What about sugar alternatives?

WHAT ABOUT SUGAR ALTERNATIVES?

So, with more research coming out about the dangers of sugar, companies are scrambling to protect their image by promoting “healthy” alternatives so that they can slap on a fancy labels and toot their own horn.
There are a few main sugar alternatives that I want to cover, and allow you to make up your own mind:
Coconut sugar:

Coconut sugar is extracted from the sap of the coconut palm.It contains a few nutrients, including iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, as well as antioxidants.It also has a lower glycemic index than sugar, which may be partly due to its inulin content.Inulin is a type of fiber that has been shown to slow glucose absorption Nevertheless, coconut sugar is still very high in calories, containing the same number of calories per serving as regular sugar.It's also very high in fructose, which is the main reason why regular sugar is so unhealthy in the first place.

Honey:

Honey is a thick, golden liquid produced by honey bees.It contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals, as well as an abundance of beneficial antioxidantsEating honey may help raise the levels of antioxidants in your blood. High levels of antioxidants in the blood are linked to a lower risk of disease In fact, honey has been shown to improve several risk factors for disease.

Maple syrup:

Maple syrup is a thick, sugary liquid that's made by cooking down the sap of maple trees.It contains a decent amount of minerals, including calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and manganese.It also contains at least 24 different types of antioxidants A couple test-tube studies have indicated that maple syrup may even have anti-cancer benefits, but more research is needed to confirm this.While maple syrup contains some beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, it's very high in sugar. It has a slightly lower glycemic index than regular sugar, so it may not raise blood sugar levels as quickly, but it will still raise them .Much 

like coconut sugar and honey, maple syrup is a slightly better option than regular sugar, but it should still be consumed in moderation.

Molasses:

Molasses is a sweet, brown liquid with a thick, syrup-like consistency. It's made from boiling down sugar cane or sugar beet juice.It contains a handful of vitamins and minerals, as well as several antioxidants.In fact, blackstrap molasses is higher in antioxidants than both honey and maple syrup.Molasses makes a fine replacement for refined sugar, but there is no reason to add it to your diet, as it's still a form of sugar.

What surprising food contains sugar?

What surprising food contains sugar? 

That’s nothing new, and it’s not a shock to companies that manufacture food.  For that reason, companies have started to disguise the sugar in their foods, so it’s not as apparent how much sugar you are consuming.  Here’s a quick list of what sugar can be listed as on a label:

1. Agave nectar
2. Brown sugar
3. Cane crystals
4. Cane sugar
5. Corn sweetener
6. Corn syrup
7. Crystalline fructose
8. Dextrose
9. Evaporated cane juice
10. Organic evaporated cane juice
11. Fructose
12. Fruit juice concentrates
13. Glucose
14. High-fructose corn syrup
15. Honey
16. Invert sugar
17. Lactose
18. Maltose
19. Malt syrup
20. Molasses
21. Raw sugar
22. Sucrose
23. Sugar
24. Syrup 

Why do they change the name of sugar?  
Because nutritional labels are required by law to list their most prominent ingredients first. By putting two or three different types of sugar in the food (and calling them each a different name), they can spread out the sugar across three ingredients and have it show up much further down.

What about fruit sugar?
Ahhhh, the great “is fruit sugar bad for you” debate…

Honestly, I’m quite torn on fruit and fruit sugar.   I know a LOT of fruit can contain a lot of fructose (and thus a lot of sugar).

That being said, I believe the consumption of fruit can be beneficial.


When you consume fruit, you are not only consuming fructose (in its natural state), but also consuming fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals.  Yes, fruit can have an effect on your blood sugar, it IS sugar. But generally fruit will cause less of a blood sugar spike compared to nutrient-void table
 sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Everything you need to know about Sugar

SUGAR

If I had to point one culprit to our country’s expanding waistlines and deteriorating health, it would be sugar.

You probably have a lot of questions about sugar

•Is sugar THAT bad for your health? 

•Fruits have sugar, are eating fruits bad? 

•Are certain types of sugar better or worse for you? 

•Can one really get addicted to sugar? 

Nutrition is the BIGGEST change that needs to happen if you are trying to lose weight and get healthy.The problem isn’t just knowing that we need to eat less sugar but that we need to build systems to help retrain ourselves to not be hooked on the stuff. Too many people go about quitting sugar the wrong way, and end up falling off the wagon hard. 

WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR BODY WHEN WE EAT SUGAR

When we consume sugar, our body has two options on how to deal with it:
•Burn it for energy
•Convert into fat and store it in our fat cells 

Problem is, there’s a LOT more room for fat storage, and a lot less room to burn the sugar as energy.
we have this sugar in our body and blood stream. What happens next? When your pancreas detects a rush of sugar, it releases a hormone called insulin to deal with all of that excess sugar.

Insulin helps regulate that level of sugar in our blood; the more sugar in the blood stream, the more insulin is released.  Insulin helps store all of this glucose in the liver and muscles as glycogenand in fat cells (aka adipocytes stored as triglycerides).
 Along with making you fat, sugar consumption has been implicated in a litany of crimes, including contributing to an increased chance of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, macular degeneration, renal failure, chronic kidney disease, and high blood pressure.