Healthier Sweetener Resource List

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Healthier Sweetener Resource List

_http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/sweet.txt_

(http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/sweet.txt)

 

Before detailing the sweetener resources, there are some general points that

are very important to consider.

General Sweetener Points

1. I believe that it is helpful to get comfortable with a number of

different sweeteners. You can focus on one or two main sweeteners and use

others

to add a little variety to your food. For healing and disease prevention it is

preferable to use the safer sweeteners listed below in relatively *small*

amounts and primarily not near mealtime.

2. I believe that while it is very important not to be too restrictive in a

diet, it can be helpful to use sweeteners that contribute to

health-building.

I am a big believer in gradually and comfortably moving towards a healthy

diet and lifestyle. See the Food and Nutrition article on the main web page

for more detailed information:

_http://www.holisticmed.com/_ (http://www.holisticmed.com/)

3. Toxic sweeteners to avoid: neotame, aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal),

sucralose (Splenda), acesulfame-k (Sunette, Sweet-n-Safe, Sweet One). Use

saccharin, cyclamates and sugar alcohols only as transitional sweeteners to

those

mentioned below.

**********************************************************

* NOTE: If you are a diabetic, it is important to work closely with your

healthcare practitioner when you change your diet.

* Diabetics can safely use STEVIA (listed below) and usually small

amounts of LICORICE ROOT and FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHRIDES (FOS).

* Some diabetics who are allowed to use small amounts of sugar can

use small amounts of Sucanat or Florida Crystals listed below. Please consult

your healthcare practitioner.

**********************************************************

Specific Sweetener Ideas

 

(some ideas excerpted from my resource guide)

1. Sucanat -- Whole cane sugar with water removed. You can get sucanat

products mail order from Purity Foods (800/997-7358).

Nutra Cane (603/672-2801) distributes sucanat in the US. Also, a company

called Florida Crystals sells this product. Still sugar as far as diabetics

are

concerned, but it contains a small amount vitamins and minerals which helps

reduce some of the negative effects found in long-term use of white sugar.

2. Barley Malt -- Sunspire (510/569-9731) sells a malted barley product.

Some people are sensitive to barley malt. However, they may have been

sensitive to the malt because MSG is often hidden in the " malt " in processed

foods.

 

3. Stevia -- From a South American plant called Stevia. It is 300 times

sweeter than sugar so it is used in extremely small amounts. It is used by

diabetics in many parts of the world. Stevia books and cookbooks can be found

at: _http://www.holisticmed.com/books/bk_food.html#stevia_

(http://www.holisticmed.com/books/bk_food.html#stevia)

You can purchase stevia from:

Consumer Direct

640 South Perry Lane Suite #2 Tempe, AZ 85281

(800) 899-9908 or (602) 921-2160

Sells liquid concentrate of Stevia from Paraguay.

Body Ecology Diet

1266 West Paces Ferry Road Suite 505 Atlanta, GA 30327

(404) 266-1366 or (800) 896-7838

Sells Stevia powder from China.

Richters Herbs: Goodwood, ON L0C 1A0, Canada

Tel +1-905-640-6677 Fax 640-6641 Info: _info_

(info)

Catalogue Requests: _catalog_ (catalog)

Sells stevia plants

Stephen J. Marsden Herbal Advantage, Inc.:

Route 3, Box 93 Rogersville, MO 65742

Phone: 800-753-9199 or 417-753-4000

Fax: 417-753-2000 Email: Herbal _http://www.HerbalAdvantage.com_

(http://www.herbaladvantage.com/)

Sells stevia powder, extract, and plants.

(Can ship same day small orders or up to hundreds of pounds.) Dealer

inquiries invited. Custom bottling and labelling available. Free Catalogs of

herbs

and spices.

Sunrider Distributors

(SunnyDew - sold as a dietary supplement)

(my favourite for taste)

---------------------

U.S.A.

