It is common knowledge that excessive consumption of sugar is unhealthy and is known to cause anxiety, depression, fatigue and obesity. As a result, sugar substitutes have been enjoying popularity among weight conscious that they are low in calories and still high on taste. However, artificial sweeteners are good for you?
To begin with, we are looking more closely the two more popular substitutes, aspartame and sucralose.
Aspartame is a combination of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Therefore, even if it shares the same calories as sugar (4 calories/gram) density, a significantly smaller amount of aspartame is necessary to achieve the same level of sweetness. This is why aspartame is announced as sweetener calories and is commonly used in diet sodas.
Sucralose and Splenda, is fundamentally chlorinated sugar. 600 Times more gentle than sugar, but with the same caloric density, it offers on the softness to a number of calories even lower than aspartame. Currently, it is commonly used in candies, canned, meal replacement bars fruit and soft drinks.
Despite their alleged benefits of low-calorie, consuming these artificial sweeteners in large amounts or on a regular basis can have dangerous side effects such as allergic reactions, headache, depression, diarrhea, anxiety, rash and pain in the stomach. Sucralose, contains in particular, chlorine that contributes to heart disease and cancer.
Ironically, sugar substitutes can promote indirectly weight gain by increasing appetite. They trick the body into believing that he has consumed just sugar, therefore, the body releases insulin to digest. When insulin is published without any sugar present, it triggers an increase in appetite, causing the person to consume more.
To this effect, Aspartame contains phenylalanine that blocks the production of serotonin, a chemical product of brain that control food cravings. Without the serotonin these unchecked cravings can lead to weight gain.
Thus, when you come across a food product or a drink that has no sugar added, take a look at the ingredients. If you find "artificial sweetener", "aspartame", "sucralose" or "splenda" on the list, put back on the shelf because it belongs, not in the stomach.
Raw honey as Alternative
After having understood that artificial sweeteners can harm your health, a healthy alternative to sugar is raw honey. Although it is still a form of sugar and is a sweetener calorie dense, it has several health benefits and contains of antioxidants. Therefore, its consumption improves your immune system. It also contains a lot of beneficial enzymes that improves your digestion, especially your digestion of glucose, thus giving you a more consistent energy throughout the day and reduce appetite.
However, as well as honey is for your health, if you are concerned with the weight gain, the best is still to reduce your consumption of sugary foods and increase your rate of metabolism through the exercise regularly. In this way, you have to worry about taking weight while taking advantage of the benefits to the health of a good workout.
Jack Artha is based at Singapore certified personal trainer, specializing in the loss of natural fat and total well-being. He is known for guiding clients to achieve their fitness goals and to transform their lives to the healthy way of life
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