Sweeteners

I talked about Splenda a few months ago and how too much might not be a good thing. I don't believe Splenda per se is that bad. After all, most sports supplements contain it. And I don't see athletes leaning over and dieing. But too much could clog your liver and maybe even disrupt your metabolism. To date, there isn't much evidence for that, but I would still limit Splenda.

I'm now going to talk about natural sweeteners.

Stevia- my preferred choice. You can get in tablets, in liquid form, or as a powder. I prefer the liquid form and add it to my tea and smoothies. Tablets work best when you're on the road and all the restaurant has is the pink stuff. South Americans have been using this sweetener for years. Stevia arrived in the US not too long ago, and until last year it was called a "dietary supplement." No longer. Now it's being used in many products such as soda and candy. Even though stevia is non-glycemic, that is, it doesn't raise blood sugar, it might trigger an insulin response because the brain senses that it is sweet. There is no definitive proof of this, and the long use of this sweetener attests to its safety.

Lo han- this is extract of a Chinese fruit. 250x sweeter than sugar.

Erythritol- tastes similar to sugar but is usually combined with other sweeteners.

Agave- the nectar of the desert plant in Mexico, it has a lower glycemic-index than honey because of its high fructose content. Limit yourself to one tablespoon. It's not calorie-free.

Barley malt syrup- the maltose in this sweetener doesn't raise insulin levels. Works well in baking or cooking.

Brown rice syrup- cultured cooked rice and enzymes converts sugar to maltose. Haven't seen too much. Not a lot of feedback here.

Purevia/Truvia- Pepsi makes the former while Coca Cola makes the latter. They're actually hybrids of the purified extract of stevia, or rebaudioside A, and erythritol, a sugar alcohol. One study showed that rebiana caused mutations, but the amounts were extraordinarily large. But the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Helath Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives declared it safe as a sweetener. The Japanese have used it since the 1970s with no problem. These sweeteners come in packets, and PureVia can be found in SoBe Life Water, my favorite "sports drink."

Aspartame/saccharin- the evidence is mixed here. I like to splurge on Diet Cherry Coke once in awhile. Some lab tests have shown that these sweeteners can cause cancer in rats. To be safe, limit it.

Kevin