Tag: Natural Sugar

Issues About Ice Cream

If you love ice cream, making choices that are right for you often involves more than your personal preference of flavor and style. As ice cream companies now manufacture and sell an increasingly-large range of ice cream products, it is helpful to know the differences between these products. Some ice cream products are simply better for you than others; and you may want to take these factors into consideration whether or not you have any dietary restrictions or weight-loss issues which directly affect you. Being a well-informed consumer is the best way to go about this, and it will provide for more healthy choices as well as more enjoyment of the ice creams that you select.

If you have the need to reduce the amount of sugar that you consume, you may be interested in knowing the difference between “no sugar added” and “sugar free.” Some people do not even realize that there is a difference, and the difference is not markedly clear on most ice cream packaging. These terms do not mean the same thing. The difference between sugar free and no sugar added is really quite simple, but unfortunately many consumers are not aware of it. No sugar added only means that there was no sugar added to the ice cream during its production; the sugar content from the original ingredients, however, remains in the final product.

For a product to be labeled sugar free, however, the requirement is that the product have no more than .5 grams of sugar per serving. This is difficult with a product such as ice cream, for many of the ingredients which are in ice cream contain their own natural sugars. The sugar free status is hardest to achieve in ice creams which contain fruit or nuts, for both are quite high in their own natural sugar content. Even the basic ingredients needed to produce ice cream contain natural sugar. Some ice cream manufacturers are currently working on methods to improve their sugar free ice creams, in order for these products to remain healthy while not sacrificing taste and quality.

An important consideration for those on weight-loss diets is that the calorie content itself of fat-free, lowfat, and light ice creams is not significantly different from the more standard styles. These designations are more relevant to those who specifically have dietary restrictions on their fat intake.

The standards by which these differences are determined begin with the requirement that ice creams which are labeled light or reduced fat must have a lower fat content than the regular style. Both have a higher fat content than products which can be labeled low-fat. As cream, the main ingredient in regular ice creams, has a very high concentration of fat, it is difficult to produce ice cream with a very low or nonexistent fat content; doing so generally places it in the category of ice milk.

Although ice cream in its natural state is a dairy food that is rich in calcium, those with a special dietary interest or health concern may wish to consider ice creams which are fortified with calcium. This would be a good choice for children and teens whose teeth and bones are still developing, and for women who have a concern or family history of osteoporosis. Although calcium fortified ice creams may tend to be a bit more expensive than the regular varieties, the longterm health benefits to choosing calcium fortified ice cream are well worth it.

Ice cream is no longer as simple as it used to be. But becoming informed about the differences in the many choices which are available to day is the best step toward making healthy choices.

Faking Away Sweets in Sugar

When one speaks of sugar, first thing in mind is the advantage of having a sweet taste of food. It is difficult to find someone who does not like a taste of it, one time or another in a person’s life. It maybe, he refuses intake of it at present for health reasons but in the past he admits, had the joy of eating many kinds of sweet foods.

Children like candies because it is associated with something tasty-sweet. In the earlier days of our grandparents, when people know nothing about calories and disadvantages of some excessive food intakes the elderly finds joy in the thought of having chocolate for breakfast because of the pleasant sweet taste associated when the native chocolate is sweetened with plenty of sugar as a beverage.

Low calorie sweeteners became a household word recently, for reasons that today’s generation is more aware of cases of diabetes and obesity associated with eating excessive sweets. Uncontrolled intake of carbohydrates, which has plenty of starch and sugar, is not advised to people who suffer diabetes, or those prone to obesity.

Researches in the earlier 21st century have proven that low calorie sweeteners had been introduced in the market to substitute the use of actual sugar. Actually some chemical contents are substituted, reduced, or refined to certain degree as to fake the sweet taste in natural sugar. It becomes in a way synthetic, but beneficial to the general health of the public. The faking of the sweet taste reduced the calories present in the actual glucose sugar. It is not surprising that consumers products displayed in the markets today include grocery items on low calorie sweeteners.

Why such preference on the synthetic-made sugar, rather than the organic sweet? Table sugar or sucrose is our common table sugar. There are many kinds of sugar in different sweeteners around, both in fruits and manufactured table sugar. Fruit contains fructose sugar, and milk contains lactose. Reducing or transforming natural-sweet-taste sugar to certain low calorie level is that which makes it more healthful.

Today’s market offers various brands in the making of low calorie sweeteners. The FDA of the United States had an extensive evaluation and test for the assurance of safe use for public consumption. Safety measures against complications in the reproduction; genetic effects, risk to cancer, the central nervous system, and body metabolism were strictly
considered.

Kinds of manufactured low calorie sweeteners:
*Sucralose – the only low calorie sweeter that is made from actual sugar, made 600 times sweeter than our table sugar. It’s available in a very wide range of food distribution with a need of sweetener, branded in the name Splenda (granular and packets) in several outlets. *Aspartame a non-calorie sweetener used in beverages, 200 times sweeter than sugar. They’re several others of similar values.

Equal Sweetener – What is it About

Recent studies have shown that too much sugar may be bad for the health. This could to lead diseases such as diabetes that could lead to the complications.

Since people still need sugar in the system but in reduced amounts, companies have decided to make artificial sweeteners and Equal is one of the popular brands in the market.

This product is marketed and exported throughout the world by the Merisant Corporation. The company has offices in the United States, Mexico, Switzerland and Australia.

The main ingredient is aspartame which is a substitute for natural sugar that can be mixed in food or in the persons drink. The chemical composition is made up of 50% phenylalanine, 40% aspartic acid and 10% methanol.

There are those who claim that taking this either through food or drink is harmful to the health but there have been no studies published in any magazines to publicly announce the potential risk.

However, there have been some reports that this can cause dizziness, headaches, weight gain, memory loss, anxiety and rashes.

It is funny to know that this is used on a variety of products and people dont really realize it. These products are breath mints, toothpaste, cereals and multi-vitamins that are all available in the supermarket. People have been taking this for years!

Equal sweetener can be purchased at the grocery. This also comes now in bars with various flavors such as Peach, Lemon and Vanilla Bean. This can be purchased in bottles, box or packets making this easy to have around the house or when going on a business trip or a vacation out of town.

The product should be stored in room temperature at all times and is good for up to 3 years.

Equal and the main ingredient aspartame have undergone more than 200 lab tests by various organizations. These bodies have been certified to be safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization.

Studies have shown that this can be mixed with tea or coffee more than once a day. According to one study, a person can drink up to 97 packets a day which is still safe.

It has been proven to be safe for those diagnosed with diabetes since sugar is also needed to maintain the carbohydrate count in the body.

The person can check with a dietitian before trying this product and get information from other brands that also provide artificial sweeteners in the market before choosing the one to use for the home.