Friday June 8, 2012, 9:59 am

It's been a wild week in the sugar wars. Disney just announced that it will ban ads for candy, sweet cereals and other sugary foods on all child-focused broadcasting. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a ban on the sale of large sugary drinks. On the heels of a brand-new UCLA study linking high-fructose corn-syrup consumption with memory loss, the USDA rejected a petition last Thursday from the Corn Refiners Association to change the name of high-fructose corn syrup to "corn sugar."

Every anti-sugar, anti-HFCS fusillade boosts a booming business sector: The global market for non-sugar sweeteners, now topping $9 billion, is expected to reach nearly $10 billion by 2016. We're spending big money on stevia and agave, and just starting to discover dark horses such as erythritol and monk fruit.

What's in this stuff, and is it worth the switch? Here are six to consider.

1. Stevia

2. Agave Nectar

3. Erythritol

4. Monk Fruit (Lohan Guo)

5. Tagatose

6. Barley-Malt Syrup

AlterNet / By Anneli Rufus

Some of these you might not know about - each is explained and how it acts on the body. Well worth learning about.

Friday June 8, 2012, 2:51 pm
By Kathleen Blanchard RN on March 30, 2011 - 6:40pm for eMaxHealth
Food Nutrition
Current News

Five compounds in maple syrup never seen in nature before
Pure maple syrup has 20 known beneficial compounds for health and now researchers have discovered 34 more, five of which have never been found in nature before. The health benefits of maple syrup are even better than previously known and might help fight cancer, types 2 diabetes and infection.

According to University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram, 20 of the maple syrup compounds that were discovered last year play an important role in human health. He notes the sweet syrup is becoming a 'champion food" because of the health benefits.


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Seeram says…”several of these compounds possess anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to fight cancer, diabetes and bacterial illnesses."

In new research, presented at the 241st American Chemical Society National Meeting in Anaheim, California, Seeram and his team found phenolic compounds that have anti oxidant properties might help fight fatal diseases from synthetic development of the molecules found in maple syrup. Seeram says, "Nature is the best chemist."

"We know that the compounds are anti-inflammatory agents and that inflammation has been implicated in several chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's," Seeram said.

Could maple syrup fight diabetes?
Ironically, Seeram says yes, because "Not all sweeteners are created equal." The phenols in maple syrup inhibit two carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes that relate to managing Type 2 diabetes.

"I can guarantee you that few, if any, other natural sweeteners have this anti-oxidant cocktail of beneficial compounds; it has some of the beneficial compounds that are found in berries, some that are found in tea and some that are found in flaxseed," says Seeram who organized the "Bioactives in Natural Sweeteners" symposium at the ACS meeting as part of his diabetes research.

New compound Quebecol
One of the new compounds discovered in maple syrup is Quebecol that the researchers named to honor the province of Quebec in Canada that leads the world in maple syrup production. Quebecol is formed during the boiling process that concentrates sap into maple syrup. Seeram says the compound "has a unique chemical structure or skeleton never before identified in nature."

The finding that maple syrup has 54 known compounds that are known to have health benefits makes it especially appealing as a sweetener, but Seeram warns it doesn't mean consumers should over consume. When it comes to choosing a pancake topping, maple syrup is healthier than commercial syrups with corn sweetener and tastes better.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Friday June 8, 2012, 3:50 pm

On the rare occasions that I eat pancakes or waffles, I use only pure maple syrup. I had a hunch it was better then that stuff with corn syrup and junk in it, never liked the taste or smell.

Thanks Alice for adding that.

Friday June 8, 2012, 4:01 pm
I put warmed maple syrup with raspberrys on french toast : )

Friday June 8, 2012, 4:05 pm
I use both Agave and Stevia. I rarely use real cane sugar and I sometimes use honey. But, I do not ever use that crap they call 'sweetener' like Asparitame, Saccarine and a host of other not-so-real fake sugars. I haven't seen the Erythritol for home use in any of the markets I gfo to. I will be looking for it though.

