Tag: Different Kinds

Stevia and Saccharin- Safe Alternative Sweeteners

Recent years have witnessed the proliferation of different kinds of sweeteners. From natural to artificial, it seems that Science and commerce have made it a point to fill up a need that sucrose or the common table sugar is slowly creating.

Although sucrose is not necessarily dangerous, too much consumption has become a problem for most people. It can lead to various health problems such as hypertension, heart problems and obesity if not controlled. But who can blame people from wanting to eat sweet things as much as they can?

This is why companies have tried to create alternative sweeteners that will have the same taste but have less calories or low caloric content. Most of the sweeteners in the market, in fact, are 200 to 500 times sweeter than ordinary table sugar but contains less carbohydrate.

Before penetrating the market, all of these sweeteners are evaluated and approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Despite this, there have been a lot of questions as to the safety of these sugar substitutes. There are even some that have been pulled out of the market after being approved for selling.

Two of the safest sugar substitute in the market are saccharin and stevia. Saccharin has actually been in the market since the 1970s. It is extracted from a plant in China. It was commercially distributed in packets as alternatives to sugar for beverages especially coffee. Because it is many times sweeter than ordinary table sugar, you will need a little bit more to equal the strength or effect sucrose.

Although it had already been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration years back, there was a time when it was put on the list of cancerous ingredients. The decision was based in a study that found a link between saccharin and cancer in rats.

It seems that a laboratory study on rats found that saccharin can actually cause bladder cancer. Manufacturers of products that use saccharin as ingredients were even asked to out disclaimers in their labels about the potential danger of the ingredient.

Still, after much study and debate, nothing conclusive has ever been found. It was only recently when the inclusion of saccharin in the list was repealed. Experts argue that though it has caused bladder cancer in rats, this does not mean that it can also cause cancer in humans.

Stevia, like saccharin, also comes from a plant, this time from Paraguay and Brazil. It is 200 300 times sweeter than table sugar. This is why only a small amount of stevia is enough to reach the sweetness level of sucrose. Still, one great disadvantage for this sugar substitute is the fact that it has a bitter aftertaste that turns off most consumers.

Stevia and Honey – Safe and Sorry

Society today has slowly seen the negative side of sugar. This is why most people would prefer to avoid eating sweet foods, which is quite next to impossible. People love sugar and will probably give up all the other stuff in life before giving up on it.

To answer this need, companies have come up with several alternatives to sugar that are much lower in caloric and carbohydrate content. Unfortunately, because it is not as natural as the ordinary table sugar, people feel that too much consumption of these sugar substitutes can be harmful to the body. They are afraid that just as it took forever for them to discover the problems that sugar can cause, it will also take forever before they will find out just how harmful the sugar substitutes are to the body.

One substitute though that is still considered safe is the honey, which directly comes from honeybees. Because honey is a combination of different kinds of sugars such as fructose, which can be seen in fruits, maltose, glucose, and sucrose, honey is more balanced and has a better effect on the body. It is better absorbed by the body and presents lesser load for the pancreas, which filters the sugar and activates the insulin system.

One disadvantage though that honey provides is the fact that it is very vulnerable to industrial chemicals being a very natural product. Genetically-modified pollen can cause pests like the Varroa mite. This in turn will increase the possibility of the use of some chemical pesticides that may affect the honey that it being produced. Another potential problem is the use of antibiotics that may be potentially harmful to people when ingested indirectly through the honey. In addition to this, honey although quite a healthy alternative for people with normal conditions, cannot be used by diabetics.

Another potential sugar savior is stevia, which is a South American herb that has been used in Japan for centuries. Records also show that native Americans also use this herb in their food. It has a low caloric content and provides great therapy for thrush, which is exacerbated by the consumption of too much sugar. In fact, stevia is believed to be capable of stabilizing the sugar level of diabetics.

However, despite its glowing reviews and resume, stevia has failed to gain an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration when the agency rejected the call for the herb to have a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status.

