It's a Sweet, Sweet World :: Food and Nutrition

It's a Sweet, Sweet World
by author Stas Zlobinski, CNP

Since the beginning of time, humans have demonstrated strong desire for sweets.

Even a cave painting 15 to 20 thousand years old pictures a Neolithic man breaking into a wild bees' nest. More recent evidence, obtained in scientific studies on newborns and adults, suggests that the craving for sweets is an instinctive rather than a learned response. A theory put forth based on such research suggests that sweet taste may have been an indicator of safety of foods in pre-historic times.

Raw sugar was used in India as early as 327 BC. It was brought to the Americas by the Spaniards at the turn of the 16th century and then quickly spread throughout the rest of the globe. It was first refined 600 years ago.

Many natural forms of sugar have come into existence since then. These include maple and rice syrups, barley and rye malts, raw sugar, sucanat, date sugar, various forms of brown sugar and high fructose syrups (HFSs) such as corn syrup. All of these are so called caloric sweeteners, containing 50 calories per 15 millilitres, on average. They all have undergone various degrees of processing. Some of the more natural ones contain a few vitamins, minerals and other biochemical compounds that make them easier to metabolize.

Not so Sweet

It is widely accepted among medical professionals that high consumption of sugar overstimulates the pancreas and adrenal glands. Extended over a long period of time, this may contribute to hypoglycemia, behavioral problems in kids, fatigue, fluctuating blood sugar levels and mood swings, diabetes and obesity. The last two, in turn, set the ground for developing atherosclerosis, heart disease and cancer–all major problems in our society today.

Sugar also feeds harmful bacteria, which creates dental cavities and Candida overgrowth in the bowel.

This far from happy situation set forth a quest for the ideal sweetener. It would be as sweet or sweeter than sugar, have no calories or aftertaste, be colorless, odorless, stable, readily soluble, non-toxic and economically feasible, that would not promote dental cavities or other bacterial action, be metabolized normally or excreted without causing metabolic abnormalities. Not an easy task, but here are some breakthroughs from the world of artificial synthesis.

Toxic Sugar

The most popular high intensity sweeteners, are aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, cyclamate and sucralose. They are 200-400 times sweeter than sugar and non-caloric (that is, they contain negligible calories).

Some are nutritive, like aspartame. Aspartame breaks down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol, which degrades into formaldehyde–a well-known toxin.

The American Food and Drug Association (FDA) announced in 1984 that no evidence has been found to establish that the methanol byproduct reaches toxic levels, claiming that "many fruit juices contain higher levels of the natural compound." However, The Medical World News had already reported in 1978 that the methanol content of aspartame was 1,000 times greater than most foods under FDA control.

Other artificial sweeteners are non-nutritive, such as saccharin, which supposedly passes through the intestinal tract unchanged. The FDA approved these sweeteners for use in hundreds of food categories such as soft drinks, chewing gum, breath mints, gelatins, puddings and fillings, as table-top sugar substitutes and in Pharmaceuticals, vitamins, tooth pastes, mouth washes and aftershave lotions.

These additives are proclaimed to be safe for people of all ages and conditions, including diabetics, pregnant women and young children. Saccharin is an exception here, as the FDA tried to ban it in 1977 because of some studies that showed tumor formations in rats. The U.S. Congress did not allow the ban, and now the products containing saccharin are required to have warning labels.

Artificial sweeteners are commonly available in supermarkets, cafeterias, fast food places and are given to diabetics in hospitals. They get incredible support from manstream organizations such as the American Diabetes Association and the American Medical Association, which praise them as being healthy additions to a low calorie diet.

The Rest of the Story

1 2

Next Page >>>

Stas Zlobinski is a certified nutritional practitioner, educator and writer in the greater Toronto area.

Source: alive #209, March 2000

The Fruit of the Vine
Known as the '"nectar of the Gods," wine has heen a staple in many European diets for years and has become increasingly popular here in North America as well. Not only are more people pulling the corks out of red wine and sipping happily, but they are sharing in the health benefits as well.

Good Sugars, Bad Sugars
Our society's collective sweet tooth is an adaptive response. It goes back to caveman days and it's what encourages us to eat foods that are high in energy and nutrients.

