Nutritive and Non-Nutritive Sweeteners
Today, artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes are found in a variety of food and beverages marketed as "sugar-free" or "diet," including things such as soft drinks, chewing gum, baked goods, and candy. Because these sweeteners are so prominent in our diet, it raises concern as to whether these sweeteners are a healthy alternative to natural sugar. There are many types of sugar substitutes. Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. These are known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar. Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates that occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables, but can be manufactured. These aren't considered non-caloric or non-nutritive sweeteners because they contain calories, but they're lower in calories than regular sugar, making them an attractive alternative (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). Novel sweeteners are combinations of various types of sweeteners. Novel sweeteners, such as stevia, are hard to fit into one particular category because they are new; the production and ingredients are still unstandardized. Finally, natural sweeteners occur naturally: foods like honey, lemon or molasses that sweeten food and drinks (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012). There have been several studies on whether sugar or artificial sweeteners are more beneficial. The no-calorie sweeteners sound like a good idea, but some research suggests that they don't ultimately help people lose weight; we tend to make up the calories elsewhere in our diet (Fernstrom, Munger, Sclafani, de Araujo, Roberts & Molinary, 2012). Schools have also joined the fad of non-nutritive s...
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Mayo Clinic Staff (2012, October 9). Artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936
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Lustig, Robert, Laura Schmidt, and Claire Brindis. “The Toxic Truth About Sugar.” The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition. Ed. Thomas Cooley. 8th ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 284-289. Print.
The 12% increase of children consuming surgery beverages is continuing to grow as children are not educated on the harmful effects of this drug like substance we call sugar. Personally, I found this claim the most alarming and convincing given the amount of data and evidence in opposition to
Beil, Laura. 16 May 2013. Sweet Confusion: Does High Fructose Corn Syrup deserve such a bad
Abstract: The use of high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in various food and drink products has drastically affected the American people in the last three decades. Dominating 55% of the sweetener market because of its industrial benefits, HFCS’s increased use has caused dramatic effects in its consumers, including upsetting normal hormonal functions, destroying vital organs, nerves, and throwing off the body’s mineral balance. As the use of HFCS increased, the rates of obesity, diabetes, and related health problems have escalated, resulting in a nationwide epidemic.
(n.d.). Natural Health Articles, News, and Information by Dr. Mercola. What Does Sugar Do to Your Brain?. Retrieved from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/05/06/sugar-brain-health.aspx
Sweetness is usually correlated with sugar. The problem with sugar, otherwise known as sucrose, is that it has a lot of calories. These calories lead to weight gain if not spent by exercise, but now that humans have the knowledge and technology to create various substances, there are artificial sweeteners that do not have calories at all and taste even sweeter than sucrose. Many Americans avoid sugar-sweetened drinks by drinking beverages filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame to avoid weight gain. However, studies have shown that the adverse neurological and visceral effects of aspartame demonstrate that artificial sweeteners are more harmful than helpful; therefore, artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, should not be ingested.
It is apparent that living an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as eating poorly, negatively affects one’s health. From a young age it is quickly learned which foods are considered healthful as opposed to junk food. It is a parents responsibility to supervise the intake of their child's food, however there is a higher risk than ever before of childhood obesity.