Agave Sweeteners- The Organic Way of Sweetening your Food

Agave sweetener is one of the alternative sweetener in the market that is enjoying a large following despite the fact that there are a lot of different kinds of sweeteners available. This is because of its rich taste and versatility in function.

The word agave is actually derived from a Greek word that means noble. Agave sweetener is made from an organic material, the agave syrup that comes from the sap of agave or maguey plants hearts. An agave that is already mature have leaves that can rise to as tall as 5-8 feet and have a diameter of about 7-12 feet. The plant can live for about 8-15 years depending of course with the way it is grown and of course the climate.

In Mexico alone, there are about 136 different kinds of Agave plants. The blue agave or what is known there as the Agave tequilana weber azul, is actually used to produce tequila. This is also used to make agave syrup.

Some agave plants are also used in combination with other species to produce mescal, a form of alcohol that is almost similar to the tequila.Compared to other kinds of agave, the blue agave has a higher fructose content. For this reason and a host of other reasons, it is considered the finest agave in the world.

Being a natural product, agave syrup can be a great and safe sweetener. The sweetener is derived from the carbohydrates present in the agave plant through a process called thermic or heat. This will then create sugar, whose main ingredient is inulin or fructosan, a complex form of carbohydrate.

There are no chemicals involved in this process. The juice of the agave is extracted from the core or heart of the plant. This dark juice contains minerals that has a natural flavor. It smells like vanilla. Solids that are found in the liquid will then be removed through a fine filtration process, thus removing the dark color and producing a consistency that is thinner than honey.

Fructose, one of the main ingredients of agave sweetener, can be found in fruits and vegetables, hence the name. Agave sweetener, however, is much sweeter than sucrose but has the same caloric contest as sucrose or what we call the table sugar.

Today, agave syrup is derived not only from the blue agave but also from other varieties such as the Salmania, the grey agave, the thorny agave, the rainbow agave and the green agave.

Why They Say Chocolate Has Health Benefits

Does chocolate have health benefits at all? Few studies and researches made not too long ago suggested it has. In detail, a lot of chemicals containing chocolate were found to be beneficial to the people’s health. So, it does contradict the old myth and half – truths surrounding the saying that implement that looks and tastes good is bad.

The health benefits are particularly true to cocoa, dark chocolate, and minimally – processed chocolate foods. Aside from the copper and magnesium, which aids in regulating blood pressure and heartbeat, they append flavonoids, the ones that you also found in high – antioxidant green tea. As you probably know it ad hoc, antioxidants are good for the health as they accomplish a number of health benefits, such as the following:

– Improve circulation
– Lower blood affliction
– Stimulate kidneys, improve digestion
– Can remedy patients with poor appetite, kidney stones, and anemia
– Improve endothelial functions
– Guard against free radicals and other evil molecules, which are known to trigger stroke and heart disease.
– Lower heart disease – related deaths

Flavonoids have two different kinds, the epicatechins and catechin. The catechin has been found to be rich in minimally processed chocolate foods and cocoa. This is known to aid in preventing heart disease illnesses and possibly cancer problems. It is also aid to boosting an individual’s unaffected system, this one also was recently discovered by the experts. Catechins can be found triple in amount in chocolates as compared to those found in teas.

But despite the discovered health benefits of chocolate, you have to be cautious at what type and amount of chocolate food you consume. Since anything excessive can be bad to health, and that applies to chocolate too. Eating high quantities of chocolate onus still cause juice and eventually trigger illness especially if you consume the less healthy type of chocolate.

In order to avoid the hateful consequences, you have to choose the right type of chocolate when intense as not all kinds are good. For example, highly – processed chocolate food kind such as those in candy and bar forms have high calories, sugar, and fat contents, therefore, must be avoided at all cost. Healthy kinds are dark chocolate, cocoa, and any other minimally – processed chocolate food.

