Are Artificial Sweeteners Substantial Replacements to Sugar?

Artificial Sweeteners are 500 Times Sweeter than Normal Sugar

Many individuals have a sweet tooth and there are some who crave for sweetened beverages and pastries. Irrespective of whether or not someone has a desire for sweets, it is practically impossible to avoid sugar-based ingredients altogether. Still, individuals are trying to reduce sugar intake as much as possible, even more reduce the intake of refined sugars. Hence, this motivates people to look out for sugar substitutes but another major problem is the availability of numerous sugar substitutes available these days. Only if we get a thorough understanding of each of their benefits and disadvantages, we can make an informed choice regarding the same.
 
Dissecting Sugar
 
Sugar is not naturally bad. In fact, our body thrives on sugar converting the carbohydrates we consume into energy for performing various activities. Humans have misused this ingredient to such an extent that the younger generation are suffering for their grave mistake. In fact, people are staying away from natural sources of sugar and carbohydrates including fruits, grains, and dairy products which is unnecessary. The need of the hour includes picking the right materials that add sweetness to foods in a healthier way.
 
There is a monumental difference between natural and artificial sugar with natural sugars being the healthy choice obviously. Still, most individuals choose to consume more of artificial sugar-based foods that can result in serious health problems such as high blood sugar, insulin resistance, diabetes, dental caries, and obesity. There are some sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, molasses, and more that come with a couple of benefits including antioxidant benefits and mineral presence such as iron, zinc, and potassium.
 
Understand Sugar Substitutes to Take a Stand For or Against Them
 
Our mind instantly thinks about Stevia or sucralose on the mention of the word sugar substitute, but this terminology might be quite tricky to dissect. A sugar substitute is any sweetener that’s used instead of table sugar to add sweetness to any dish. Having lesser calories than normal sugar, in reality sugar substitutes might be categorized into three namely natural sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, and sugar alcohols. Let’s look into artificial sweeteners in detail.
 
Artificial Sweeteners
 
As the name suggests, artificial sweeteners are created artificially using chemical in a lab. Synthetic sugar substitutes, these might also be derived from naturally occurring ingredients such as herbs. One might be surprised to understand that these sweetening agents might be 200-700 times sweeter than normal sugar. Another interesting point is that they come with zero calories as well as add zero nutritive value to foods.
 
We use artificial sweeteners predominantly in the preparation of processed foods such as candies, jellies, processed foods, puddings, dairy products, baked goods, jams, and sweetened beverages. These days, many of them are used for home-based cooking as well as baking. But, it’s always better to get a taste of each of them as some leave you with an aftertaste. In such cases, combining different sweeteners or using a different one might be more effective.
 
Does Adding Artificial Sweeteners Add Health Benefits?
 
Sugar primarily helps in providing energy for daily activities. Besides this, there is no greater benefit. Hence, we are smart enough to understand that there might not be any benefits beyond this and doesn’t the same apply to artificial sweeteners as well? These sweeteners don’t induce tooth decays but also stay beneficial in different ways as mentioned below:
 
Diabetes: Unlike natural sugar that are carbohydrate-rich, artificial sweeteners don’t contain carbohydrates and hence, don’t promote any risk of raising blood glucose levels. Still, get in touch with a healthcare physician to confirm whether or not you can use any sweetener in case you have diabetes.
 
Weight Control: Most of us are well-aware that sugar is full of calories with one teaspoon of sugar having about 16 calories. So, any sweetened beverage normally contains at least 5-10 teaspoons of sugar taking up the calorie count to about 90-160 calories. When sugar substitutes are used, there is no chance for calorie increase as they contain zero calories. It is indeed attractive but we are still trying to figure out the long-term effectiveness of these products with regards to weight loss.
 
Concerns Regarding Artificial Sweeteners
 
There have been numerous arguments and scrutinies regarding the health concerns associated with artificial sweeteners. We have even got arguments that consumption of artificial sweeteners might result in cancer and numerous other health concerns. Long ago, one of the artificial sweeteners called saccharin had a tagline warning people that it might be harmful to health. But the good news is that, not any sweetener has been branded as threatening to human health by the National Cancer Institute. A number of studies have even confirmed that these sweeteners are safe, even in the case of pregnant women.
 
Regulated as food additives by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), artificial sweeteners have been declared ‘generally recognized as safe (GRAS)’ when they meet any of the below-given criteria:
 

• The substance has met all scientific criteria and authorized personnel have declared the substance safe for use
• The sweetener has been used for so long that they have been declared safe

 
Still, the FDA has set a certain upper limit that’s deemed to be safe to use by any individual.
 
Conclusion
 
It is best to avoid any sweetener and minimize sugar intake as much as possible. Still, if you feel like having sugar, it is always recommended that you eat it in moderation and minimize sugar intake as much as possible. Try eating a piece of fruit, blend dates or raisins into smoothies, or use some sugar substitute in your dish. Using sugar substitutes in a sensible ways helps in lowering calories and minimizing carbohydrate intake. Try using flavors including spices, vanilla, and more to flavor foods, go for unsweetened products, and pick your most-preferred sugar substitute to add in your meal when craving for sweets.
 
Artificial sweeteners are no magic pill and whatever might be their content, they cannot be equated to naturally sweet foods in terms of health.