There are many options for sweeteners on the market today, and for some reason, many of us assume that if something is on the market, then it’s been proven to be safe. I used to believe the same thing, but I don’t anymore. The truth is, we live in a fallen world, and sometimes profits are put ahead of public health.
We find high fructose corn syrup in many products today, and according to the Weston Price Foundation it should be avoided. They claim that it’s “worse” than sugar. In a brochure entitled “Sugar Alert, Why Refined Sweeteners Are Bad ForYou,” it states, “HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is made by a process that converts starch (glucose) into a form of sugar (fructose) that the body can’t use very well. It is associated with liver damage, obesity, developmental problems in growing children and weak collagen. Rats on high-fructose diets end up with livers like those of alcoholics and do not reproduce.” Another product called AGAVE is, “Made in the same way as HFCS, this dangerous sweetener is sold in health food stores. It can contain up to 90 percent free manufactured fructose.” The best way to avoid these ingredients is to read labels. My preference is to buy or grow a single ingredient and make most of our food from scratch. We feel better and it’s great to know exactly what we are eating.
A few more replacements for refined sweeteners include coconut, palm, date sugar, and green stevia leaves and powder. Out of the 4 choices, I have only tried stevia. This is one of the ingredients in our tooth powder, and I like it in there, but haven’t found other uses that we enjoy. I believe it’s very important to buy organic from a trusted source. It’s also important to read labels, because stevia may be mixed with other junk, and you also do not want stevia extract.
If you are working toward a more traditional, clean, whole foods diet, and would like to take small steps to get there, then you are at the right place. Week one was get your salt right, week 2 was get your sleep right, weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were get your fats right, we had several weeks about seasonings and herbs, and we are now getting our sweeteners right. Join us next Tuesday for Get Your . . . Right.