This is in relation to studies demonstrating possible effects by eating chocolates done by the experts to groups of participants. In a distinctive study, half of the group ate duskish chocolate while the other white chocolate. One ones who ate white chocolate, showed no change in garnet pressure, while the other who ate dark chocolate, significantly lowered their systolic blood pressure.

At another conducted Pennsylvania State University study, a different group of participants received low fat diet, except that the half got high – carb snack and the other consumed low fat chocolate bar for a certain loop of stage. The two split groups didn’t show antithesis in levels of bad or LDL cholesterol afterwards. However, those that ate chocolate bars did show increase in triglycerides, a bent of heart – risk blood fat, and good or HDL cholesterols.

From these studies, it showed how chocolate can actually be a good diet food. However, note that the participants were only fed in minimal quantities of chocolates, therefore it is serene not advised to consume this sweet mirth more than what is required for you to take. Also, remember to avoid chocolate foods that are high in artificial flavorings, with dairy products, and sugars. Remember this: the less that it is processed, the more that health benefits you will get from chocolate.

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Why They Say Chocolate Has Health Benefits

Does chocolate have health benefits at all? Few studies and researches made not too long ago suggested it has. In fact, a lot of chemicals containing chocolate were found to be beneficial to the people’s health. So, it does contradict the old myth and half-truths surrounding the saying that anything that looks and tastes good is bad.

The health benefits are particularly true to cocoa, dark chocolate, and minimally-processed chocolate foods. Aside from the copper and magnesium, which aids in regulating blood pressure and heartbeat, they contain flavonoids, the ones that you also found in high-antioxidant green tea. As you probably know it already, antioxidants are good for the health as they accomplish a number of health benefits, such as the following:

-Improve circulation
-Lower blood pressure
-Stimulate kidneys, improve digestion
-Can help patients with poor appetite, kidney stones, and anemia
-Improve endothelial functions
-Guard against free radicals and other destructive molecules, which are known to trigger stroke and heart disease.
-Lower heart disease-related deaths

Flavonoids have two different kinds, the epicatechins and catechin. The catechin has been found to be rich in minimally processed chocolate foods and cocoa. This is known to aid in preventing heart disease illnesses and possibly cancer problems. It is also aid to boosting an individual’s immune system, this one also was recently discovered by the experts. Catechins can be found triple in amount in chocolates as compared to those found in teas.

But despite the discovered health benefits of chocolate, you have to be cautious at what type and amount of chocolate food you consume. As anything excessive can be bad to health, and that applies to chocolate too. Eating high quantities of chocolate can still cause weight and eventually trigger illness especially if you consume the less healthy type of chocolate.

In order to avoid the unpleasant consequences, you have to choose the right type of chocolate when consuming as not all kinds are good. For example, highly-processed chocolate food kind such as those in candy and bar forms have high calories, sugar, and fat contents, therefore, must be avoided at all cost. Healthy kinds are dark chocolate, cocoa, and any other minimally-processed chocolate food.

This is in relation to studies demonstrating possible effects by eating chocolates done by the experts to groups of participants. In a particular study, half of the group ate dark chocolate while the other white chocolate. One ones who ate white chocolate, showed no change in blood pressure, while the other who ate dark chocolate, significantly lowered their systolic blood pressure.

At another conducted Pennsylvania State University study,a different group of participants received low fat diet, except that the half got high-carb snack and the other consumed low fat chocolate bar for a certain length of time. The two split groups didn’t show difference in levels of bad or LDL cholesterol afterwards. However, those that ate chocolate bars did show increase in triglycerides, a type of heart-risk blood fat, and good or HDL cholesterols.

From these studies, it showed how chocolate can actually be a good diet food. However, note that the participants were only fed in minimal quantities of chocolates, therefore it is still not advised to consume this sweet treat more than what is required for you to take. Also, remember to avoid chocolate foods that are high in artificial flavorings, with dairy products, and sugars. Remember this: the less that it is processed, the more that health benefits you will get from chocolate.