atharkhan

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Comments»

1. Kimberly Wah - October 25, 2009

Thank you for asking this question! I wonder the same thing every time I get hot tea and iced tea!

2. Aun Raza - October 25, 2009

I try to keep my sugar intake limited to natural sugars from fruits or 100% fruit juices. If I do need additional sugar (barely) in food, I use white sugar. The last time I used white sugar was when I was making pasta, less than half a teaspoon. I kinda make up for up for it by eating Dove Miniatures Ice Cream Bars. One every day or two satisfies my cravings for unhealthy sugars.

3. Athar Khan - October 25, 2009

So when you're having tea/coffee, you use white sugar?

4. Aun Raza - October 25, 2009

Well, for one, I don't drink coffee, but I do have tea (once or twice a week), for which I use condensed milk – its sweet enough so I don't need to add any sugar.

5. Athar Khan - October 25, 2009

Oh. I didn't think of that.

6. Lissa Liebermann - October 25, 2009

Stevia. I shy away from the brain-killing, rushed- through-the-FDA alternatives…

7. Athar Khan - October 25, 2009

Actually we've been using Stevia lately. I forgot to include it in the list. I find it a bit too sweet though. You think that's the way to go?

8. Lissa Liebermann - October 25, 2009

dad's a dentist and i grew up in a no sugar household….no joke. so, we used honey for everything…on cereal, in tea, java, etc. honey is a natural anti-bacterial agent, so it's actually good for your intestines, and hence, immune system too. organic honey with the honeycomb on the lid is really tasty.

9. Athar Khan - October 25, 2009

You know. I forgot that honey has antibacterial and immune boosting properties. That's why it doesn't go bad right?I'm going to stick with honey for a few days and see how it goes. Thanks for reminding me!

10. Lissa Liebermann - October 25, 2009

you bet! honey is also good to keep in the med cabinet for burns and cuts.

11. Nikhil Pednekar - October 25, 2009

use whatever tastes good, and don't overdo it. if you are trying to avoid calories, honey isn't that much better than processed sugar. it has the same sugars (glucose fructose monosaccharides) of the are present in granulated sugar(albeit in disaccharide form). so per unit "sweetness", it will have the almost the same calories.and honey doesnt go bad when kept properly sealed under cool conditions. it will absorb moisture and lose it's preservative properties. honey is regularly fermented into mead after dilution with water. but hey it may have a better placebo effect.

12. Victoria Wood - October 26, 2009

My understanding is that processed white sugar is the worst, if you're concerned about health risks. Also, be careful about some of the sugars advertised as “raw” – many of them are actually processed white sugar that have been sprayed with molassas to add back the color lost in processing.

13. Athar Khan - October 26, 2009

Really?! I would have never thought of that. I'll check into it.

14. Victoria Wood - October 26, 2009

My understanding is that processed white sugar is the worst, if you're concerned about health risks. Also, be careful about some of the sugars advertised as "raw" – many of them are actually processed white sugar that have been sprayed with molassas to add back the color lost in processing.

15. Darryl Ong - October 27, 2009

I’ve passed the sweetener stage. I just add cream to coffee, and working on getting to where I can drink it black…

Figure in a few years I can just sniff some espresso beans and get the kick I need.

16. atharkhan - October 27, 2009

I’ve actually tried eating chocolate covered espresso beans (they sell them at Coffee Bean) to see if I can get a noticeable caffeine boost from them. As interesting as the experiment was, it turned out to be a “fail.”

17. Austen El-Osta - November 2, 2009

A distinction has to be made between ’sugars’ and ’sweeteners’ as this delineation lies at the heart of your inquiry.

Sugars are energy rich carbohydrates that have a sweet taste, conventionally harvested in the form of syrups (i.e. maple syrup/ bee honey), constitutional elements (molasses/ dates) or from interstitial suspensions of fruits. These anabolic sugars drive metabolism and energise bodily systems.

By contrast, sweeteners are non-carbohydrate molecules whose chemical signatures merely inspire a taste response indicating ’sweet’ when these non naturally occurring compounds are in fact metabolic inhibitors (and do not ‘produce’ energy when metabolized)

Sweeteners are bad for us for two separate reasons. Firstly, because sweetners cannot be used as energy, they need to be broken down (detoxified) by the liver. Secondly, ingesting sweeteners confuses the brain/pancreas axis in that they tell the body that sugar is on the way (because they taste sweet) when in fact no sugar is eaten. Over time, the pancreas may not respond appropriately by releasing insulin when ‘real’ sugars are ingested, ultimately giving rise to diabetes. This is why zero calorie sodas a bad for us… They my be easy on the waist but they confuse the brain/pancreas system which needs to remain highly sensitive to regulate blood sugar levels. Importantly, many sweeteners have also been linked with cancers.

Contrary to popular belief, sugars (cane sugar, honey, maple syrup etc.,) are GOOD for us provided we use them sparingly to ’sweeten’ foods and beverages. Our tongue is very sensitive but excessive use of any sugar (or sweetener) would desensitize the taste receptors. To remedy this, go without sweet foods for a day or two, then again begin to use sugar in tea/beverages and you will find that you need a lot less to get that same sweet taste that everybody dies for.

I agree that we should stick to non-processes sugars (cane sugar, darmara sugar, and real maple syrup). I cannot stress enough the health benefits of honey so use honey whenever you can.

I now enjoy my herbal teas and coffee without any sugar… And I think they taste nicer that way.

I hope this helps

18. atharkhan » Kicking the Soda Habit - January 23, 2010

[...] after reading, about the health consequences of using artificial sweeteners, I started considering healthier alternatives. Based on my research, honey, and Stevia-based sweeteners are the healthier alternatives to refined [...]