We are all familiar with sugar. It is sweet, delicious, and addictive; yet only a few of us know that it is deadly. When it comes to sugar, it seems like most people are in the mind frame knowing that it could be bad for our health, but only a few are really taking the moderate amounts. In fact, as a whole population, each and everyone of us are still eating about 500 extra calories per day from sugar. Yes, that seems like an exaggerated number judging from the tiny sweet crystals we sprinkle on our coffee, but it is not. Sugar is not only present in the form of sweets and flavourings, it is hidden in all the processed foods we eat. We have heard about the dangers of eating too much fat or salt, but we know very little about the harmful effects of consuming too much sugar. There still isn’t any warnings about sugar on our food labels, nor has there been any broadcasts on the serious damages it could do to our health. It has come to my concern during my research that few
Sugar - Its Effects On The Body & Mind. 1998-2010. Macrobiotics Guide. 21 January 2011. < http://macrobiotics.co.uk/sugar.htm >
Artificial sweeteners are fake sugar substitutes that many people use to maintain their weight and diabetes. But, what many people do not understand is that artificial sweeteners are not all they are cracked up to be. It is a proven fact that people who consume diet coke on a regular basis will be fatter one year from the time they began drinking them. Many artificial sugars are in the everyday items that people eat/drink including soda, chewing gum, energy drinks, granola bars, cereal, and much more. There are many aversive health effects that are associated with specific artificial sweeteners. The most common artificial sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, neotame, and Acesulfame- K. Although artificial sweeteners are assumed to be a healthy option but, in the long run they can cause many aversive health conditions that could have been prevented by just consuming natural sugar.
Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States, with refined sugar contributing to its early onset. In BBC’s documentary “The Truth About Sugar”, Fiona Phillips explores how sugar affects our weight. Essentially, the sugar that is added into our foods and used in our homes has been stripped of it’s fiber and roughage, leaving only pure calories and energy. Children consume this immense amount of energy when they eat sugar. When energy isn’t burned off, it can lead to weight gain very quickly. Simply put, your liver turns this excess sugar into fatty acids which your body stores as excess fat (BBC “Truth About Sugar). The World Health Organization recommends that only 5 percent of daily caloric intake come from sugar. However, the typical American diet is comprised of 13 percent calories from sugar. In saying this, it is not shocking that 1 in 3 children are either overweight or obese. That adds up to approximately 12.7 million, or 17 percent, of children (American Heart
One of the health issues that can be observed from someone near you is diabetes. Mostly, obese and overweight people have type 2 diabetes. Health Educators, Liza Barnes and Nicole Nichols say, "More than 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Carryingexcess weight around your abdomen and waistline (known as the "apple" shape), greatly increases your risk of diabetes."(Barnes and Nichols pg.2) Also, there are many people who want to lose weight have misunderstanding of nutrition facts. This misunderstanding comes from tricks of food production. One of the major sneaky food source that causes type 2 diabetes is artificial sweetener. People think low calorie intake is the best way to be healthy and lose weight. People working at food production knows that but, if they put just pure sugar into sodas or other food, it will build up massive calories. Artificial sweetener helps to take that massive calories down to relieve consumers. For example, many diet sodas have zero calorie but, so much art...
... in food in the cafeteria lead to clogging the arteries that eventually lead to heart diseases (Ardis). Nevertheless, artificial sweeteners have not been tested in humans and show kids they are healthier, rather than real sugar and real sweeteners, when in reality they contain ingredients that can cause cancer.
Probably some of the most pleasurable and enjoyable memories of a person has to do with sweets. When thinking back to birthdays, there is always the memory of the wonderful cake that mother beautifully made and decorated with frosting and glazes. A typical night out with dad can be transformed into a magical evening with a trip to the ice cream parlor. The end of a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner turns heavenly when a hot apple pie is brought to the table and topped with delicious, melting vanilla ice cream. A good wedding is never complete without the cutting of the splendid multi-level wedding cake, when the happy new couple gets to playfully shove and smear cake and white frosting into each other’s smiling faces. Everyone knows that as a child, the only good part about going to the dentist is getting the candy bar at the end of the visit. Why do some people get sick after eating too much suger? Some people do not even know that the abuse of sugar can lead to negative effects on your body. There is something strangely enjoyable and resplendent about the consumption of sugar. Why is it that sugar is so deliciously enjoyable and at the same time a food product that has many negative affects on people’s health?
First, desserts have given us a horrible habit to our everyday life. Onto this day, our children are being influenced to eating tons of sweets. Sugar is addictive, which causes an aftereffect to children. Cranky and irritated are some of the effects on kids. Besides that, when the sugar reaches the bloodstream and the brain, the blood sugar levels