Natural Healing: Alternative Sweeteners
By Lynda McCullough
May/June 2003
Given the variety of reasons to avoid refined sugar, it is nice to know there are alternatives. Science has given us a variety of artificial sweeteners, and now several natural sweeteners such as stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) are readily available in stores. If the goal is to enjoy the taste of sweet while maintaining health or losing weight, will any of these sweeteners do the trick?
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The Artificial Options
Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (NutraSweet), saccharine (Sweet’N Low) and Acesulfame-K (Sweet One) are now present in many foods or available for addition to foods and beverages. These laboratory creations are up to 200 times sweeter than sugar. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Dietetic Association and the American Cancer Society have all declared these sweeteners safe based on scientific studies. However, some citizen groups believe artificial sweeteners can cause a number of health problems such as headaches, tumors, seizures, panic attacks, hyperactivity and multiple sclerosis. Some nutritionists and herbalists recommend against using them for a variety of other reasons.
Medical herbalist Susan Mead of Fort Collins, Colorado, believes that “anything fake is suspect in terms of how it affects our health. We cannot mimic Mother Nature in a laboratory.” She also says it is important to her that a substance be studied long-term and not just for a few years before she feels safe using it. “What we’ve studied short-term in a laboratory can’t be compared to empirical evidence over several centuries,” she says.
Physiologist and nutritional counselor Deborah Shulman, also of Fort Collins, says that although she doesn’t believe artificial sweeteners are toxic, she nevertheless recommends against using them, because they cause “sugar-seeking behavior.” Studies show that people who use artificial sweeteners tend to eat as much sugar as those who don’t, Shulman says. She believes people should avoid sugar and other sweeteners except on special occasions and consume whole foods and fruits instead. “The only way you can really deal with sugar cravings is to not eat sugar,” Shulman says. “You sensitize your taste buds so that you don’t want sugar.”
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