I can put up with the stevia aftertaste. It's not that bad, kinda of reminds one of the aftertaste of Saccarine -- a tad bitter, but not on the scale of Saccarine. I prefer Agave. Even though it goes strait to the liver, I have found I don't get sugar cravings using it and my liver is fine. I don't use a lot of sweet anyway so I guess that's why it's not affecting my liver.

Friday June 8, 2012, 4:07 pm

Oh yummy! My not so secret recipe for French toast is to add vanilla and almond extract (the natural one) to the egg batter, along with cinnamon and just a sprinkle of clove and ginger.

I have tried some of the sweeteners listed, they really are much sweeter then sugar.

Friday June 8, 2012, 4:11 pm

This has me wondering if the taste factor isn't like the litmus paper test. I didn't taste an after taste, just found it very sweet, so I use very little.

Friday June 8, 2012, 4:14 pm
I think I'll stick with sugar at least for now... after Saccarine & that ilk, I just trust what I know.

Friday June 8, 2012, 8:25 pm
Thanks for the information, as I've heard talk of these "alternatives" and like Yvonne, I'm a bit leary. Pure maple syrup off the farms, is the best. Yummy. That is one of the things I miss doing each spring is to stock up on my maple syrup right off the stand with the sugar mill in the process of making the syrup in front of my eyes when I lived in Maine and Massachusetts. Now I have my friends mail me down some to Florida as I know they go to where I use to, but I miss the visuals or the journey so to say.

Friday June 8, 2012, 8:37 pm
Interesting.

Friday June 8, 2012, 8:58 pm
NOTHING compares to sugar as a genuine NATURAL sweetener...Sugar cane is not a natural food? Banning sugar filled drinks etc is absurd as are the people who would ban them...Don't like sugar? Don't use it, but we should all have the freedom to choose it or not!

Friday June 8, 2012, 9:26 pm
With maple syrup, honey and miel de agave available, I'm very happy :-)

Friday June 8, 2012, 9:44 pm
I've always preferred plain sugar. When I've dieted I'll use any of the diet sweeteners too. And maple syrup's lovely.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 1:21 am
Don't eat sugar. Don't eat junk food. Don't eat meat. Don't eat eggs...?

If it tastes good,eat it... If it feels good, do it...This is your life... I have a strange feeling that we will possibly all die one day so why not die happy having eaten exactly what you enjoy despite being advised not to by endless panels of 'experts'?

Saturday June 9, 2012, 4:11 am
I think the problem is not sugar itself, but the fact that people are hooked on sweet-tasting foods and beverages and consume them in ridiculous quantities. Switching from sugar to alternative sweeteners may cut down calories and/or help to keep blood sugar in better control, but the main problem remains. Think for a moment about foods and beverages which are the biggest source of our daily sweeteners - they're typically highly processed and nutritionally void. Companies mentioned in the article include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Starbucks and Kellogg's. Undoubtedly most of the $9 billion market for non-sugar sweeteners goes to line their pockets... An occasional pancake with maple syrup or a daily cup of tea with honey won't make you fat or sick - nor would you get any healthier if you replaced maple syrup and honey with non-calorie sweetener. (Personally, I use honey both for its taste and for supporting the local economy and agriculture. I don't actively avoid sugar, but I don't like the amount of hidden sugar / other sweeteners in processed foods...)

Saturday June 9, 2012, 4:32 am
Have been using stevia in my tea for years now, I just blend it with a little bit of brown sugar to give it more of a sugar flavour. ;)

Saturday June 9, 2012, 4:46 am
Thanks for posting Kit, a really interesting article. Stevia is relatively new in the UK, I haven't (knowingly) tried it but judging by the fact that it is being offered at a substantial discount in some UK shops I wonder if it is going to catch on or maybe it was simply overpriced (as a lot of new products are) in the first place.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 8:24 am
Interesting, thanks

Saturday June 9, 2012, 8:31 am
thanks, nice

Saturday June 9, 2012, 8:35 am
Thanks Kit, have used some of these, definitely avoid all artificial sweeteners as much as I can, however, I tend to eat my food as is, and rarely add anything to make it sweeter, other than sometimes putting honey in oatmeal.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 10:49 am
i use honey instead. Totally natural and much better for you.
lucie gr

