Crystal Nelson
Five healthy sugar alternatives
Stevia, honey, and other natural sweeteners are healthier, lower in calories, and better for your teeth. We have found our five sweet favorites among the sugar alternatives.
Without sugar, desserts, fruit yogurt, soft drinks, and cakes would simply taste bland. Unfortunately, the crystalline sweetness just makes you fat, causes tooth decay, and increases the appetite for more sweets. There are sugar alternatives that are sweeter and healthier – not just for diabetics.??
We show you the best sugar alternatives in the picture gallery!
Additionally, Dr. Johannes Wimmer in the video, what effect fructose intolerance has on our bodies.
But why do we actually need sugar alternatives?
The main problem is the processes that sugar triggers in the body: after we have eaten sweets in the form of sugar or sugar alternatives, the hormone insulin is produced. It transports sugar from food to all cells and organs, which use it to generate energy. The insulin level then drops again – often even below the initial value. Although we have absorbed energy, we get hungry again because sugar – unlike other foods – does not fill you up. So we eat again and take in more energy than we need. The body stores these as a reserve in fat cells.
Sugar activates the reward center
A vicious circle arises, especially since sugar – like nicotine or alcohol – activates the reward center in the brain: we always want more of it. And that is all the more fatal because the industry uses it without restraint as a flavor carrier in many foods. With smoothies & co., we take in far more sugar than we think – and more than is good for us. The German Nutrition Society recommends consuming no more than 50 to 60 grams of sugar per day, i.e. around 16 to 20 cubes. The reality is: We eat almost twice as much every day!
The consequences: Every second German is overweight. This means that sugar is jointly responsible for many diseases that result from excess body weight, for example, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, including strokes. But that’s not all: the sweet poison weakens the immune system, promotes liver diseases (including fatty liver) – and, according to studies, even promotes the development of cancer cells.
Never again sugar?
So will we have to do without the piece of cake or the sugar in coffee in the future? No, the problem isn’t one or the other little treat, but a permanent excess of sugar. And there are quantities lurking, especially in ready meals and other industrially produced foods. Experts advise cooking fresh as often as possible because it’s not only healthier but also gives you a better overview. And of course, it makes sense to be aware of how much sugar is in what. Anyone who has already eaten ice cream should avoid the fruit yogurt afterward. Switching to sugar alternatives also helps.
