The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner.
Sweeteners: The Good and the Ugly
A Comprehensive Guide to Natural and Artificial Sweetening Options
📋 Quick Navigation
🚫 Worst Choices for Sweeteners
☠️ Aspartame
Brand names: NutraSweet, Canderel, AminoSweet. Found in over 6,000 foods including soft drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet foods, breakfast cereals, and medications.
⚗️ Chemical Breakdown:
10% of aspartame breaks down into methanol, which converts to formaldehyde - a known toxin used in embalming.
🧠 Neurological Effects:
- • Memory loss
- • Impaired/loss of vision
- • Headaches & hearing loss
- • Seizures & coma
- • Brain cancer
🏥 Health Conditions:
- • Fibromyalgia, MS, lupus
- • ADD, diabetes, Alzheimer's
- • Chronic fatigue, depression
- • Joint pain, asthma
📊 FDA Statistics:
- • 75% of all adverse food reaction reports (1981-1995)
- • 92 different symptoms and health conditions reported
- • Over 10,000 consumer complaints received
✈️ US Air Force Alert (1992):
Warning issued to pilots about drinking diet drinks containing aspartame before flying.
🧪 Sucralose (Splenda)
Made by adding chlorine to sugar. Research shows long-term use can compromise immune system and cause neurological disorders.
Animal Study Results:
- • 50% reduction in good gut bacteria
- • Increased intestinal pH levels
- • Body weight increases
- • Drug absorption interference
⚗️ Saccharin
The oldest artificial sweetener used in drinks, candies, medicines, and toothpaste.
Historical note: Harvey Wiley (former USDA chemistry director) suspected health damage. USDA attempted complete ban in 1972 but was unsuccessful.
🌽 High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Cheap sugar used in thousands of products. Can damage metabolism and contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
🍎 Fructose
Study Results (10 weeks):
16 volunteers showed new fat cell growth around heart, liver, and digestive organs, plus food-processing abnormalities.
⚠️ Better, But Not Great
🍬 Sucrose / Sugar
Too much can lead to diabetes and related complications including heart disease, blindness, and neuropathy.
✅ In moderation, shows no detrimental health effects.
🌵 Agave Nectar
⚠️ Commercial Processing Issues:
- • Highly processed (nutrients removed)
- • Almost all fructose (75%+)
- • Blood sugar spike like regular sugar
✅ Natural Agave Benefits:
- • Low glycemic index (13-35)
- • 42% sweeter than sucrose
- • Slower absorption rate
- • Darker varieties are better
✅ Best Choices
🌿 Stevia
Key Benefits:
- • Derived from sweet leaf herb (South America)
- • 300 times sweeter than sugar
- • Completely non-toxic (extensively tested)
- • Doesn't raise blood sugar levels
- • Safe for diabetics
🦷 Xylitol
Dental Benefits:
- • Prevents cavities
- • Repairs tooth enamel
- • Inhibits dental plaque
- • Reduces childhood ear infections
- • Ideal: 5g daily (3-5 gum/mints)
Other Benefits:
- • Slow absorption (diabetes-friendly)
- • Improves bone density
- • Controls oral Candida infections
⚠️ Note: May cause initial laxative effect. Potentially toxic to dogs.
🌰 Mesquite Powder
- • Protein-rich seed meal
- • Low-glycemic, high-protein
- • Rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium
- • High lysine content
- • Molasses-caramel flavor
🌼 Chicory Root
- • No aftertaste, prebiotic
- • Safe for diabetes & candida
- • Actually a fiber
- • Doesn't feed bad gut bacteria
- • "Friend to the liver" - Galen
💎 Erythritol
- • 60-80% sweetness of sugar
- • Almost zero calories & carbs
- • Minimal blood sugar impact
- • 60-90% excreted in urine
- • Naturally in fruits & fungi
🍯 Honey
- • Darker = lower glycemic index
- • Manuka: bacteria-fighting
- • Soothes ulcer pain
- • Stimulates tissue repair
🍯 Molasses
Nutrient-rich with valuable minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients. Concentrated nutrients without all the calories.
🌾 Brown Rice Syrup
- • Whole foods syrup
- • Lower glycemic than HFCS
- • Steady energy supply
- • 50% complex carbs
🍁 Pure Maple Syrup
- • Buy pure U.S. organic
- • Avoid formaldehyde additives
- • Great for baking & cakes