A sweet substitute

It's never easy when one or both your parents are diagnosed with diabetes. First thing their doctor will ask is that they make dietary changes and give up sugar! In reality, it is much easier said than done because they have been taking sugar throughout their lifetime. The taste of sugar also releases feel-good hormones in the brain which may explain why many people find it difficult to give up sugar.

Dangers of sugar

The Malaysian Government is spending millions of ringgit on trying to educate the public about the dangers of sugar through campaigns and advertisements - a plea to reduce sugar intake. For patients with diabetes sugar raises blood sugar levels which increase the risk of complications involving the nerve, eye, kidney and heart. Too much salt, fat, cholesterol in your diet can affect your heart, and now the American Heart Association (AHA) has placed added sugars on this list.According to the AHA, high intake of sugar is associated with poor health conditions including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation, high triglyceride levels which are risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

What is sugar?

White granulated sugar, also known as sucrose is the most common form of sugar. But it is not the only kind of sugar; other forms include brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup or just fructose, maltose, 'gula Malacca', glucose, honey and maple syrup.

Are we consuming too much sugar?

If you are like most average Malaysian, you are consuming about 19 teaspoons (76gm) of added sugar daily. That means about 300 calories of your daily calories are coming from sugar, which health experts say is way too high. How much sugar should we be eating? Not more than 6 teaspoons of sugar (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men - as recommended by the American Heart Association.

One can of orange juice or cola has about 7- 8 teaspoons of sugar! You'd be surprise that 3-in-1beverages are all loaded with sugar- A cup of white coffee and chocolate malt beverage can contain between 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar. Other common 'healthy' oats and cereal beverages can contain up to 4 teaspoons of sugar! Can you imagine just taking 2-3 cups of these beverages a day? You would have exceeded AHA's recommended daily intake of 6 teaspoons for women and 9 for men. This is not even counting the sugars in foods.

Artificial sweeteners- aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-k, saccharin

You will be told these artificial sweeteners are 'sugar-free' and are 'healthy alternatives to sugar'. The question here is whether they are really as safe as they claim to be. To find out more about their safety just go to the internet and type these keywords - 'aspartame; sucralose; side effects; dangers.'

Today you will find these artificial sweeteners in everything from carbonated soft drinks and yoghurt to baked food and even 3-in-1 beverages. Before purchasing, check the food labels for any hidden artificial sweeteners.

Natural sweetener - stevia extract

Also known as sweet leaf or Stevia rebaudiana, stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar but contains no calories. Stevia extract is made from the sweetest part of the stevia leaf.

Besides tasting good, stevia extract is safe and has no side-effects. Stevia extract has no calories and does not raise blood sugar levels, thus is an ideal choice for pre-diabetes, diabetes and those concerned about health.

Stevia as a natural sweetener does not have the same taste as sugar; it is still an excellent substitute for sugar. (When it comes to sweetness, no other sweeteners whether natural or artificial can ever measure up to sugar as sugar is the 'gold standard' because we are used to taking sugar since birth.)

3-in-1 sugar-free beverages sweetened with stevia extract

Denying your mum or dad the simple pleasures of drinking coffee or chocolate malt without sugar can be heart-wrenching. How many times as children can we tell our parent not to add sugar into their drinks without hurting their feelings or seeing the despair on their faces?

Fortunately, there is an answer. Now you can find a range of delicious 3-in-1 sugar-free white coffee, chocolate malt and oats &cereal sweetened with stevia, the natural sweetener-- in all leading pharmacies, selected supermarkets as well as mini markets. 3-in-1 sugar-free beverages make a healthier choice!
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If you wish to know more about Eversweett 3-in-1 sugar-free beverages, please call EverSweett INFOline 03-6142 6570 (Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm) or email: enquiries@eversweett.com or visit www.eversweett.com