Home-Cooking Thai-Style
There's a misconception that Thai food is just a colorful name for "spicy Chinese." The cuisine was indeed influenced originally by the Eastern culture, adopting its tendencies of blending the contrasting tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

A Bite of Sweet Indulgence
Nothing beats the sweet sensation of chocolate tantalizing your tastebuds. However, we all know the dangers of too much processed white sugar.

Get the Sugar Out for a Healthy Holiday
Sugar has been blamed for nearly every known disease and even for the fall of several empires. Those accusations may sound like exaggerations, but they are probably closer to the truth than you realize. Saying sugar is bad for you is the ultimate understatement.

Cut to the Mustard
Picture a solitary burger patty (veggie or otherwise) sitting naked on a bun. Somehow, it doesn't seem complete. Where's the pizzazz? Where's the zip? Condiments add excitement to many of our favourite foods.

Sweetening Power of Honey
Honey is known to be very sweet, however, you may be surprised by the relative bitterness of some honeys. The sweetening power of honey is determined by its sugar composition and the rate of dilution.

Unrefined Tastes
Sugar refining refers to a process by which the juice of sugar cane or sugar beets is separated into white sugar and molasses, thereby removing important minerals such as iron, calcium, and chromium.

How Sweet It Is
Substituting artificial sweeteners for white sugar seems logical. After all, artificial sweeteners help us enjoy sweetness without the extra calories. However, we know that when we mess with Mother Nature, there is usually a price to pay.

Sip Yourself Well
Next to water, green tea is one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide. It has been used medicinally for centuries in India and China to remedy headaches, body aches and pains, digestion, depression, detoxification, as an energizer, to enhance immunity, and to prolong life.

Chocolate's Dark Secret
Small amounts of pure chocolate produced by trained, quality conscious chocolatiers is far more delicious and better for your health. Dark chocolate, without the ingredients added for extension of shelf life or taste enhancement, is the best.

Green Energy
In an ideal world, we would all be getting our recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables. The fact remains, most Canadians are not eating the five to ten servings a day required to ensure optimal mental, emotional, and physical well-being..

Drink to Your Health
Do you want to have vibrant energy and good health? Getting the right nutrients in the right amounts is one of the secrets to feeling great. This requires a healthy diet that combines fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and good fats..

Nutritional Consultants Change Lives
Interest in nutrition has never been higher or more relevant than it is today, and with good reason. Epidemic rates of obesity, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease are just a few of the conditions motivating many to seek advice about preventing and treating these modern-day disorders.

Integrative Medicine
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Andrew Weil, a pioneer and world-renowned leader in the field of integrative medicine. After teaching and writing about natural and preventive medicine for over 35 years, Dr. Weil provides a unique approach to health care, which encompasses body, mind, and spirit.

Nutritional Yeast
Yeasts are a group of microscopic single-celled fungi, relatives of the mushroom. More than 100 different species are known. Nutritional yeasts can be used as condiments and supplements. They are rich in B vitamins.

Restore Your Body's Balance
Think of your body as its own ecosystem. Like the larger ecosystem of a rainforest, for example, all the elements must be in exquisite balance for every part to function at its best. If one element is out of balance, it throws off the entire system.

Excitotoxins
Many foods are laced with additives like monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartate (a component of NutraSweet) and because these chemicals are taste enhancers, diet and vegetarian foods are particularly targeted.

Community Salute to Croft
Much has changed within the Canadian health food industry in the past 30 years. Croft Woodruff has seen it all through the windows of his vitamin shop, Croft's Health Products, in Vancouver, BC.

Go Mad for Mushrooms
The word fungus often brings to mind the fuzz on stale bread and mildew in the shower. Farmers know fungi can devastate such food crops as corn, rice, wheat and rye. But some types are both delicious and healing, valued for centuries as tonics throughout the world.

Natural Supplements
When you take a drug or natural supplement, you sometimes have the choice of the form. Should you take a solid (capsule, tablet, etc.) or a liquid? Solid preparations have become the mainstay in both the health supplement and the pharmaceutical industries. They offer a precise dosage, are stable, easy to carry and practical.

Introducing alive Around the World
At alive, it is our goal and privilege to bring you up-to-date research and information on health and wellness to improve the quality of your lives. Our intent is to raise awareness regarding natural and preventive approaches to healthcare.

Chocolate: Divine or Decadent?
Chocolate and love, chocolate and sex, chocolate and Valentine's Day-these are indisputably inseparable. There has long been a connection between this rich, creamy confection and our liaisons amoureuses. Can something that tastes so delightfully decadent also be good for us?

