We all love the taste of sweet foods, especially when we have a craving or are feeling emotional. However, we often indulge in unhealthy sweeteners that can have negative impacts on our health. Refined sugars, such as sucrose, powdered sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, invert sugar, and brown sugar, are the least healthy sugars out there. They are nutrient-poor and consumed in excess can lead to multiple health problems.
There have been over 100 adverse effects of sugar documented in scientific literature, including immune system suppression, impaired mineral absorption, advanced skin aging, decreased skin elasticity, accelerated cancer growth, and weakened eyesight. With this in mind, it’s important to find healthier alternatives and use them when sweetening ice cream, shakes, pancake syrups, fruit juices, cakes, pies, and cookies.
12 Natural Substitutes for Processed Sweeteners
Sweet-tasting food doesn’t need to translate into body fat, hormone imbalances, or chronic disease. Consider using these 12 naturally healthy sweeteners as an alternative:
- Stevia
- Erythritol
- Xylitol
- Yacon syrup
- Monk fruit (Luo Han Guo)
- Molasses
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Coconut sugar
- Date sugar
- Brown rice syrup
- Malted barley syrup
However, be mindful that it may be difficult to replace refined sugars when it comes to foods like donuts, candies, sodas, and other high glycemic flour foods that are highly popular.
20 Symptoms That Could Disappear When You Ditch Diet Drinks
Many of our favorite foods and beverages are loaded with chemicals and additives that are dangerous for our health. When you ditch diet drinks, you may notice the following symptoms disappear:
- Headaches
- Chronic fatigue
- Joint pain
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Memory problems
- Numbness
- Slurred speech
- Skin rashes and itching
- Heart palpitations
- Breathing difficulties
- Swelling of the face and throat
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating and gas
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Weight gain
Undo Your Fructose Brain Damage
On average, Americans consume about 27 pounds of fructose per year, mostly from sugary drinks, syrups, honey, desserts, and high-fructose corn syrup. Consuming fructose in these forms can lead to significant brain damage. To undo this damage, consider cutting back on your fructose intake and adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet, which can help repair damaged brain cells.
Cancer Danger Turns This Sweetener Sour
The sweetener sucralose, commonly used in food and drink products, was created in a lab at King’s College in London with the purpose of killing bugs. Scientists found that by bleaching sugar molecules, they could enhance the pesticide effect of chlorine. Consuming sucralose can increase the risk of cancer, so it’s crucial to be aware of what is in your food and avoid this sweetener when possible.
The Refined Sugar Danger in Your Food
A refined sugar habit can lead to hormone disruption, susceptibility to diabetes, heart problems, cancer, and serious digestive issues. To fight back against these potential health problems, consider removing refined sugars from your diet and replacing them with healthier alternatives.
In conclusion, while we all love sweet foods, it’s important to be mindful of our sugar intake and understand the negative health effects that can come from consuming unhealthy sweeteners. By choosing healthier alternatives and monitoring the ingredients in our food, we can satisfy our sweet tooth without compromising our overall health.