Sweeteners - What would be a wise choice?

Sweet treats aren't very good for our health, and they should be avoided as much as possible. But I know there are times (specially for women during PMS) we just crave something sweet. So when this does happen, what is the best sweetener to reach for?

Before we get to the answer, let's first understand why refined sugar messes up with our organism. 

The effects of refined carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour, white rice, etc) in the diet are devastating to the body. First of all, they are highly acidic foods that in other to be digested, require minerals (specially calcium) from the organs (specially the bones), to bring back up the pH of the blood to normal levels. The blood pH ranges between 7.35 and 7.45 if it goes lower or higher than this, the body cells can't work properly  leading to coma and death. But thank God, the body is very smart and it will make anything and everything it can to maintain the blood pH between the 7.35 and 7.45 range. When we eat something very acidic such as refined sugar one of the mechanism used by the body to keep a healthy pH is by leaching out calcium which is a very alkaline substance to level out the acidic condition that the refined sugar just caused. Secondly, refined carbohydrates elevate the blood sugar so high that it causes the pancreas to over secrete insulin into the blood, making the pancreas to over work and increasing the chance for the pancreas stop producing enough insulin or making the cells resistant to insulin. Therefore, leading the body to a diabetic condition. When there is too much insulin in the blood cause by a high glucose level (hyperglycemia), more than enough glucose enters the cells causing a dramatically drop on blood glucose (hypoglycemia). During hyperglycemia, the body starts depositing fat into adipose cells. By contrast, during a hypoglycemic state, the body feels hungry, shaky, weak, nervous and craves more sweet. This creates a vicious cycle messing up with the pancreas, energy levels and mood swings. I t also makes people prone to gain weight or rather prevent them from loosing weight because the body is constantly storing fat or feeling hungry! So it is important to avoid those refined carbohydrates in order to keep the blood sugar level steady, the mind happy and the body slim.  

Very likely you have already encountered a food label with a glycemic index number (GI).

The GI  shown on some food labels simply mean how high the product will elevate the blood sugar. But it wont tell you how bad it will be for your liver. For example, Agave Nectar have a low GI of 15-30. But its fructose content is about 75-90% (depending on the how much processed they are) which is a lot of fructose.

So don't be fooled by the GI table, because fructose has a very low GI since it passes through the liver first before being released into the blood. And the process of fructose getting converted to glucose in  the liver, just make it to work harder leading to a fatty liver, high cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Therefore a product can have a very low GI, but it can have a great impact on the liver. So if glucose makes the pancreas work harder and fructose puts strength on the liver, what is left? Well, when glucose is accompanied by fibers, fat, vitamins and minerals, the glucose is released much slower avoiding the blood sugar peak. And when fructose is packed with fibers, the liver does not work so hard. So for a sugar to be considered good there should be:

•  Not too much fructose and should be packed with vitamins and minerals

These products below have a fairly high fructose content, are highly processed and are empties calories (provide nothing else besides carbohydrates). If consumed frequently and/or in great quantities can cause, cancer, liver problems, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression and depressed immune system, just to name a few.

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup
2. Corn Syrup
3. Agave
4. Sucrose (table sugar)
5. Evaporanted Cane Juice
6. Fructose
7. Brown Sugar (In the U.S. brown sugar is just white sugar with added molasses) 
8. Maple Syrup or Sugar

The sweeteners below are much better choices than the sugars above. However they shouldn't be used routinely. I suggest using them to bake a cake or a pie for especial occasions such as a birthday party or to make sauces or spreads.

1. Malted Barley (don't use for baking because it has a strong flavor)
   
2.  Brown Rice Syrup
3.  Date sugar
4. Jaggari (Indian cane juice crystals or a.k.a Brazilian "rapadura")
   
5. Coconut Nectar Syrup
6. Coconut Sap Sugar

Below are the best sweeteners in my opinion. I chose them because I believe that sugar is sugar, so it really does not matter much which sweetener is being used, but rather the quantity and frequency of the sugar taken in. But the 3 sweeteners below have either medicinal properties or are greatly nutritious that it is worth having them. Those are the ones you can have at home in case you want to sweeten something.

1. Unsulphered Blackstrap Molasses - Very rich in iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. It is also a alkaline food.
2. Raw Honey - Contains bee pollen, propoplis, antioxidants, enzymes, some vitamins and minerals and antimicrobial properties. Do not heat up raw honey because it loses all its great properties. So if you want to bake something use molasses instead of honey.
3. Stevia - A natural plant sweetener, with practically zero calorie and carbohydrate content, and zero glycemic index. But be careful not buy the highly processed stevia which are sometimes blended with other artificial sweeteners such as the cola-cola brand"Truvia". 

But keep in mind that concentrated sugar forms (all of the above) should be consumed in very small amounts. This means that if a pie is made of molasses, we CANNOT have the whole pie, two bites are enough!!! And slowly we'll learn to eat less and less of the concentrated sugars... 

Raw Honey

Stevia Powder

Unsulphered Blackstrap Molasses