Sugar has a significantly negative impact on your health. It can suppress your immune system, imbalance the mineral relationships within the body, cause a rapid rise of adrenaline and anxiety, increase your total cholesterol and triglycerides as well as feed cancer cells and weaken your eyesight, according to Dr. Mercola holistic medicine practitioner at Mercola.com. All sugars are not created equal. Glucose is the sugar that your body was designed to run on, but sucrose and fructose are the sugars that are commonly added to snacks and foods to improve taste. High amounts of fructose can elevate your uric acid and trick your body into gaining weight.
Naturally Sugar Free
There are many foods and snacks that are naturally sugar free, or which have natural sugars infused with vitamins and minerals and healthy for your body. For instance, according to Dr. Mercola, fruit contains fructose but it is combined with other antioxidants and vitamins that reduce the hazardous effects during metabolism. Naturally sugar free foods can be used as snacks or incorporated into your meals. Read labels on processed or canned foods, because sugar is sometimes added to improve flavor or taste.
Sugar Substitutes
In an effort to improve flavor without adding natural sugar, many manufacturers are adding artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols or natural sweeteners. These foods or snacks can be labeled artificially sweetened or sugar free. According to MayoClinic.com, artificial sweeteners include aspartame, neotame, saccharin, sucralose and acesulfame potassium which do not add calories and are widely added to dairy products, jellies, puddings, canned foods and drinks. They are regulated by the FDA as a food additive and are rated as GRAS, or generally recognized as safe.
Sugar Free Snacks
Finding healthy, sugar free snacks can be a challenge for adults and children. Try using pineapple, cranberries or red peppers, which are naturally sweet, according to MayoClinic.com. Whole grain pretzels or tortilla chips have no sugar, and low fat cheese slices can be turned into "cookie sandwiches" with a cookie cutter and flat pretzels. Vegetables, pretzels, string cheese, hard boiled eggs, whole nuts, all natural peanut butter and celery sticks, vegetables and humus and raw seeds are all naturally sugar free foods and snacks, according to dietitian Joy Bauer, nutrition and health expert for the "TODAY Show." Keep your sugar free snacks and foods within easy reach in the refrigerator to decrease the likelihood you will reach for a box of cookies or a chocolate bar when you want a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
Sugar Free Foods
Sugar free foods and meals can be less challenging to find but will be more time consuming to make. You should steer away from processed foods and drinks that have fructose or artificial sweeteners added to improve flavors. Cook with foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, such as salads, meats, potatoes, rice and pasta, without using boxed mixes with added flavor packets. Sugar free foods do not have to be without flavor. By adding nuts, herbs, spices and combining flavors, you can improve taste without adding sugar.
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