Have you ever wondered how the no-sugar added version of popular consumer products tastes so good, and fairly similar to the original “unhealthy” version of the product?
Well, these large consumer companies fail to clearly disclose that sugar in the popular consumer product has just been replaced by another sweetener. Sugar is one of the many sweeteners that are available on the market. Given that sugar is so extensively produced and used, it is also the sweetener that has received the most negative publicity in terms of its contribution to a number of lifestyle related health problems, and the ever expanding obesity epidemic. However, it does not mean that sugar is the only sweetener that is bad for you. It is similar to the barman replacing the tequila from the ever popular margarita with an alcohol spirit that is less well known, and then claiming your new improved margarita is now a lot healthier, even though it still contains alcohol, and still puts you in the good party mood.
We are not claiming that all sweeteners are equally bad, but in the same way some alcohol spirits are more damaging to the body than other spirits. As a group, sweeteners cause one’s blood sugar levels to spike, and this has a number of negative effects on the body. Given that sugar as a sweetener has been so extensively used and tested, we have a lot of data about the negative long-term effects. This is not the case with some of the more recently substituted sweeteners that are being used in popular consumer products. It may only be a matter of time before we discover the negative effects of these new marvellous sweeteners. So, don’t be fooled by the label “no sugar added”. Remember it was not too long ago when vaping was seen as the healthy alternative to nasty cigarettes!
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