Think Sweet
If you listen to the manufacturers of chemically produced artificial sweeteners, you'll hear there's no evidence that they're unsafe.
Critics cite anecdotal evidence to the contrary, saying natural substances are best for our bodies. They say we are being used as human guinea pigs, encouraged to consume possibly unsafe products that will not be proven unsafe until after we fall victim to cancer, brain damage, or other disease.
Here you'll find a list of sweetness sources, starting with artificial sweeteners, then natural sweeteners. You'll find in the natural section I start with some highly-processed sweeteners derived from plants but chemically treated. Toward the bottom of the page you'll find some of the best natural sources of sweetness.
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Contents:
Dedication
Artificial Sweeteners
Cyclamate
...banned in the USA.
The use of cyclamate in artificial sweeteners was banned in the USA in 1969 because testing associated it with bladder cancer, yet over 55 other countries still allow it to be sold. More recent testing disputes this finding, and a reapproval petition has been filed with the FDA.The 1960s testing showed that a combination of cyclamate with saccharin caused rats to develop bladder cancer. More recent studies state that cyclamate is not a carcinogen.
Product using cyclamate: Sucaryl
Cyclamate Links
- Cyclamate
- Wikipedia page about cyclamate.
Saccharin
...banned in Canada and some other countries.
Saccharin is the common name for benzoic sulfinide, a sweet substance providing no nutritive value. Saccharin was discovered in 1879 by chemist Constantin Fahlberg, while researching coal tar derivitives at Johns Hopkins University. It became popular during World War I sugar shortages.In the 1970s studies associated saccharin with bladder cancer in rats. It was banned in Canada in 1977. In the USA, a warning label was added to packaging.
In 2001 the requirement of a warning label was lifted after a study showed that rats develop bladder cancer from saccharin due to a function not relevant to human beings as our urine composition is different.
Product using saccharin: Sweet 'n Low
Saccharin Links
- Saccharin
- Wikipedia page about saccharin.
Sucralose
...chlorinated sugar.
Sucralose is chlorinated sugar and is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is made by replacing three hydroxyl groups with three chlorine atoms. It has no nutritive value and is eliminated from the body in the same form in which it was ingested.Sucralose is the only artificial sweetener that maintains its sweetness when heated, so it can be used in baking.
Sucralose is an organochloride and may be carcinogenic, though not all organochlorides are. It is thought that sucralose may not be carcinogenic because it doesn't break down, dechlorinate, or accumulate in fat cells as some other organochlorides do.
Product using sucralose: Splenda
Sucralose Links
- Sucralose
- Wikipedia page on sucralose.
Sorbitol
Another name for sorbitol is glucitol. It is a sugar alcohol used in sugar-free candies and other diet foods. It is found naturally in some fruits and berries, but normally is created through chemical processing.Though sorbitol has some nutrient value, it also is known for numerous side effects including abdominal pain and intestinal difficulties, so products containing sorbitol should be used in moderation.
Sorbitol Links
- Sorbital
- Wikipedia page about sorbital.
- Sorbitol Side Effects
- Case histories about sorbitol side effects.
Aspartame
Products using aspartame: Equal, NutraSweet, and Canderel.
Aspartame
Aspartame Killed My Wife
Aspartame Killed My Wife - One Mans Story
Aspartame Killed My Wife - One Mans Story. This video won an Austin Access TV award for best interview. Produced by Mike Hanson. Digg This Video. http://digg.com/health/Aspartame_Killed_My_Wife_One_Mans_Story
Runtime: 9:59
18912 views
10 Comments:
Aspartame Links
- Aspartame
- Wikipedia page about aspartame.
- Sweet Poison
- Sweet Poison is the site of Janet Hull, who almost died from aspartame poisoning in 1991.
- NutraSweet, Aspartame, Equal
- The site says: "The FDA has received more complaints about adverse reactions to aspartame than any other food ingredient in the agency's history." Learn more here.
- The Aspartame Controversy
- Wikipedia page about the aspartame controversy.
Natural Sweeteners
Sugar
Originally people chewed on sugar cane to enjoy a sweet treat. Then a method of crystallizing sugar was developed in India around 350AD. Sugar became a political hot-topic during the European settlement of America because sugar cane grew well on Caribbean islands. Because labor was needed, slaves were brought in from Africa. We can thank sugar cane plantation owners for starting the slave trade to the New World.Back then sugar was worth as much as gold and it was considered a luxury. Even today it is a very popular food item, though now almost everyone can afford it. Our sugar supply is made from sugar cane or sugar beets.
