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.
Egg whites, when whipped, form a light and airy froth that serves as a topping for pies, the basis for light cookies, and the elegant platform for a fruit-and-cream filled Pavlova. Sugar is an essential ingredient in meringue, serving several functions to turn egg whites into dessert.
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Turbinado sugar is obtained from the initial pressings of the sugar cane. Because this sugar undergoes very little processing, it is considered a healthier alternative to white sugar. The turbinado sugar crystals are much coarser than those of sugar that has been processed further.
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Carob is not chocolate. You can, however, substitute carob in recipes calling for chocolate, although the texture and flavor is not the same. Carob contains about the same amount of fat and calories as chocolate, but there are some healthy advantages to carob.
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Thoughtful cooks look for sugar substitutes when baking cakes for folks with diet issues like diabetes, and those watching their weight. A natural sweetener known as Stevia has gained recent attention as an alternative to sugar for baking.
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Unlike overdoses of many substances, sugar "overdoses" don't lead to toxicity reactions--though in extreme cases, they can cause dehydration, which has its own set of side effects. Instead, a sugar overdose leads to two separate problems: high blood sugar, and over-consumption of calories.
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The dangers of aspartame for kids—and adults—are a matter of significant controversy. The FDA has certified that aspartame is safe.
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Sucrose is a disaccharide consisting of a mixture of monosaccharides glucose and fructose. In its most common form, sucrose is easily recognizable as table sugar. As with most other forms of sugar, you should consume sucrose in moderation, if at all.
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A vegan diet contains no meat, fish, dairy or other animal products--including certain sweeteners. Strict vegans won't eat honey, made by nectar-producing bees, or even white granulated sugar, which may be refined using animal-derived products.
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Stevia, otherwise known as Stevia rebaudiana, is known worldwide for its sweet plant leaves. In late 2008 the FDA declared that the sweetener Stevia is "generally recognized as safe," and the product quickly was assimilated into the food industry as an alternative sweetener or sugar substitute.
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Honey is a sweet, sticky substance produced by bees and other insects that collect nectar from flowers. Raw honey is not pasteurized, so spores and pollens naturally inside the honey remain there.
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The Coca-Cola Company manufactures several variations of its Coca-Cola beverage, usually shortened to "Coke" by the general public. One of its most widespread versions is Coke Classic, but it also makes flavored variations and a no-calorie version, Coke Zero.
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Stevia is a natural non-calorie sweetener produced by the stevia plant. Used for centuries to sweeten food without added calories, it has become a popular non-calorie natural sweetener in the United States.
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A sinus infection--or acute sinusitis--is an inflammation of the sinuses from a bacterial, fungal or viral infection; allergies can also play a role. According to a 2008 Health News website article, sinusitis affects about 31 million people in the United States.
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Although many people associate brown foods with health and nutrition, brown sugar shouldn't be considered a healthy alternative to other sweeteners.
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Simple sugars and starches are part of a large group of compounds known as carbohydrates. Sugars are monosaccharides, or single units of specific molecules such as glucose, fructose, and mannose. Starches, on the other hand, are polysaccharides, long chains of chains of single sugar molecule subunits linked together.
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Most of the sugar consumed around the world is refined sugar derived from sugar cane. Sugar is a natural substance which when extracted from sugar cane can be white or brown. Other names for sugar include Turbinado, Muscovado, and Demerara.
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Elderberries have a long history as a folk cure for a variety of ailments. Currently, scientific studies are being conducted to test the accuracy of these health claims.
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Sugar snap peas are flat pea pods that grow during the cool season. They are crisp and have a sweet flavor, and are often eaten steamed or in stir-fry dishes. Beyond the texture and flavor of sugar snap peas is a wealth of vitamins and other nutrients that help to improve the health of the heart and bones.
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Sugar addiction is complicated by the fact that sweetened foods are widely available. Unfortunately, refined sugars upset blood sugar levels, creating a jagged cycle of energy surge and crash.
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