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							The Basics to Consider with Natural Sweeteners and Artificial Sweeteners

Written by Jamis Hartley
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 20:28 -

It's easy to see that too much sugar is causing our world a fair amount of grief. With the wide
variety of sugar substitutes many are choosing to reduce their sugar intake or eliminate it
completely. The hard part is finding a sugar substitute that will work for you. There are natural
sweeteners and synthetic sweeteners. Some cause side effects such as tooth decay,
headaches or digestion problems. In this article you'll find a few quick things to keep in mind
while trying to find the right fit. by JamisHartley

 It's easy to see that too much sugar is causing our world a fair amount of grief. With the wide
variety of sugar substitutes many are choosing to reduce their sugar intake or eliminate it
completely. The hard part is finding a sugar substitute that will work for you. There are natural
sweeteners and synthetic sweeteners. Some cause side effects such as tooth decay,
headaches or digestion problems. In this article you'll find a few quick things to keep in mind
while trying to find the right fit.

 When considering sugar substitutes there are two very distinct directions you can go. You can
go with a man made artificial or an all natural sweetener. Each have their own side effects or
benefits to consider. Artificial sweeteners are specifically engineered to provide some particular
benefit, but I don't know that we have figured out how to create a chemical that provides that
benefit without causing another side effect. Even natural sweeteners will have different benefits
and side effects to consider. You will need to decide which works best for you.

 The most common artificial sweeteners being widely distributed under many different names
are Sucralose and Aspartame. Engineered to trick your body of its sweetness upon entry and
exit the body without being broken down like a carbohydrate or leaving behind those unwanted
calories, artificial sweeteners have become very popular. However, as time passes, reports are
mounting of the negative side effects of these impostors. These side effects include headaches,
migraines, upset stomach and even seizures. In addition to having potentially dangerous side
effects you might also consider that cooking with artificial sweeteners is less than desirable.
Aspartame breaks down in heat and becomes useless and because of all the filler required,
Sucralose will leave your food sweet to the taste but quite dry in texture. Be sure to consider the
long term effects of going artificial. It might be cheap and it might be easy but since when has
cheap and easy ever had lasting benefit.

 Quickly catching up in popularity are the all natural sweeteners. Some of them you may have
heard of are Erythritol, Xylitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol and Stevia. All of these are 100% natural and
sweet to the taste. However, just because it is all natural doesn't mean it won't have side
effects. Three of the above mentioned seem to stand out as better alternatives to sugar;
Erythritol, Xylitol and Stevia. Xylitol and Stevia will cause digestion issues if you aren't careful
with the quantity you consume. Erythritol however is digested differently by the body and will not
cause gastric pain. Another nice benefit of Erythritol is that it is the only one that doesn't
promote tooth decay and it is the only one on the list to be zero calorie.

 Erythritol is found in many fruits and vegetables and is about 70% sweet as sugar. As
mentioned earlier it has zero calories and digests in the small intestine leaving your body
through your urine not causing gas pains like many other natural products. Erythritol is also a
great choice for diabetics because it will not cause a rise in your blood sugar levels. You can



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The Basics to Consider with Natural Sweeteners and Artificial Sweeteners

Written by Jamis Hartley
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 20:28 -

find Erythritol online or in a store and use it alone as a sweetener with great benefit. There are
also a few companies now that are finding super sweet natural ingredients and blending that
with Erythritol to bring the sweetness up to that of sugar. Because if its physical properties it is
also great for cooking and can in fact be measured cup for cup like sugar.

 Finding out if Erythritol as a natural sweetener is right for you will require you to do more
reading beyond this article and trying the products yourself. Determining if artificial sweeteners
are really bad will also require much more reading and critical thought to decipher the truth from
all that is out there. Hopefully the thought process used through this article will be of some aid in
getting you started down the path to a solid alternative to sugar.

About the Author:
Find out more about natural sweeteners at www.doctorgrandmas.com. Doctor Grandma's
website is full of interesting information about the benefits of Erythritol and other healthy foods.




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