1625 Abalone Avenue Torrance, CA 90501

310-781-3808

CANADA Sunrider International Canada

1438 Broadway Street Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada V3C 5W2

604-464-5018

604-464-5888 (Fax)

EUROPE HEADQUARTERS Sunrider Europe, Inc.

First Floor 195 Knightsbridge London, SW7 1RE United Kingdom

44-171-838-0900

44-171-838-0991 (Fax - Distributors)

AUSTRALIA Sunrider Australia

810 Princes Highway Springvale, Victoria 3171

61-3-9263-9999 (Main Phone)

61-3-9263-9933 (Distrib./Orders)

Please see the following web page for offices in other countries:

_http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/sunrider.html_

(http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/sunrider.html)

Produce ala Carte

3425 Foothill Blvd. La Cresenta, CA 91214

818-541-0492

Liquid, capsules and bulk Stevia

Cheryl's Herbs

836 Hanley Industrial Court St. Louis, MO 63144

(314) 963-4449 or (800) 231-5971

(314) 963-4454 (FAX) email: pawgep

The taste of stevia can vary considerably from one vendor's product to

another due to different growing conditions, processing, etc. Please try

products

from several vendors until you find one that you like the best.

4. Xylitol

Health Connection of Pocatello _http://www.mysweetliving.com/prwolf_

(http://www.mysweetliving.com/prwolf)

208-221-8327 (Bulk xylitol, gum, etc.)

5. Fruit Juice

If you shop at a natural foods store, you will notice that many products are

sweetened with fruit juice. R.W. Knudsen sodas for example taste almost as

sweet as junky soda, but are made with fruit juice and carbonated water. So

you get the vitamins and minerals and avoid the junk that usually comes in

typical sodas. (I know, a little bit opinionated.)

Natural jello can be made with water, fruit juice and agar-agar as another

example of using fruit juice as a sweetener.

6. Honey -- It may have contaminants, however, especially if it is

imported. Be certain of the source and quality before using it regularly.

Honey

should never be given to infant and very young children.

7. Rice Syrup and Yinnie Syrup are often found at natural food stores.

8. Licorice Root

Licorice root is one of the most commonly used herbs in the world. No

serious adverse reactions have been published about licorice root.

*Single* chemical extracts have caused serious adverse reactions on occasion

when used in medicine or candy, but the whole root does not cause these

serious reactions. A single chemical extract of glycyrrhizin from licorice

root

causes the blood level of this chemical to rise dramatically. This does not

happen to when whole licorice root is taken in reasonable amounts. (See

Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 102, Supplement 9, November 1994,

65-68.) See the book, " The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine " by Dr.

Daniel

B. Mowrey for a more detailed discussion of licorice root.

Most herbalists believe that it is wise to avoid excessive and long-term use

of licorice root. Many herbalists believe that long-term use can cause

water retention and hypertension in some people. I use it in tea and herbal

formulas often, but it *always* comprises less than 25% of the formula or tea

(usually around 10%).

Licorice root is safe for diabetics, but I would *not* use it as a primary

sweetener. Stevia is a better choice for diabetics, in my opinion. As an

example, you may want to consider using stevia and also use fruit juice, small

amounts of licorice root in tea, amasake, etc. so that you get variety in your

diet. Licorice root is best used in small amounts to give herbal teas a

sweet taste.

9. Amasake -- Made from sweet brown rice, brown rice and koji

(starter). The koji breaks down the polysaccharides in the rice to

disarracharies giving it a very sweet taste. Most natural food stores have

amasake

drinks which you can try -- or you can make it yourself. Try to avoid drinking

too much of the amasake drinks made with almonds or nuts as they can be hard

on the digestion.

10. Other herbs -- There are a number of plants that can be used as a

sweetener. Stevia is just one of the more popular ones. There are other herbs

that are sweet and safe for everyone which will be added in the future as they

become generally available.

11. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) -- Another very useful product for Candida

overgrowth patients as it supports the growth of beneficial bacteria. It is

a little expensive to use in large amounts.

You can purchase it from:

Allergy Research Group/Nutricology P.O. Box 489

400 Preda Street San Leandro, CA 94577

(510) 639-4572

(800) 545-9960 (info)

(800) 782-4274 (orders)

12. Sweetlife -- All natural Lo Han sweetener with nothing artificial.

- 15 times sweeter than sugar with no unpleasant aftertaste

- Zero calories per serving Low glycemic approved for diabetics

- Contains FOS for healthy gut flora Great for cooking and baking

 

Lo Han Kuo (or Guo) is an intensely sweet fruit that grows on a vine in

China. It is a member of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, which includes

cucumber,

melon, squash, & gourd. In China, Lo Han is commonly used as a beverage and

a seasoning, in traditional medicine and has actually been legally declared

as a " National Treasure. " Lo Han is 300 times as sweet as sugar! Lo Han makes

SweetLIFE a delicious replacement for sugar and other less desirable

artificial products. SweetLIFE has no unpleasant aftertaste and has zero

calories,

zero fat & less than 1 gram of sugar (from low glycemic fructose) per serving.

SweetLIFE is perfect to use in beverages, cereals, meal replacement shakes,

yogurt, and all of your favorite baking or cooking recipes!

 

SweetLIFE also contains FOS (Fructooligosaccharides), a non-digestible

carbohydrate that acts as food for probiotics, especially bifidobacteria. FOS

helps support healthy gut flora and the good bacteria in the intestine.

SweetLIFE

is a low glycemic sweetener, which means that it does not significantly

elevate insulin or blood glucose levels, promote fat-storage, increase

hyperactivity, or stimulate food-craving. Being low glycemic, it helps support

healthy

weight loss programs and is safe for diabetics, hypoglycemics, children and

others

SweetLIFE does not contain saccharin, or aspartame

_http://renewlife.com/products/detail/sweetlife.html_

(http://renewlife.com/products/detail/sweetlife.html)

 

You can it purchase from:

USA Phone : (800)830-4778

Canada Phone : (800)485-0960

13. Gradually reduce or eliminate:

- White Sugar Brown Sugar -- Brown sugar is usually white sugar mixed with

molasses or sprayed with caramel coloring.

- Raw Sugar -- Raw sugar is often white sugar with coloring.

- Fructose -- Beware the " natural " products with fructose. It's not much

better than white sugar (IMO).

- D-tagatose -- Far safer than neotame/aspartame, sucralose, etc., but best

used as a transitional sweetener to healthier ones listed above.

- Corn Syrup Dextrose Artificial Sweeteners i.e. Nutrasweet (aspartame,

" contains phenylalanine " on the label), Equal, Spoonful, Neotame, Sunette

(Acesulfame-k), Splenda (Sucralose), Sweetener 2000 / NutraSweet 2000) -- Avoid

these like the plague.

Please don't become a guinea pig for another poorly tested toxic sweetener

only to find out years from now that it contributed to the destruction of your

health.

Important Note: MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) has some of the same toxicity

mechanisms as the toxic sweetener aspartame. In order to cut out MSG, you need

to remove foods with the following ingredients: - Monosodium glutamate -

hydrolyzed proteins (any type of hydrolyzed protein) - autolyzed yeast - yeast

extract - caseinate (in many cases) - " Natural Flavours "

MSG that occurs naturally in tomatoes, cheese, etc. is absorbed and

metabolized differently (safely) due to other factors in the food. See the

following

web page _http://www.holisticmed.com/msg/_ (http://www.holisticmed.com/msg/)

for more information.

Important Note 2: Please print out, read, and share the following web page

about Genetically-Manipulated Food Ingredients as it is the *most important*

food issue of the 21st century: _http://www.soyinfo.com/haz/gehaz.shtml_

(http://www.soyinfo.com/haz/gehaz.shtml)