Now that you've clicked on this article, I'm guessing you've used sugar substitutes or eaten sugar-free foods, or at least heard of them.
But, but, but...
Do you really know what sugar substitutes are?
There are many kinds of sugar substitutes, which is the healthiest choice?
At present, the sugar substitutes (sweeteners) that exist on the market can be mainly divided into 3 categories: artificial sugar substitutes, natural sugar substitutes, and sugar alcohols
It does not exist in nature, but is obtained through chemical processing
For example: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose...
Representative → Coke Zero, Sprite Fiber +, Coca-Cola Fiber, 0 Calorie Sprite, etc. The sugar substitutes added to it are aspartame and acesulfame potassium
Artificial sweeteners are characterized by a very, very high sweetness, usually hundreds or even thousands of times the same amount of sucrose, and have no calories, do not have any nutritional value, will not be absorbed by the human body, and will not cause blood sugar to rise.
The cost of this chemically synthesized food additive is very low, so most of the products on the market with sugar-free gimmicks generally use this type.
In the sugar substitute, everyone has generally only heard of aspartame, in fact, because it is cheaper and more widely used.
In the case of aspartame, the most widely used, since its introduction in 1965, there has been no confirmation of whether aspartame is good or bad, and even the government agencies that set food safety standards are very undecided about it.
You know, the US FDA calls aspartame "one of the most thoroughly studied food additives."
None of the most thoroughly studied artificial sweeteners has a relatively accurate statement, let alone other artificial sweeteners.
Therefore, not only from the perspective of obesity, from the perspective of health, we are still cautious and skeptical about artificial sugar substitutes.
It is made by extracting sweetness from natural foods and refining and concentrating
For example: stevia, erythritol, monk fruit glycosides...
Representative → Burning tea, etc
What is contained in the tea is erythritol.
Erythritol is extracted from corn and is the most common natural sugar substitute.
Natural sweetener ingredients are natural, the safety factor is high, and the cost is relatively high.
They have almost no calories, do not affect blood sugar and insulin, and diabetics can eat them.
Natural sweeteners are safer than artificial sweeteners.
It is prepared by hydrogenation reduction of corresponding sugars and belongs to the natural processing class
For example: xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol、......
Represents → a variety of xylitol juice drinks and lactic acid bacteria drinks
Generally, sugar alcohols are present in small amounts in natural foods, with a high safety factor, but can be absorbed and metabolized by the human body, and there is a risk of calories and glycemic increases.
For example, the xylitol glycemic index is 13, which has an impact on blood sugar, although it is very low, but it is not suitable for diabetic or weight loss people.
The safety is better, the taste is close to white sugar, but there are calories, it will rise sugar, and it is not recommended for diabetics and weight loss people.
The effect of sugar substitutes on the human body is still under study, reminding everyone not to completely relax their vigilance against it, feel that it does not affect blood sugar, you can eat it at will.
Think about margarine (trans fat) 20 years ago, when the resin end appeared, everyone used it as a savior to replace natural cream, thinking that finally there was no need to worry about the adverse effects of fat on the body. However, with the increase in use, it was found that this hydrogenated vegetable cream not only had no nutritional value, but also had great harm to the cardiovascular system.
This is also the best lesson for the past. It is better to use caution without thoroughly proving that they are not bad for the body.
However, it is human nature to love sweets, and if you want to eat a little sweet once in a while, it doesn't matter, don't suppress yourself.
At this time, the preferred real food with natural sweeteners (high nutrient density), followed by sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Provide you with a form, it is recommended to save it in your mobile phone.
Daily to learn to read the food ingredient list, at any time to refer to.