Selecting
good sugar
For
baking and to scatter over bitter food and drinks choose dark sugars: brown
sugar contains molasses, a good source of iron, and is so flavorful a little
goes a long way when stirred into deserts, oatmeal, and drinks. By adding the
sugar yourself, you can monitor how much you are taking on board. Buy organic and
fair-trade if desired. Honey is a sweetener and an antioxidant with fantastic
health-giving properties, used in hospitals for wound healing. Studies suggest
it may help prevent heart disease and offer anticavity protection for teeth.
Avoid
artificial sweeteners
Many
popular artificial sweeteners contain ingredients that may be harmful to your
health. Check for aspartame (E951), which produces the toxin methanol, which
the body can process only in small amounts, and has been associated with headaches
and menstrual problems. Saccharin (E954) has been linked with bladder cancer.
Acesulfame K (E950) has also been linked with cancer, while sorbitol (E420) and
mannitol (E421) are associated with bloating.
Discovering
hidden sugar
It’s
difficult to keep to the World Health Organization’s recommended daily limit
for sugar (no more than 10 percent of your daily food intake) when it appears in
so many forms in packaged, processed foods. If any of the following come near
the top of an ingredients list or the product contains more than one in
addition to sugar, leave that breakfast cereal, ketchup, or diet food on the
shelf:
• dextrose
• glucose
• corn syrup
• sucrose
• fructose
• HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)
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