A lot of illness is blamed on sugar including weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay, gout, and even cancer.
Vegans and vegetarians may shy away from sugar because about 1/4 of the sugar in the USA is refined using bone char instead of activated carbon.
An Organic Cane Sugar Factory
Sugar Links
- Sugar
- Wikipedia article about sugar.
Corn Syrup
Corn syrup is considered by many to be extremely unhealthy for human consumption, but it is cheap and sweet, so manufacturers of processed foods keep using it.
Corn Syrup Links
- Corn Syrup
- Wikipedia article about corn syrup.
- The Murky World of High Fructose Corn Syrup
- HFCS, exposed.
- High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Not So Sweet for the Planet
- Corn syrup - an environmental disaster?
Crystalline Fructose
Crystalline fructose is also called fruit sugar. According to the website of the Fructose Information Center, fructose is created by extracting cornstarch from corn kernals which through processing is "enzymatically transformed to fructose."
Crystalline Fructose Links
- Fructose
- Wikipedia article about fructose.
- Fructose Information Center
- Fructose information from the people who want you to buy some.
- Fructose - Maybe Not So Natural...and Not So Safe
- This 1995 article seems to confuse fructose with high-fructose corn syrup, yet contains a lot of information about medical side-effects.
- Fructose
- A doctor's comments about medical side-effects of fruit sugar (fructose).
Maple Syrup
100% Pure Maple Syrup, 64 fl oz: W
Maple Syrup is 100% natural. It is sap from Maple trees made by Mother Nature. This is not the unnatural Maple syrup processed for pancakes. In a much smaller bottle on that shelf in the supermarket you should be able to find natural Maple syrup.
This is excellent in coffee, on bread, over cereal, or in lemonade.
Maple Syrup Production
Making Maple Syrup
The O'Brien Family Tradition of Making Maple Syrup
Runtime: 9:53
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Maple Syrup Links
- Maple Syrup
- Wikipedia page on Maple syrup.
- Do More With Maple Syrup - Quebec Maple Syrup Producers
- Chef Daniel LaGarde inspires us to do more with maple syrup with his Quebec Maple recipes.
Agave Nectar
Agave, Amber, Wild, 16oz (raw, certified organic)
Agave dissolves in cold water and is perfect for sweetening iced tea. It is especially popular with vegans, who use it as a honey replacement.
Agave Nectar is available through Sunfood Nutrition
The Agave Harvest
The Agave Harvest
Madhava's Agave nectar is a pure and natural sweetener made from the natural juice (aguamiel) of the agave salmiana. It is harvested from live plants in the high desert region of Central Mexico, where a wealth of the plants grow wild. It is gathered by hand by Hnahnu Indian peoples native to this area, from plants on their land. Learn more about agave nectar by visiting http://www.MadhavasAgave.com
Runtime: 3:54
4487 views
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Agave Nectar Extraction
Agave Nectar Extraction
Agave nectar extraction at boutique distillery near Puerto Vallarta.
Runtime: 0:24
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Agave Production
Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Agave
100% Pure Agave Nectar from the Weber Azul in Central Mexico. Agave Nectar is low glycemic, so it is a perfect sweetener for anyone watching their sugar intake, including diabetics.
Runtime: 2:12
3222 views
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Agave Syrup Links
- Agave Syrup
- Wikipedia article about Agave syrup.
Rice Syrup
New Link List
- Brown Rice Syrups
- Brown Rice Syrups are one of the best alternatives to tame the roller coaster ride of your blood-sugar levels while continuing to pamper your sweet tooth.
- Organic Rice Syrup
- Rice Syrup is sweet stuff indeed that leaves you with no bitter worries for health because when you pour it over your pancakes remember you are getting the equivalent sweetness of half that amount of white sugar.
- Sweet Savvy: Natural Sweetener Recipes
- Debra's Natural Desserts: It's Okay to Eat Sweets
Stevia
Stevia is a plant native to tropical Central and South America. It is also called sweetleaf and sugarleaf.It is available in stores as a white powder or as a liquid extract, but whole foods proponents recommend that consumers use green or brown whole-plant extracts and powders. They say the other Stevia products are too refined and lack essential phyto-nutrients. When too concentrated, Stevia can have a bitter aftertaste.
