THE DAMAGES OF WHITE SUGAR
It is now clear how too much sugar is bad for you. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum daily dose of 25 grams… which would actually be achieved by drinking a single glass of fruit juice! Eating fruit and vegetables obviously has no contraindications, the problem arises during the refining process of a substance naturally present in vegetables such as beets and sugar cane.
Simple sugars are an enemy of health, sneaky and often well disguised within the dishes, this emerges only by carefully reading the list of ingredients because the names under which they are hidden are many, such as sucrose, cane sugar, fructose or refined glucose, corn syrup, etc. In the table of nutritional supplies you can find them under the heading carbohydrates, "of which sugars".
Unfortunately we are almost all addicted and strongly dependent on this substance which, for short periods, gives us a feeling of euphoria and great energy, followed by hypoglycemic crises that push us and want a new dose. These constant fluctuations create great problems for the pancreas and liver.
Furthermore, the pH of the sugar has a value of 2, that is strongly acid, which implies imbalances for the organism which, to rebalance the situation, must extrapolate precious alkaline minerals from bones and tissues. This leads to states of inflammation, weakening of the skeleton and teeth, gynecological or intestinal infections (such as Candida albicans), overweight, cellulitis, osteoporosis and diabetes.
THE ALTERNATIVES TO WHITE SUGAR
The diet: after drastically reducing sugar it will be necessary to increase the consumption of brown rice, barley, millet, oats and corn. To a lesser extent, wholemeal starchy foods, few foods of animal origin and lots of seasonal fruit and vegetables of different colors.
Natural sweeteners: luckily we can choose between more alternatives, such as honey, whole cane sugar, stevia, maple syrup or some lesser known sugars such as Xylitol and Erythritol. They are natural substances, not harmful to health but equally capable of giving sweetness to your dishes.
- Erythritol it is obtained from the fermentation of corn. It does not raise blood sugar and insulin levels, it has no effect on cholesterol and triglycerides. It tastes very similar to sugar and has a good sweetening power.
- The Xylitol it is extracted from birch bark and is also produced daily by our body. It is especially famous for its beneficial effects on dental health, in fact it reduces the risk of tooth decay and falling teeth. Prevents the appearance of osteoporosis. It does not increase insulin and blood sugar levels.
Bibliography:
- Xylitol and caries prevention - is it a magic bullet? British Dental Journal 194, 429 - 436 (2003)
- The effects of oral xylitol administration on bone density in rat femur. Odontology. 2011 Jan; 99 (1): 28-33. doi: 10.1007 / s10266-010-0143-2. Epub 2011 Jan 27.
- The effects of xylitol on the secretion of insulin and gastric inhibitory polypeptide in man and rats - S. Salminen, E. Salminen, V. Marks - Diabetologia June 1982, Volume 22, Issue 6, pp 480-482.
- Human gut microbiota does not ferment erythritol - British Journal of Nutrition / Volume 94 / Issue 05 / November 2005, pp 643-646, Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2005.
- Gastrointestinal tolerance of erythritol and xylitol ingested in a liquid. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007) 61, 349–354. doi: 10.1038 / sj.ejcn.1602532; published online 20 September 2006