Sweeteners Guide: Natural Honey, Stevia & Sugar Risks

Are natural sweeteners like Stevia and Manuka honey safer than white sugar? Explore the health impacts of sugar addiction, the dangers of aspartame for kids, and why high fructose corn syrup is restricted in certain regions.

Coconut palm sugar in measuring spoons

What Are the Benefits of Coconut Sugar?

Coconut sugar is the boiled and dehydrated sap of the coconut palm. It comes with a higher price tag than granulated sugar but offers the same number of carbohydrates and calories.

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stomach ache, woman lying on bed

The Side Effects of Lactulose Syrup

Lactulose syrup, a liquid medication used for chronic constipation, has the chemical makeup of certain sugars. This medication also comes as a powder to mix with juice. It takes at least two days for it to become effective.

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Sugar cubes and stevia with nameplate

Pros & Cons of Stevia

Stevia is a type of herb that can be used as an artificial sweetener. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 to be sold as an ingredient to sweeten foods. The FDA deemed stevia “generally recognized as safe.

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Nutrition Information for Sugar in a Pineapple

Fruits contain natural sugars that are healthier for you and considered less damaging to your overall health than foods with added sugar. Foods such as cookies, cakes and soft drinks all contain added sugar.

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Spoonful of sugar

The Disadvantages of Sugar

Two different types of sugar exist: simple and complex. Complex sugar takes longer for your body to break down and is healthier for your body. This type is found in natural carbohydrates such as whole grains and fruit. On the other hand, simple sugar is broken down by your body quickly and causes energy ups and downs.

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Sugar and flour

How to Stop Eating Sugar & Flour

The food trends seem to be changing from one that encourages any type of carbohydrate consumption to one that favors whole grains and eliminates refined white flour and sugar. Refined white flour and refined white sugar cause rapid blood sugar increases and add empty calories to processed foods.

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Spoonful of black treacle oozing off of spoon

Does Blackstrap Molasses Help You Lose Weight?

The only way to lose weight is to expend more calories than you consume from food so your body can burn off stores of fat. Replacing high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods that are also fiber-rich and therefore more filling will help you create this calorie deficit.

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The Effects of Sugar & Salt Water on Plants

Plants take in mineral salts and water through a process called osmosis. Salt and sugar in soil water can adversely effect plants. Plant life requires some mineral salts, but plants produce sugars through metabolism and do not require added sugar.

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Stevia herbs sweetener

The Calories in Stevia

Extracts made from Stevia rebaudiana, a tender perennial plant, provide a food and beverage sweetener rated 30 times sweeter than sugar. Similar to other artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, your body does not metabolize the glycosides from the Stevia leaf or any of its processed forms.

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pink New Zealand teatree

Calories in Manuka Honey

Manuka honey is a type of honey produced when bees feed on flowers from the Manuka Tea Tree, a native plant of New Zealand. This sweetener, which allegedly has medicinal properties, can add calories to foods.

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Coarse crystals of brown sugar with stevia leaves

Natural Sugars That Are Safe for Cancer Patients

If you are battling cancer, the healthiest option is to limit your intake of conventional sugar or sugar substitutes. This is not to say that you must eat bland food, either, because some natural sweeteners are actually healthy for you.

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How to Replace Sugar with Splenda in Recipes

Sucralose is the main ingredient in the artificial sweetener Splenda. Unlike sugar, your body does not metabolize sucralose and so eating it does not affect blood glucose levels. If you are using the diabetic exchange diet plan, up to 8 tsp. of Splenda Granulated counts as a free food.

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Winter  tea

Calories in Rock Sugar

Rock sugar, a tasty variation on traditional white sugar, is traditionally used to sweeten Chinese teas or Asian-style meat glazes, according to the Epicurious Food Dictionary. Used appropriately, this exotic ingredient can be a part of your calorie-conscious meal plan.

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Calories in Honey Vs. Sugar

Honey and sugar are very similar in that they are both natural sweeteners. Honey is produced by bees and is a result of the nectar they collect from flowers, while sugar is a product from sugar cane or beet plants.

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Doctor is Giving a Medicine to His Patient

What Is Promethazine-DM Syrup Used for?

Promethazine-DM is the generic form of Phenergan-DM. It is a prescription medication available in syrup form that contains promethazine and dextromethorphan. It is used to prevent coughing and a runny nose.

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Young woman in pain

Xylitol Sweetener Side Effects

Xylitol, a sugar alcohol, is known for its sweet flavor. Dentists like this natural sweetener, because its chemical composition prevents it from turning into acid in your mouth -- a leading cause of tooth decay.

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Strawberry tart on wooden table

Fructose Vs. Sucrose

Fructose and sucrose both fall under the designation of sugars. Biochemically, they're both carbohydrates -- fructose is a monosaccharide and sucrose is a disaccharide, meaning that fructose is made of a single sugar unit, while sucrose is made of two sugar units.

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Coffee with stevia

Healthy Sugar Substitutes for Coffee

For many the act of getting out of bed in the morning requires the sweet smell of coffee. But on its own, sweet does not really describe coffee at all.

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brown sugar

The Calories in One Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

Brown sugar, or white sugar combined with molasses, comes in light and dark varieties. It adds flavor and calories to a variety of dessert recipes and can serve as a sweet accompaniment to coffee or tea.

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Close view honey buns

How Many Calories in a Honey Bun?

Made from dough leavened with yeast and rolled into a coil, honey buns are deep-fried then coated with a layer of sugary white icing. High in calories, honey buns contain significant amounts of both carbohydrates and fat.

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