Sweeteners

Baking season is here in the United States! With cooler fall weather upon us, it motivates people to make warm, comforting, and delicious food. Many times, that includes things like baked goods such as: pastries, muffins, pies, cakes, and cookies. Our local grocery stores have many items used for baking on display this time of year! 

A common ingredient in many baked goods is usually some kind of sweetener with sugar being, by far, the most common. Unfortunately, sugar is not so good for our health. Sugar is highly addictive. Sadly, sugar is found in many food items here in the United States. It's almost unbelievable to me how many food items have sugar added to them! (I've learned to read more ingredient labels than I used to.)

To be sure, God gave mankind a desire for sweet things. You could say that a desire to eat sweet things is a part of our DNA. God made us that way. However, God's original design was for us to eat healthy, sweet things like fruit, maple syrup, and honey. 

The Bible mentions honey a lot. 

Those with certain health issues are often advised to watch their sugar intake closely (which everyone should do) or avoid it completely. Some people substitute their sugar consumption with honey instead. 

Honey is not only deliciously sweet, but honey also has amazing health benefits! Isn't that just like God to bless us with such a good gift! Honey is a wonderful gift from God!     

However, just like peanut butter, not all honey is the same. You can find different types of honey available for sale. 

I recently went to our local Walmart and took some pictures to demonstrate the difference in some of the honey they had for sale. I've taken pictures of the "Great Value" brand simply because it is a very common brand for those who shop at Walmart. Walmart is a store that is found in nearly every US state. 

The picture below shows pure, raw, organic honey for sale. This is real honey - the kind that God created. This is the kind that I purchase. 

This other picture (below) shows another type of "honey" that Walmart sells - imitation honey. 

What are the ingredients listed on the back of this honey? (below) I don't know what those things are. 

One thing I do know is: that is not real honey. 

There is imitation honey that is not good for your health. This kind of honey is one of them. If and when you purchase honey, be sure to get real honey - the honey that God created for us to eat. 

Maple syrup is another sweetener that God gave us, and once again, you can find the real stuff sold in stores or the fake, junk kind with lots of sugar added to it. Although it will be more expensive, it is best to get real maple syrup. I grew up eating only real maple syrup. My mom never bought the junk, artificial kind. 

Though it is not good to consume a lot of sugar, you can find granulated sugar in its organic form sold in stores like Walmart. (see picture below)

If you do some occasional baking with sugar, or if you use sugar in something like your morning cup of coffee, using organic sugar (without added chemicals or pesticides) is a better idea! This is the type of sugar my mom uses for baking or for other things. 

In our day, there are so many different kinds of sweeteners out there. Many sweeteners are added to products with a label that says: sugar free!    

At first glance, it looks like it's a good thing. However, most sugar free items have some kind of other sweetener added to them that is often worse than sugar! 

I'm not a natural doctor, so I do not fully understand what many of these "sugar free" sweeteners do to the body. I remember a natural doctor I saw warning me to stay away from any type of "sugar free" sweetener that ended with "tol". This includes things like: sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, and maltitol. And there are more to watch out for! Supposedly, the ones ending in "tol" are a type of sugar alcohol that can cause an upset stomach and/ or digestive issues. Not a good thing. 

Another very dangerous "sugar free" sweetener to avoid at all cost is something called aspartame.

Aspartame is usually found in things like: "diet" soda, "sugar free" instant drink mixes, and in most, regular chewing gum. The list of health warnings on aspartame is so bad. Aspartame has been dubbed "sweet poison" for good reason. 

Here is an article link (below) that shares about the many dangers of aspartame. 

https://myersdetox.com/aspartame-poisoning/

This article is worth reading so that you are aware and can warn others about this sweet poison.  

My mom's older brother, my Uncle Steve, was a missionary in Togo, West Africa for about 30 years. My uncle and aunt were medical missionaries, sharing the Gospel with the Togolese people while using their medical training to help people in Togo. They were with a Baptist mission in Togo. 

Because Togo, West Africa is very warm, year round, my uncle enjoyed drinking lemonade throughout the day. Whenever my uncle and aunt were home on furlough every few years, they would pack their totes with items that they could not get in Togo. For my uncle, that included boxes of his favorite, instant drink mix, something called "Crystal Light" Lemonade. All he had to do was add water to this powdered drink mix, and he instantly had lemonade to drink. Sadly, that lemonade drink mix was sweetened with aspartame. Aspartame in warmer temperatures (especially in places like Africa) turns to formaldehyde.

 

My uncle drank this lemonade every day for years. Sadly, my Uncle died three years ago at the age of 65 from a rare form of Parkinson's disease. My Grandma (my uncle's mom) couldn't help but make a connection to the aspartame that her son consumed every day in the lemonade he drank to what he died from.

Sadly, my uncle did not know about the dangers of aspartame. My uncle is now in the Presence of God in heaven, which is far more glorious! 

I share this little story about my uncle to warn others of the dangers of aspartame! If my uncle would have purchased the "Country Time" instant, lemonade, which is sweetened with real sugar instead of aspartame, that would have been far better for him! My uncle may have gained some weight from the sugar, but it would not have affected him like the aspartame did. Although sugar is not very good for you, real sugar is better than almost all "sugar free" substitutes.

If there are missionaries you know who enjoy taking instant drink mixes with them, and they live in a warmer climate like Africa, please encourage them to purchase instant drink mixes that use real sugar in them instead of "sugar free" sweeteners like aspartame. 

For mothers who enjoy giving their child a special treat for a job well done, whether in school or around your home, please be very cautious about giving them a package of regular chewing gum. Most regular gum is almost always sweetened with aspartame! 

It's better to reward your child with something that has real sugar in it, than to give them something that has "sugar free" sweet poison in it. (like chewing gum!) 

Using sweeteners that God gave us, such as fruit, real honey, and real maple syrup, are, by far, the best choice for better health!  

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, and I have no medical training. The things I share on this blog are simple, practical things that I've learned help with good health.