press releases conveniently leave off how much (or how little) of these beneficial compounds are actually in the syrup.

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2011/05/24/7158/maple-syrup-a-sweet-surprise/

You might want to pause for a moment before rushing out and buying jug after jug of Canada's finest maple syrup, though. It still contains plenty of sugar, and Seeram discourages gorging on the stuff for possible health benefits. Similar compounds have been found in blueberries and green tea, among other foods.

May be slightly better than sugar but don't count on consuming it to improve your health. Blueberries would be a much better choice for your pancakes.

 

[MelissaWV]

Somehow I am not shocked that donnay took issue with agave nectar lol

It is useful in some situations, though, and like ANYTHING there are variations in how various companies process it. Some are so high in fructose there is no point. There are also different grades, and you use less of it, but anything to be contrarian.

 

[tod evans]

agave nectar
.

Wink.....

 

[donnay]

Somehow I am not shocked that donnay took issue with agave nectar lol

It is useful in some situations, though, and like ANYTHING there are variations in how various companies process it. Some are so high in fructose there is no point. There are also different grades, and you use less of it, but anything to be contrarian.

If you think agave nectar is the next best thing since slice bread, by all means knock yourself out!

What is the "Real" Truth about Agave?

If you knew the truth about what's really in it, you'd be dumping it down the drain -- and that would certainly be bad for sales.

Most agave "nectar" or agave "syrup" is nothing more than a laboratory-generated super-condensed fructose syrup, devoid of virtually all nutrient value, and offering you metabolic misfortune in its place.

Unfortunately, masterful marketing has resulted in the astronomical popularity of agave syrup among people who believe they are doing their health a favor by avoiding refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, and dangerous artificial sweeteners.

And if you're diabetic, you've been especially targeted and told this is simply the best thing for you since locally grown organic lettuce, that it's "diabetic friendly," has a "low glycemic index" and doesn't spike your blood sugar.

While agave syrup does have a low-glycemic index, so does antifreeze -- that doesn't mean it's good for you.

Most agave syrup has a higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener -- ranging from 55 to 97 percent, depending on the brand, which is FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55 percent.

This makes agave actually WORSE than HFCS.

It is important to understand that fructose does not increase insulin levels, which is not necessarily good as what it does do is radically increase insulin resistance, which is FAR more dangerous. You see, it's okay for your insulin levels to rise, that is normal. You just don't want these insulin levels to remain elevated, which is what insulin resistance causes.

That is why fasting insulin is such a powerful test, as it is a very powerful reflection of your insulin resistance.

In addition to insulin resistance, your risk of liver damage increases, along with triglycerides and a whole host of other health problems, as discussed in this CBC News video about the newly discovered dangers of high fructose corn syrup. The study discussed in this news report is about HFCS, however, it's well worth remembering that agave contains MORE fructose than HFCS, and in all likelihood, it's the FRUCTOSE that is causing these severe liver problems.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/agave-this-sweetener-is-f_b_537936.html

 

[MelissaWV]

I think the English language is pretty awesome, too. It appears we are destined to have our differences.

Most agave syrup has a higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener -- ranging from 55 to 97 percent, depending on the brand, which is FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55 percent.

Not all agave syrup/nectar is in this range. If people cannot be bothered to read labels, I'm not sure what's to be done with them. It's not like you are supposed to be drinking this out of the bottle, either, or using it in the same amounts as sugar. You know what has a lot of fructose? Honey. You were talking about how awesome it was earlier. HFCS = 42 to 55 grams of fructose per 100 grams. Honey = roughly 41 grams of fructose per 100 grams.

What's that? Different kinds of honey from a variety of sources have lower fructose ratios than that? You don't say.

* * *

Just saw Elwar's post about "sugar substitutes" for diabetics. Being diabetic does not mean you can't have sugars or carbs. It means you have to be more balanced about it, and try to avoid peaks and valleys in blood glucose levels. There is this odd misconception that diabetics can't have sweets, or have to use things other than sugar, or can't have candy, or fruit, or juice. That's just setting oneself up for failure and dangerous glucose lows throughout the day.

Oh and back on the earlier subject. Orange juice is terrible for you as far as sugar goes. Most commercial brands are loaded with all kinds of things you would never add to it at home. The solution is to squeeze your own. The same could be said for a great many other things, but I'm sure some really long post with a lot of quotes and possibly a YouTube is coming to tell me I'm all wrong now lol

 

[Zippyjuan]

Nothing is pure. Even Stevia (which is touted as the latest "natural" thing). Most stevia you see in the market is highly processed and has "natural flavors" added (and some also add other sweeteners which may include sugar or artificial sweetners- it does have a bitter component to it so this is to offset that). They also don't say how it is processed from the plants (some suggest harsh chemicals may be used to speed up the process). The point should be simply don't overdo it on any of it and you will be fine.

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2011/08/20/whats-so-bad-about-white-stevia-powder

Anita asks…


“i have heard a couple of people say not to use white stevia, but i have never heard why not to use it. can you please explain why?”

Anita, when you think white stevia, think white sugar.

White stevia is not the same chemically, nor does it have any calories, but it is a chemically processed powder that has been removed from the stevia leaf – just like white sugar is just the very sweet sucrose removed from sugar cane or sugar beets.

The sweet chemical is a glycoside which is called stevioside and has about a 10% concentration in the stevia plant leaf. Most white powders contain an extract that is up to 80-90% steviocide.

While there has been little negative study about white powdered stevia, these products have the potential to do more harm than good because any extract has potential to be more potent than the original food or herb. (This doesn’t mean all extracts are bad.)

Also many of the white stevia powders use large amounts of maltodextrin to cut the strong sweet flavor of stevia extract.

Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide (or carbohydrate) that is used as an additive to soften the flavor of the steviocide (it’s also preferred because it doesn’t clump.) Maltodextrin is usually derived from GMO feed corn using chemicals, bleaching agents and other very-unnatural processes.

On top of all of this – and the biggest reason we don’t use it – is that the manufacturers of most white stevia are big industrial giants which as you probably can understand are not farmers or anyone that I’d want to trust with my food or support with my money. Cargill produces Truvia – their flagship stevia product.

If you look hard enough, you can find negative reports about everything you eat or drink or breathe or do. You have to ask yourself if it is something reasonably worth worrying about. Oxygen is important for us to breathe but it can also cause cancer or kill cells via oxidation. We need water but too much of that too can kill us as easily as not enough.

 

[jj-]

Cause it's new. Give it a few more decades of research to make sure it isn't harmful. Stevia and cane sugar have been used for hundreds of years. Let the other people be the guinea pigs.

 

[specsaregood]

Cause it's new. Give it a few more decades of research to make sure it isn't harmful. Stevia and cane sugar have been used for hundreds of years. Let the other people be the guinea pigs.

I'm glad we are seeing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol in more and more products. I've never used it as a direct sugar substitute, but its great in gum and toothpaste.