Reading Time: 3 minutesWe have been brainwashed into thinking dietary fat causes heart disease and obesity. Sugar is the real culprit behind most of the common diseases in society right now.
Sugar speeds up the ageing process in cells, including the neurons in your brain, leading to an increased risk of dementia. It damages the liver as well. Sugar causes high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides. It spurs inflammation, accelerates weight gain, sets the stage for heart disease and stroke, and contributes to cancer and Alzheimer’s.
We definitely love sugar. Because our brains are programmed to love sugar. Almost 20% of our daily calories come from sugary beverages such as soft drinks, juices sweetened coffee and tea, cakes, pies, biscuits, cookies, breakfast cereals, chocolate milk, fruit, yoghurt and many more.
I know we don’t intentionally add sugar to our daily diet, but food companies add sugar to the food product. Many of us have allowed the food industry to hijack our kitchens and let the food industry poison us for profit. I am a food scientist trained to produce food in the factory to attract customers to continue buying processed food.[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”block” ihc_mb_who=”unreg” ihc_mb_template=”3″ ]
Here is the long list of the added sugar we want to check out before we pay at the counter, such as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, glucose, maltose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, brown sugar, molasses, rice syrup, agave nectar, fruit juice concentrate, caramel and maple syrup. All the above are different forms of sugar added to your daily processed food. If we add all the sugars, some drinks can contain as much as 40% of combined sugars! Now let’s look at some alternatives.
Stevia is 200-350 times sweeter than sugar; the compounds Stevioside and Rebaudioside-A trick your tastebuds into tasting sweetness and are diabetic-friendly. In Malaysia, we can easily find Stevia liquid drops and sachets, both online and in stores.
Monkfruit extract has gained popularity in recent years, but traditional Chinese medicine has used the fruit for its sweet and cooling properties for centuries. Locally known as Luo Han Guo, the sweetness comes from natural Mogroside compounds 100-250 times sweeter than sugar. Many Monkfruit sweeteners may also contain the artificial sugar alcohol Erythritol.
Here are some common artificial sweeteners in the market.
Aspartame is the original non-nutritive sugar substitute! Found in sugar-free sodas like Pepsi Black and Diet Coke. As aspartame digests in our bodies, it is broken, converted, and oxidised into formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogenic and neurotoxic. It’s been shown to cause side effects like elevated blood pressure, heart palpitations, dizziness and skin allergies.
Sugar alcohols include Erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, and lactitol. Usually found in candies and foods like sugar-free chewing gum, lozenges, and biscuits. Sugar Alcohols are non-digestible and can cause bloating and diarrhoea if eaten in large amounts. Long-term use has also been recently linked to heart disease.
Acesulfame K Labelled as Acesulfame Potassium, Ace-K, or E950, this calorie-free synthetic sugar is found in yoghurt, ice cream, jams, soft drinks and even toothpaste! More than 200 times sweeter than sugar, Ace-K is toxic to our gut microbiome, which can cause a wide range of severe health issues.
Sucralose is synthesised from sugar. Sucralose is made when atoms in the sugar molecule are replaced with chlorine atoms, producing a calorie-free sweetener that is 600 times sweeter than sucrose. Unlike other artificial sweeteners, it does not leave a bitter aftertaste but has been linked to diabetes, leaky gut, weight gain, and irritable bowel syndrome.
A general rule of thumb for you. Read your label correctly before you buy the product. The label shows sugar-free, zero sugar, no or low calorie or “diet”. Replacement/ substitution is one of the great ways to build a good healthy eating habit. By finding the right sources and practising them, you’re on the way to success!
Want to discover more tips on how to improve your energy and health? Your healthy life is just a click away at https://www.joyce-wong.com/wellnessmasterclass. You can access it anywhere, anytime, at your own pace. Like it? That’s more! Sign up now, and you’ll be granted a one-year complimentary membership in my Wellness Inner Circle and a one-on-one 1 1 coaching session with me. You deserve to feel great and live a vibrant life. See you there![/ihc-hide-content]