A Tribute to Rhody Lake
As I write these words, it has been over a week since Rhody disappeared from her home in Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast, BC. Five days later, the search was called off.

A Successful Transition to Health
In the previous two issues of alive, I presented the symptoms and nutritional assessment relevant to Jacqueline, alive's case-study client. After five meetings over the course of two months, Jacqueline was able to eliminate most of the symptoms that had plagued her for years.

Bottled Water
It seems that anywhere you go these days, you will see people-young and old, fit and not-so-fit-carrying one of many shapes, sizes, and colours of bottled water. Is it just a fleeting fashion fetish or is the portable, packable water bottle here to stay?

Splenda
With increasing awareness about the dangers of chemical sugar substitutes such as aspartame, consumers are searching for a replacement.

Genetic Roulette
On writing the highly acclaimed Seeds of Deception (Yes! Books) in 2003, Jeffrey M. Smith became one of America's vocal champions against biotech industry claims for the safety of genetically modified foods. His sequel, Genetic Roulette, is an updated and more uncompromising reference work that underscores how "eating genetically modified food is gambling with every bite.

Nutritional Blue-Green Algae
While many people in North America might not think of eating algae, the indigenous people of Japan and China have eaten it for thousands of years for its nutritional properties. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) contains amino acids, vitamins, and trace minerals that tone the immune system, raise energy levels, and improve general health.

Super Supplements for Women
Overall health and well-being is greatly affected by daily nutrient intake from whole natural foods and nutritional supplements. In combination with a positive attitude and physical activity, nutritional status impacts energy levels, moods, mental ability, immunity, and aging.

Creating Health Benefits with Creatine
Creatine is a nutrient that can offer myriad benefits to almost everyone, especially those of us who are interested in maintaining an effective metabolism as we age.

Supplementing 101
To supplement your child with a multivitamin or not to supplement, that is the question. The necessity of adding a daily multivitamin to your child's diet is a hotly debated topic. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, giving a child a daily multivitamin is only necessary...

Food for Thought
The brain needs intensive nutritional support. Junk food and high-calorie snacks must be replaced with nutrient-dense meals and appropriate supplements. Use well-researched natural health products as an excellent, drug-free way to stay mentally sharp and energetic throughout the day.

Hard to Swallow
As a kid, I couldn't swallow pills. My mother would have to get liquid versions of any medicines I needed, or crush pills into a teaspoon of jam. She'd be so proud if she could see me now, knocking back supplements the size of exotic beetles with barely a sip of water.

From Pasture to Plate
Catch up with Doe Gregoire at the farmers' market in Cawston, BC, and this spunky pioneer in organics can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about her apples.

The Yuck Factor
Supertasters have the TAS2R38 gene and twice as many fungiform papillae on their tongues (on whose sides taste receptors are located) than the average person. There is hope in the laboratory to help supertasters enjoy healthy vegetables.

Too Much of a Good Thing
I have a confession to make: I've never been one for moderation. I'm the gal who falls for the in-store bonus offer that requires the purchase of three times more product than needed, just to get 10 percent off. I choose the extra-dry formula body lotion even though my skin isn't that dry, because why not have more of a good thing?

Sizing Up Sugar Substitutes
As rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease continue to expand, so does the sugar substitute industry. Many avoid aspartame by reaching for sucralose. Others avoid sucralose by seeking out the latest in sugar alcohols. The discussions and controversy are ongoing. Which sugar substitute is safe?

Taming the Holiday "Gimmes
While it is okay to bend the food rules occasionally, there needs to be a balance that sets limits and keeps health in mind. An over-consumption of white sugar and high fat foods is linked to many childhood health problems, including obesity, dental decay, immune system suppression, behavioural issues, and vitamin/mineral deficiencies.

Foods and Your Moods
Ever wonder why certain meals make you feel great, while others leave you feeling sluggish and ready to nap? The answer lies within the way that nutrients from these foods interact with brain chemicals to either enhance our levels of alertness and motivation or to make us sleepy.

Diet Wisdom
As people learn more about the value of proper nutrition, they can become confused by the conflicting opinions they encounter. But giving your body its best chance of achieving good health is really a matter of following seven pillars of health wisdom.

Shopping Savvy
We really are lucky to have so many great organic products to choose from today, but we still need to shop with quality and health in mind.