Saturday June 9, 2012, 12:33 pm
Thanks.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 12:48 pm
thanks.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 1:19 pm
I grow my own Stevia where I live in zone 6. There is plenty of info online as to how to grow it, when to harvest it, and how to process it for home use. Recipes can also be found online. And as long as you don't go overboard with it, since it is SO sweet as compared to sugar, the bitter aftertaste is not so severe. Plus, it tastes different than sugar. Just like honey doesn't taste like sugar. But once you get used to it, it's not bad at all! And SO much healthier!

Saturday June 9, 2012, 3:08 pm
Best non-'diet' sweetener? Honey. Best diet sweetener? Probably either stevia, papaya extract, or sucralose. The one that should be banned outright? Aspartame/Nutrasweer and its derivatives.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 3:11 pm
Thanks for posting.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 3:33 pm
great article

Saturday June 9, 2012, 4:00 pm
Great article.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 4:20 pm

The point here is to have some sweet taste and still avoid the side effects of sugar, like diabetes. Brown sugar and molasses were once considered the bottom of the pot, once sugar cane is cooked down the residue is brown sugar and at the very bottom molasses. Though I do love the sharp taste of molasses.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 5:00 pm
When children a young as 4 years of age start to get diabetes WE ALL NEED TO STAND TOGETHER AND JOINTLY SAY W T F to all processed food crapfacturers! Go to ANY grocery store and try to find anything that does not have fructose, corn sugar etc.... You will be shocked! Exclude the fresh vegetables and fruit. By the way some of the sliced pre-packaged fruit trays have sweetner added, for color protection, yeah right. I know that living ultimately leads to death but can I live healthy in the process. Do not get me started on all fast food crapshacks, you know who I mean. The ultimate irony is that the growers of this garbage are receiving very large/huge tax subsidies, yet those growing the healthier food products get $0000!

Saturday June 9, 2012, 5:01 pm
Great article I have been using agave nectar to sweeten my tea for about 6 months I also suffer with liver stones (cholangitis) Into the dust bin you go I have 2 new bottles will not even give it to anyone
Really appreciate this article
Thank you so much for posting

Saturday June 9, 2012, 5:26 pm
Thanks Kit--another godd list.

Saturday June 9, 2012, 8:44 pm
damned if you do, damned if you dont. I would trust natural over chemical though. Without an autopsy, we probably will never really know what finally got us in the end. By then its' a tad too late.

Sunday June 10, 2012, 2:25 am
No mention of Xylitol? A healthy alternative to sugar that actually prevents tooth decay.

I mix 1/4 teaspoon of Xylitol with a couple of drops of Stevia in tea and coffee. Doesn't leave any aftertaste.

Sunday June 10, 2012, 4:00 am
noted, ty
In Germany Stevia is still not allowed as food.
I do not like Stevia tasting. It isn´t good for health cause brain will produce insulin for nothing.

Sunday June 10, 2012, 6:39 am
noted.

Sunday June 10, 2012, 7:51 am
I use honey.

Sunday June 10, 2012, 8:57 am
This is a very helpful article.. Out goes my agave bottle!

Sunday June 10, 2012, 3:43 pm
A very interesting article. I had never heard of erythritol. I have stevia at home, but I really don't care for the taste. I think the major problem with actual sugar, is that it is added to so many foods, so we end up getting too much in a day. I will look for erythritol and try it, seeing how it was suggested
Noted and thank you for posting Kit.

Monday June 11, 2012, 7:56 am
Thanks for the article. More and more research is pointing to how toxic sugar is; especially in the quantities that most Americans are consuming it. I use stevia; some does have the after-taste, but some brands are better than others. I usually use the KAL organic stevia powder, which is extremely concentrated and has very little of the aftertaste. I also use some Xylitol, which I believe is similar to erythritol. Honey may be natural and does have some nutrients in it, but is very high in glycemic index, so I avoid it. With time tastes for sweetness also change and things that would have tasted good to me at one time (candy), no longer do.