Sweeteners

When choosing a sweetener, we recommend that individuals choose naturally occurring, unrefined sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, barley malt and rice syrup in moderation.  In addition, there are alternatives to adding sweeteners to foods in order to perceive a sweeter taste.  Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mace or allspice can be added to cooked cereals, desserts or ground coffee before brewing.  A touch of vanilla can be added to coffee, puddings and baked goods.

Unrefined Sweeteners:  Maple sugar, honey, barley malt and rice syrup are considered unrefined sweeteners, meaning they are not subjected to the same processing techniques as refined sugars, therefore retaining many of the nutrients and much of the flavor and colors naturally occurring in these sweeteners.

• Honey is flower nectar that has been concentrated by bees, and is the oldest-known unrefined sweetener.  It is typically 25-50% sweeter than sugar and usually contains trace amounts of minerals, pollen and flavor components.  The color and flavor of honeys differ depending on bees’ nectar source.  The highest quality honeys are unprocessed, unfiltered and unrefined, with their natural enzymes intact.
• Maple syrup is boiled, condensed tree sap from the sugar maple tree.  Grade A and AA maple syrup have light and delicate flavors, whereas grade B maple syrup is darker and has a slightly more intense maple flavor.  Any variety can be used in place of sugar.
  • Maple sugar is made from further boiling the sap until the liquid has evaporated.  Maple sugar is twice as sweet as white sugar. 
• Molasses is produced during the sugar refining process; it is the thick, dark, full-flavored syrup that remains after sugar is crystallized from the cane juice.
• Molasses is available as light, dark or blackstrap; blackstrap is strong flavored and less sweet, but contains higher quantities of minerals such as iron and calcium than other sweeteners.  For this reason, blackstrap molasses is often recommended, along with other iron-containing foods, to treat iron-deficiency anemia.
• Sulfured molasses is the byproduct of the conventional sugar making process, where fumes used in manufacturing sugar are retained as sulfur in the molasses.
• Barley malt and rice syrup are made by soaking the grain and cooking the liquid down to a thick syrup.  Both contain a significant amount of the sugar maltose, which is slowly digested and causes a slower rise in blood sugar levels.  This is important for diabetic individuals and those seeking to maintain regular blood sugar levels.

Herbal Sweetener

• Stevia is made from a shrub that grows in South America and contains 0 calories per gram. While stevia is commonly used in Asian countries, it has not been approved as a food additive in the US, Canada or European Union.  Consumption of stevia in small amounts appears to be acceptable, though some research in the US has shown adverse health outcomes associated with consuming stevia in large quantities.  Stevia is available at natural food stores and is sold as a dietary supplement.

Refined Sugars:  Sugar produced from sugar cane undergoes this general process:  grinding the cane to extract the juice, boiling the juice until the syrup thickens and crystallizes; spinning the crystals in a centrifuge to produce raw sugar; and shipping the raw sugar to a refinery where it is dissolved, purified and filtered to remove the last remaining plant materials and color, then crystallized, dried and packaged.

• Granulated white sugar, also known as all-purpose sugar, comes from sugar cane or beets.  It is highly refined and has had most of the original flavor and color compounds removed during processing.  One teaspoon of sugar contains 16 calories.
• Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar is granulated white sugar crushed to a fine powder.
• Turbinado or “sugar in the raw” is a semi refined brown sugar made from crystallized evaporated sugar cane juice that has been slightly purified.
• Brown sugar is similar to granulated white sugar, but contains substances that change its color and will make baked goods moister and give them a hint of caramel flavor.  Not all brown-colored sugars are the same; high quality brown sugars contain molasses, but inferior quality brown sugars may contain added colors or flavors and may not be any different in composition than white sugar.
• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was developed in the 1950’s and 1960’s from the glut of government-subsidized corn in the market.  This inexpensive sweetener is now found in soft drinks and a wide variety of processed food products, and its consumption rivals that of regular sugar.  While HFCS has been linked to obesity in the US, the exact connection is under study.  Current research indicates that HFCS is a major source of excess calories in the diet, thus a contributor to weight gain. One 12 ounce can of regular sodapop, normally sweetened with HFCS, contains 41 grams of sugar; equivalent to 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Artificial sweeteners are products that sweeten foods without affecting blood sugar or adding calories.  The health effects of artificial sweeteners remain unclear.  The most prudent decision may be to completely avoid them.  Read food labels to determine what type of sweetener food contains.

• Aspartame (N-L-a-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester)  Marketed as NutraSweet or Equal, it tastes almost 200 times sweeter than sugar.  Though it does contain 4 calories per gram, the amount needed to sweeten foods is small, so few calories are usually consumed.  Aspartame is found in a wide variety of common food products as well as some vitamin and cold preparations.
• Polyols – also known as sugar alcohols, polyols are neither sugars nor alcohols.  The name refers to their chemical structure.  Look for ingredients ending in -ol.  Eaten in moderation, polyols have little effect on blood sugar. However, when eaten in amounts above 10g, polyols are considered 1 carbohydrate exchange for diabetics.  Polyols are frequently found in sugar-free candy, gum, ice cream, fruit spreads and baked goods.  Consumption of excessive amounts can have a laxative effect.
• Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low, Sugar Twin) – tastes 300-700 times sweeter than sugar and contains 0 calories per gram.
• Sucrolose (1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-β-D-fructo-furanosyl 4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside )  Found in grocery stores as Splenda, it tastes 600 times sweeter than sugar, contains 0 calories per gram, and is the only artificial sweetener made from sugar.

Resources:

A Brief History of the Corn Refining Industry
Corn Refiners Association
www.corn.org
Accessed July 24, 2006

Guide to Natural Sweeteners
Whole Foods Market
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
Accessed June 21, 2006

The Hidden Ingredient that can Sabotage Your Diet
My WebMD
http://onhealth.webmd.com
Accessed July 24, 2006

Hot Topic:  High Fructose Corn Syrup
American Dietetic Association
www.eatright.org
Accessed June 20, 2006

Molasses
USDA Agricultural Research Service – Nutrient Data Laboratory
www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp
Accessed July 24, 2006

Straight Answers About Aspartame
American Dietetic Association
www.eatright.org
Accessed June 20, 2006

Stevia:  A Bittersweet Tale
Nutrition Action Network
www.cspinet.org
Accessed June 21, 2006

Sugar Production
Canadian Sugar Institute
www.sugar.ca
Accessed July 24, 2006

Sugars, granulated
USDA Agricultural Research Service – Nutrient Data Laboratory
www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp
Accessed July 24, 2006

Sugar Substitutes:  Sweet Taste Without All the Calories
Mayo Clinic
www.mayoclinic.org
Accessed June 21, 2006

Sweet Taste Doesn’t Always Have to Mean More Sugar
American Dietetic Association
www.eatright.org
Accessed June 20, 2006

Treatment for Anemia
Health Central
www.healthcentral.com
Accessed July 24, 2006