Nu-Life
When the low-carb diet craze exploded, companies from nearly every food-related industry responded by rushing to develop low-carb products. As these companies scrambled to cash in on the dieting trend of the year, store shelves filled with low-carb cereals, low-carb ice cream, and even low-carb beer.

Puresource
If you have any doubt that public interest in natural health products has been on the rise for years, consider the fact that natural products distributor Puresource was named on Profit Magazine's list of the 100 fastest growing Canadian companies three times between 1997 and 2000.

Diet and Arthritis
Removing foods from the diet may be difficult, but for some arthritis sufferers it could mean a reduction in their physical pain. The cruciferous group of vegetables including cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts, as well as onions and garlic, are high in sulphur-containing compounds needed for joint repair.

D-lightful News

Riding a Shiny Horse to Health

Breast is Best

Phytoestrogens Boost Fertility

Organika
There are no genies in these bottles, but what you do get inside any package with the Organika label is something the company is very proud to talk about: quality, purity, and potency.

Meaningful Makeovers Part III - Toni eats for her life
Until I started this makeover, I was convinced I had a perfectly healthy diet, but I've since learned a lot about what and how to eat. This month I met with Sally Errey, a registered nutritional consulting practitioner. Sally's job in this makeover is to help me eat better.

Meaningful makeovers Part III - Curbing Carb Cravings
This month I had the appointment that I've been dreading the most-the one about food. I suspected that the dietician would tell me things I didn't want to hear, things I'd already identified as my major problems.

Enjoying Organic on a Budget
Is your wallet looking a little thin these days? Does your palate demand organic? Perhaps cash is tight, but health and taste can still top your priority list.

Uncorking the Truth
Some people are increasing their red wine consumption, believing it is good for them. Drinking more, though, has some definite down sides.

Fermented Nutrients
The word "fermentation may conjure up images of aged wine or brewed beer. However, fermented nutrients are also important to your health.

Favouring Flavonoids?
Flavonoids have long elicited media and medical interest for their potential health benefits as antioxidants, but in early 2007, the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) published a review on flavonoids that horrified every dark-chocolate lover in North America.

What's Good for the Goose...
Somewhere up there on Venus, women's physiology evolved differently from that of men on Mars. Recent research proves that men and women are very different-and not just in the obvious ways.

Supplements Provide a Safety Net
Conventionally farmed foods are grown and bred for better yield, hardiness during transport over long distances, and eye appeal rather than for optimal taste and nutritional value. These foods also lose nutritive value when processed, cooked, or preserved.

Life's a Picnic
It doesn't take much to get me in picnic mode. All it takes is a warm day, bright sunshine, and a blue sky. Our picnic paraphernalia is always within easy reach. Wide-brim sunhats hang on hooks near the door; our beach umbrella and sunblock are in the hall closet.

Old Wives' Tales
Generations before us relied completely on the wisdom passed down through oral traditions. With the advent of modern science and medicine, this is no longer necessary.

Ladle Up the Organics
Want to keep dinner simple on a cool autumn day? Opt for a flavourful organic soup. If you're planning to use a store-bought variety, the options are seemingly endless. But how can you make sure you're getting real organic quality? The most important step is to read the label.

Making Sense of Soy
Soy is the Jekyll and Hyde of the plant world. With reported benefi ts often contradicted by accounts of negative effects, confusion about soy's true nature abounds. This month we explore the many faces of soy-the good, the bad, and the unknown.

Ch...ch...ch... Chocolate
Feel guilty no more. Chocolate has been reappraised as an elite superfood: Harvard studies and candy merchants alike are excitedly touting its health benefits. But can these claims be too good to be true?

Healthy Foods for Life
Do certain stimuli make you reach for food, even though you might not be hungry at the time? Do you eat as an emotional response? What triggers this reaction?

All Fired Up
What sits unglamorously on your kitchen counter yet stores a substance so valuable that it served as currency in ancient times? It's your pepper shaker, and the aromatic powder in its belly can dramatically enhance your meals as well as help you digest them.

Protein Powder
The key to maintaining a healthy body weight is not found in a magic pill or a diet book. It is a simple mathematical equation: calories consumed must equal calories burned.

It's a Umami!
Many people are familiar with MSG-or monosodium glutamate-as an additive in Asian foods. When asked about whether or not they consume MSG, most would respond that they eat only at establishments that do not add this flavour enhancer to their food.

