Most people love the taste of sweets and have them at least once in a while as part of their diet. Various foods and beverages rely on sweetness to make them worthy of being consumed. Examples of these are coffee, tea, oatmeal, cereal and baked goods. If they are bland and lack flavor, sweeteners can be used to make them more palate pleasing.
Natural
Natural sweeteners are a staple in many cupboards, bakeries and organic cafes. They are produced from completely natural sources with no added ingredients or chemicals. Examples of these are honey, molasses, maple syrup, date sugar, barley malt syrup and agave. Agave is the nectar of a cactus.
Artiificial
Artificial sweeteners are altogether different than natural ones. They are chemically created, they have zero calories and they are more sweet than regular table sugar. This makes it possible to get the same amount of sweetness with less product. Examples of these sweeteners are sucralose, aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame potassium.
Products
Other than being used to add to foods at home, sweeteners are also used in commercial products to give them flavor. Supplement companies use them in energy bars, protein powders and energy drinks. Some of them use artificial sweeteners and others use natural. Commercial baked goods like cakes, pies, muffins and cookies also have sweeteners added to them and diet soda is flavored with artificial sweetener.
Identification
Diabetics have to watch their intake of sweets because they can cause a spike in blood sugar that can affect their insulin levels. They often use artificial sweeteners and products made with them because they do not have an effect on blood sugar. Special sugar-free products include candy bars, breakfast bars, desserts, ice cream and hard candies. They also use artificial sweeteners to prepare their own baked goods.
Expert Insight
If you use artificial sweeteners, be on guard for any allergic reactions you might have to them. In addition to that, even though a product might be sugar free, it can still have calories. If you are trying to watch your weight, be cognizant of your caloric intake.
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