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patient handout (nutrition)
natural sweeteners
nutrition
definition
NATURAL SWEETENERS
Natural sweeteners are delicious and if used in moderation they add a delightful dimension to life. Abused, they cause many of the same ills as other sweeteners.
Honey is the converted product of the nectar from flowers which is basically sucrose. Bees gather and break the sucrose down into the monosaccharides, glucose and fructose. These simple carbohydrates are called invert sugar. Honey contains 80 percent invert sugar. In processing for human consumption, honey is heated to filter out impurities. All truly natural honey is only heated to between 100° F and 145° F to preserve the natural enzymes, vitamins and pollen it contains. Raw honey is not heated at all or only to temperatures between 95° F and 105° F. Honey is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, immediately raising the blood-sugar level. As such, it is not a balanced sweetener. A balanced sweetener consists of a complex chain of sugar units which are broken off one at a time by digestive enzymes over a period of time. As it is being broken down, other important nutrients, such as protein, fat, vitamins and minerals are also being absorbed from foods.
The taste and color of honey is dependent upon the type of blossom it was gathered from. Honey has the highest sugar content of all the natural sweeteners and because it is high in fructose, it is one of the sweetest.
Natural honey is somewhat cloudy. The crystal clear purity of honey in the supermarket is obtained by heating the honey to very high temperatures and thus destroying the natural enzymes.
Maple syrup is a naturally occurring sweetener, the flavor mild and unique, yet its sweetening ability is excellent. The reason for this is that 100 percent pure Grade A maple syrup is 65 percent sucrose. Lesser grades have a slightly lower sugar content. Maple syrup is sweet stuff indeed, and when you pour it over your pancakes remember, you are getting the equivalent of half that amount in white sugar. Like honey, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, raising the blood-sugar level. It takes 40 gallons of sap from sugar maple trees to make one gallon of maple syrup, thus making it one of the most expensive sweeteners.
Malt syrups are made from cereal grains which are processed into syrup in the same way that enzymatic action in the mouth breaks them down when they are chewed. Malt is made from sprouted barley which is dried and powdered to be used in malting other grains. The malt is mixed with barley, rice, corn, or wheat and heated, which converts the available starches to sugar. The sugar contained in malt syrup is mainly maltose which is less than half as sweet as sucrose. Since it is not as sweet as other sweeteners, there is a tendency to use more. This is not a good idea since some malt syrups contain the same total sugar content as maple syrup. Malt syrups are still concentrated sugars.
Barley malt syrup is less sweet that both molasses and honey, and on a fairly even par with brown rice syrup. High in complex carbohydrates, it enters the bloodstream slowly and can be considered a balanced sweetener, with less upset on blood-sugar levels. The malting process increases the level of B-vitamins in this product. It also contains some trace minerals.
Brown rice syrup is a balanced sweetener. It is primarily a complex carbohydrate which enters the bloodstream more slowly than honey or maple syrup. Brown rice syrup doesn't contain as high a concentration of nutrients as does barley malt syrup, but it does contain some trace minerals and B-vitamins. It is less concentrated in flavor than other sweeteners and adds a mild, rather than a bold, sweetness.
Sorghum molasses is a plant related to millet. The stalks of the plant are crushed, and the sweet syrup released is cooked and clarified into a dark syrup rich in minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, and the B-vitamins. For this reason use sorghum molasses in place of cane molasses in any recipe. The sugar content of sorghum molasses is about 65 percent sucrose. Blackstrap and Barbados molasses are made from sugarcane.
Date sugar is ground from dehydrated dates and cannot be considered a sugar, but rather a food. It is high in fiber and rich in a wide range of vitamins and mineral, including iron. It does not dissolve, however when added to liquids. Date sugar's most limiting factor is its high price.
Stevia is a small wild shrub found in certain areas of South America. It is a plant of the chrysanthemum family. The sugars found in the leaf of the plant are 300 times sweeter than white sugar. These sugars are called estevin and rebaudin.
One teaspoon of dried stevia leaves equals eight teaspoons of sugar. It may be used to sweeten hot or cold cereals, herbal teas and in baking.
(Thom, p. 123-125)
footnotes