Stevia Green Leaf Powder (Stevia rebaudiana) 8 oz: HH
Stevia - South American Herb
Stevia
The FDA approved aspartame in 1981 After The Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) RECOMENDED AGAINST APPROVAL This widely used ingredient ... all ยป has introduced a confounding variable known even in company studies to produce tumors at a high rate. National epidemiological statistice show a spike in brain cancer coincident with approval, even more so after FDA approved this ingredient to be used in diet sodas as an artificial sweetener New information have been presented to me today. A herb sweetener that could KILL the aspertame industry.. Stevia, or Sweetleaf, a pure natural alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. The sweetener industry pressured the FDA to keep stevia out of the United States In 1991, at the request of an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration labeled stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import. In the United States, it is legal to import, grow, sell, and consume Stevia products if contained within or labeled for use as a dietary supplement Millions of Japanese people have been using stevia for over thirty years with no reported or known harmful effects. stevia leaves have been used for centuries in South America as a treatment of type II diabetes Read my Aspartame research at http://starttherevolution.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=183 Dr.No.
Runtime: 5:16
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Stevia Links
- Stevia
- Wikipedia page about Stevia.
- Stevia Information
- Information about Stevia, Stevia recipes, Stevia news articles, Stevia Rebaudiana research studies, and Stevia comparisons.
- Life With Stevia: How Sweet It Is!
- Nutritional and medicinal uses of Stevia.
Honey
Honey is the pure product of honey bees. Nothing is added to it, however it is often processed with heat treatments and not completely natural.True organic honey is rare because bees may be gathering nectar from plants treated with pesticides. Also beekeepers often use inorganic substances. For example, they may kill the bees with calcium cyanide before gathering the honey. Carbolic acid is used to remove the honey from the hive. Also beekeepers treat bee diseases with antibiotics and sulfa.
Supermarket honey has usually been processed with heat to make the honey clear and unclouded. This 'ultrafiltration' process destroys nutrients such as enzymes.
Honey, Black Gold, 11 oz, .Noniland (raw, wildcrafted, Ormus-rich, pesticide-free)
Colony Collapse Disorder
The Disappearing Honey Bees: Beekeepers on What's Happening
Colony Collapse Disorder is causing honey bees around the world to die without explanation. Backyard beekeepers and experts describe the relationship between humans and bees, how CCD is impacting colonies, and how everyone can help their recovery. More content like this at http://life.gaiam.com .
Runtime: 5:12
35403 views
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Honey Links
- Honey
- Wikipedia page on honey.
- Help The Honey Bees
- About Colony Collapse Disorder... and what we can do to help.
Date Sugar
To make date sugar, simply dehydrate dates, then grind them. They are nutritious and delicious. Date sugar is excellent in oatmeal or in any recipe where brown sugar is used. Date Sugar Links
- Dates and Date Sugar
- Lots of recipes using date sugar.
Fruit Juice
One last suggestion: fruit juices. Many juices are useful in baking and for sweetening smoothies and other drinks. Apple sauce is also added to muffins and other baked goods for sweetness. The Sweetener Poll
Thanks for visiting my lens...
I hope this page is helpful for people deciding what sweetener best suits their needs. My sweetener of choice is Maple syrup, which I like for its taste, nutrients, and convenience.Click here to add this lens to your favorites.
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Your comments are welcome...
Let me know what you think...
BartonMurray wrote...
This is so valuable and can have such a huge impact on health!
Posted November 16, 2008
eccles1 wrote...
This is a great lens finding out about our sweeteners can only make us healthier!
Posted October 11, 2008
angelstar wrote
wonderful stuff Linda thanks (((hugs)))
Posted September 29, 2008
More Reference Links
- The Truth About Artificial Sweetener
- Here's the truth about artificial sweeteners and the side effects they cause.
- Sugar Substitutes
- Wikipedia page about sugar substitutes, both natural and artificial.
Country Kitchen Pantry
...my blog.
- Simple Salsa and My Mexican Food Experience
- I love Mexican food - especially vegetarian bean burritos!
- Codex Alimentarius Natural Health Freedoms Threat
- Codex alimentarius - how will it affect natural health freedoms?
- Herbs and pregnancy - what to use and what not to use
- Herbs safe to use during pregnancy, and those dangerous to use while pregnant.
- Herbed Pasta
- Herbed pasta is easy to make and a favorite of vegetarians everywhere.
- Cleaning The Pantry
- Cleaning the pantry helps revitalize the country kitchen.
This page created by Linda Jo Martin of:
