From the most ancient of times, mankind has always had a bit of a sweet tooth. Even the Old Testament of the Bible refers to Israelite people overjoyed at the prospect of entering a land filled with Milk & Honey.
Since it appears that the love of sweet tasting foods and beverages is somewhat hard-coded into our DNA, it's wise to find safe sweeteners that will not harm your body and mind when you consume them. Of course, there's no shortage of dangerous sweeteners out there, so be on guard against these tempting, but health-destroying temptations.
What to Avoid
Before we talk about some of the beneficial safe sweeteners that you should use, let's discuss the stuff you need to stay away from. Here is a short list of some of the nasty stuff out there being consumed by the ton, every single day:
- Refined Sugar – The granddaddy of all commercial sweeteners. The mere mention of the word “Sugar” invokes thoughts of the granulated table sugar that so many of us grew up using. This stuff is over-refined to the point of having virtually no redeeming value, so it's best to avoid the straight up, refined sugar as much as possible.
- NutraSweet – A commercial “sugar-replacement” that is known for those cute little pink packets. This junk is possibly worse for you than refined sugar, so get it out of the house.
- Equal – Another junk “replacement” sweetener that does far more harm than good to your body.
- Anything with Aspartame. This deadly “sweetener” bears more resemblance to poison than a food, so avoid it like the plague. It's better suited to killing rodents than making your foods taste better. Sucralose or Splenda are renamed versions of Aspartame and Neotame, a newly re-engineered version of Aspartame that is more toxic.
What Sweeteners Can I Use?
I may have just slaughtered some of your sacred cows with that list on dangerous sweeteners, but don't lose hope. You have a natural craving for sweet stuff, and I have some viable, and even health-promoting alternatives. Here are some of the sweeteners that taste great and can actually be good for you:
- Raw Organic Honey – This is the true front-runner of all natural sweeteners. Honey not only tastes amazing, but in its raw, organic form it has medicinal and health-promoting benefits that can't be beat.
- Real Maple Syrup – This isn't the stuff in the plastic bottles that you can buy at any grocery store. Real maple syrup is extracted from natural, ancient maple trees and is one of the best tasting sweet substances known to man.
- Organic Molasses – Molasses has been a staple sweetener for centuries. However, to get the stuff that's really good for you, and oh so sweet, stick with the organic versions.
Refined sugar and commercial sweeteners are addictive, devoid of any nutrients and downright dangerous to your health. Get those substances out of your diet, and replace them with some of the safe sweeteners mentioned here to enjoy a bit of sweetness that's good for you. It's like having your cake and eating it too – without worrying about negative consequences.
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