Joy Bauer's Food Cures: Easy 4-Step Nutrition Programs for Improving Your Body
Are you wanting to make healthy changes to food habits and don't know where to start? Consider this book as your private consultation with Joy Bauer, nutrition expert for the Today Show and dietary coach to many celebrities.

Perk Up With Protein
Our bodies need protein because it contains amino acids, a nutrient that provides our bodies with a constant supply of nitrogen and sulphur, necessary for the ongoing growth and repair of all our cells.

Made in Canada, eh?
Is there an international congregation in your kitchen?

Edible Offenders
We often hear about the foods we should add to our diet: essential fats, organic vegetables, and whole grains. These nutritional superstars top the food charts. On the flip side, what we keep out of our diet is equally important to overall health and wellness.

Biotechnology On Your Plate
We can all rest easier knowing that Health Canada assumes genetically modified (GM) foods are safe-right?

The Spirit of Café Brio
For the past decade, Victoria's Cafe Brio has planted its roots in a centuries-old tradition of regional cooking.

Twinkie, Deconstructed
Many food books today turn away from comfort flavours and practical meal instructions. This new genre takes a more journalistic approach to examining the components of food production, rather than suggesting which foods should comprise our recipes.

One With the Season
Cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients makes one happier where it counts most: in the kitchen. At One restaurant, in the heart of Toronto's five-star Hazelton Hotel, Mark McEwan knows the value of happy cooks and has worked hard to develop a strong culinary culture since the restaurant opened in August 2007.

Curry Culture
In the summer of 2003, I stepped off a plane in Toronto and prepared myself for the challenges of university life and living alone in a foreign land.

Probiotic Rescue
Probiotic Rescue is a timely much-needed look at an age-old concept turned media buzzword. (Probiotics are bacteria that benefit the health of our intestinal microflora, and in turn affect metabolism, immunity, and more.)

Food Recalls and Food-borne Illnesses-Enough to Make You Sick to Your Stomach
Every year, we hear about food recalls due to suspected outbreaks of listeria, E .coli, hepatitis, and salmonella bacteria. If you suspect you've eaten a contaminated product, and experience nausea, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache, or fatigue, you could have food poisoning. But the good news is that boosting the immune system's defences and taking some basic food safety steps can reduce the chance of contracting a food-borne illnesses.

The Top 8 Ingredients to Avoid on Food Labels
Negative claims about trans fats, aspartame, and MSG are generally well known these days. But what else is potentially harmful in the grocery store aisles? Learn about which ingredients to stay away from and how to save time reading food labels to ensure you aren't consuming the most hazardous offenders.

Plant Sterols Hold Great Promise
Cholesterol is a major concern for coronary heart disease, and statins are the fastest growing drug class despite evidence these prescription drugs may do little for most of the people taking them. Here is some good news about a natural cholesterol reducer.

Four Regular Guys (in Tuxedos)
A taxi pulls into the gravel parking lot of Calgary's Edworthy Park on a hot June afternoon. As children spin on the roundabout, four handsome young men in tuxedos wait to get into the cab. Although they're overdressed for this casual setting, Giorgio Armani would agree that his formal wear looks good anywhere.

Building a Health Reserve
Hoping to be a healthy elder? Then stock your health bank as faithfully as your financial one. Healthy aging requires preparation. This month's Research Watch discusses what you need to know to build up your health reserves for a long and healthy life.

The G.I. Diet Clinic
This is the newest book from Rick Gallop, one of Canada's leading promoters of healthy eating and living habits. During his 15-year term as president of Ontario's Heart and Stroke Foundation, Gallop was recognized for achievements in fundraising for medical research and wellness.

Sanafir
Memorable meals are much akin to journeys, transporting the senses into new realms of experience. When such meals coincide with festive celebration, the experience becomes indelibly etched upon our minds.

Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which gluten acts as a toxin and causes the absorptive surfaces of the small intestine to flatten. This prevents the body from receiving important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

National Nutrition Month
"How are you going to observe National Nutrition Month? The question, posed to a group of successful, health-oriented women in an informal poll, drew conversation to a halt. Susan, a full-time writer with a law degree, finally asked into the silence, "Uh, when is it?

Defending Against Men’s Cancer
According to the National Population Health Survey, men are far less likely than women to consider overall health, weight, and disease prevention.