[table caption=”Sweetners to Avoid” ]
Sweeteners to Avoid,Also Known As,Safety Concerns,Sweetness,What is it?
Aspartame , Equal\,NutraSweet\, NatraTaste\, AminoSweet, Read Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic by H.J. Roberts\, M.D. Breaks down into methanol. Connected to Cancer\, Migraines & Neurological disorders ,200 times sweeter than table sugar ,originally developed as a drug to treat peptic ulcer disease
Neotame,, consumer groups contend that neotame may be as toxic (or more) as aspartame\, since both sweeteners contain a compound that breaks down to methanol , 7\,000-13\,000 times sweeter than sugar , a chemical derivative of aspartame
Sucralose,Splenda,Only 5 published human safety trials testing less than 200 people in total. No long-term studies- the longest human toxicity trial lasted only 13 weeks., 600 times sweeter than table sugar, Organochlorine: of 20 common organochlorines only one is listed as a food sweetener\, sucralose. All others are listed as insecticides\, pesticides\, solvents\, fungicides\, manufacturing product or chemical warfare. Chlorine is highly toxic\, chloride exists mainly as salt.
Acesulfame-K , Sweet One\, Sunett\, acesulfame potassium. ,,200 times sweeter than sugar,
Cyclamates,,banned in the U.S.,,
Saccharin,Sweet ‘N Low,,300 times sweeter than sugar, synthetic chemical that was discovered in 1879 when a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore noticed that a compound he spilled on his hand tasted sweet
Refined Low-Cost Honey,,High levels of HFCS,Approximately 20 times sweeter than sugar,Made by force feeding bees HFCS under 24 hour hive lighting
High Fructose Corn Syrup Sweeteners ,, Does not stimulate satiety which signals your body to stop eating\, allowing you to consume more calories. ,20 times sweeter than sugar,Modified Corn Syrup – a liquid that is easily dissolved in liquids.
Fruit Juice Concentrates,,Identical problems that table sugar cause in your body.,, Derived from concentrated fruit juice\, a highly refined product. Fructose. Eat fruit instead!
Agave Nectar,,The fructose content of Agave syrup is much higher than that of high fructose corn syrup,20 times sweeter than sugar,Harvested from a combination of up to 136 species of agave. Not well regulated. Avoid agave syrup.
Turbinado Sugar,,Health risks similar to sugar. ,,Highly refined sugar with a small amount of molasses.
Sucanat,,Sucanat is a trade name and often used to avoid putting sugar on the ingredients list.,,Dehydrating the juice of organic sugarcane – it is sugar & molasses combo. 600% more costly than table sugar.
Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS),, Indigestible\, often causes gas\, bloating and other forms of digestive distress. ,Less sweet than sugar. ,A type of soluble fiber. Often mixed with more intense sweeteners.
Tagatose, Tagatose Naturalose ,See Polyols,,New to the market. Very similar to polyols
ShugrTM,,,,Combination sweetener- blend of highly processed natural and artificial
Just Like Sugar®,,Health risks similar to sugar. ,,Combination of inulin and maltodextrin
[/table]
(Sweetener data in this chart was adapted from J. Mercola and K. D. Pearsall, Sweet Deception Why Splenda®, NutraSweet® and the FDA May Be Hazardous to Your Health (Nelson Books, 2008))