Tag: Honeybees

Stevia and Honey – Safe and Sorry

Society today has slowly seen the negative side of sugar. This is why most people would prefer to avoid eating sweet foods, which is quite next to impossible. People love sugar and will probably give up all the other stuff in life before giving up on it.

To answer this need, companies have come up with several alternatives to sugar that are much lower in caloric and carbohydrate content. Unfortunately, because it is not as natural as the ordinary table sugar, people feel that too much consumption of these sugar substitutes can be harmful to the body. They are afraid that just as it took forever for them to discover the problems that sugar can cause, it will also take forever before they will find out just how harmful the sugar substitutes are to the body.

One substitute though that is still considered safe is the honey, which directly comes from honeybees. Because honey is a combination of different kinds of sugars such as fructose, which can be seen in fruits, maltose, glucose, and sucrose, honey is more balanced and has a better effect on the body. It is better absorbed by the body and presents lesser load for the pancreas, which filters the sugar and activates the insulin system.

One disadvantage though that honey provides is the fact that it is very vulnerable to industrial chemicals being a very natural product. Genetically-modified pollen can cause pests like the Varroa mite. This in turn will increase the possibility of the use of some chemical pesticides that may affect the honey that it being produced. Another potential problem is the use of antibiotics that may be potentially harmful to people when ingested indirectly through the honey. In addition to this, honey although quite a healthy alternative for people with normal conditions, cannot be used by diabetics.

Another potential sugar savior is stevia, which is a South American herb that has been used in Japan for centuries. Records also show that native Americans also use this herb in their food. It has a low caloric content and provides great therapy for thrush, which is exacerbated by the consumption of too much sugar. In fact, stevia is believed to be capable of stabilizing the sugar level of diabetics.

However, despite its glowing reviews and resume, stevia has failed to gain an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration when the agency rejected the call for the herb to have a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status.

Getting to Know the Kinds of Sugar Sweeteners

The terms sugar and sweetener are not so much different in terms of meaning. Although people feel that sugar is a form of sweetener, this actually not the case. Sugar is a term used to refer to any substance that is used to sweeten food. However, because of the fact that sucrose or the ordinary table sugar is also loosely called as sugar or in some cases white sugar, sweetener is then used.

Sugar is a form of carbohydrates that can be good for the body when eaten in right amounts. The problem arises when people eat too much of it. Unlike other food items, sugar do not have anything more to offer than empty calories. Sugar, you see, can actually pack the calories and add to your weight. This increases the risk of developing other health problems such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes, not to mention the threat of obesity.

Sugar comes in many forms. Do you know where each comes from?

White sugar is perhaps the most common form. This is the ordinary table sugar that people use for their drinks. White sugar comes from sugar cane. Another similar form is the brown sugar, which many believe is much healthier than the white. Brown sugar is made by adding the sugar cane molasses, making it more moisturized. There is also the raw sugar which retains much of the molasses of the sugar cane. Turbinado, Muscovado and Demerara are terms that are used to refer to raw sugar.

Honey is another sweetener that many consider to be very healthy. Naturally produced by honeybees, it requires no processing and can be used directly.

Stevia is a form of sugar or sweetener that is derived from a Paraguay plant with the same name. Stevia is actually considered an herb and is considered to be very healthy because it contains no calories and unlike the ordinary table sugar, which are empty carbohydrates, stevia actually has some levels of vitamins and minerals.

It is said to be capable of helping lower blood pressure, improve digestion and discourage the growth of bacteria. One disadvantage though is that stevia has a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Maple syrup comes from the sap of maple trees. Although maple syrup is also considered quite healthy, consumers are asked to be cautious in using uncertified ones because thete is danger of it having chemical residues from pesticides.

Malt syrup, on the other hand, comes from barley. It contains maltose, which is less sweet as sucrose.