Studies are showing that over-consumption of sugar has harmful effects on more than just your teeth. As a matter of fact, due to its addictive characteristics, many scientists have placed sugar in the same category as drugs and alcohol. For these reasons, you should really pay attention to how much sugar you consume each day. However, this can be difficult because many everyday foods contain sugar.

The many faces of sugar

When you hear the word “sugar,” you probably think of the white, refined sugar that you add to coffee, tea, and other drinks or foods. That is true, but sugar has many other faces that you often do not recognize. Here are some examples:

• Fructose (found in fruit)
• Lactose (found in milk)
• Maltose (found in rice malt)
• Sucrose (found in table sugar)

Sugars are also found in jams, maple syrup, agave, honey and even alcohol! Whatever its form may be, sugar is converted in the body to its most basic form known as glucose.

Substituting artificial sweeteners for sugar is not a good idea

Although the over-consumption of sugar has been proven dangerous to your health, you should be just as wary of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners—mainly aspartame and saccharine—are common ingredients in chewing gum and processed foods such as crackers, chips, cakes, and yoghurt. With neurotoxic effects and suspected carcinogenic properties, artificial sweeteners seriously compromise your health by leaching calcium and other minerals out of your body.

Sugar: the tolerable poison?

It is difficult to understand why sugar has been such an acceptable ingredient for decades considering that more and more researchers refer to sugar as a poison. Consuming sugar regularly has been related to the following conditions:

Diabetes	High Cholesterol
Anxiety and Depression	Heart disease
Reduced immunity	Osteoporosis
Fatigue	Weakened eyesight
Food allergies	Eczema
Loss of concentration	Impaired weight loss
Cancer

Some natural alternatives

Relying on natural sugar alternatives for your sweetening needs is the best way to protect yourself from the conditions listed above. Fortunately, there are two sugar alternatives in particular, that actually offer health benefits. These alternatives are:

• Stevia
• Xylitol (which occurs naturally in the body)

But what about my cravings?

Your body will adjust quite quickly to you removing these sugars from your diet and you will soon find that your cravings fade or disappear completely. Difficult to believe I know but just try it and see!

Tip: How to stop a craving in its tracks

If you still do find that you want something sweet either after a meal or mid-afternoon then either a teaspoon or two of Apple Cider Vinegar (with water if you wish) or a pickled cucumber should fix it. And if you find you really must, then try a small square of very high quality dark chocolate – an organic 85% cacao one is good. You will find that making this change to your eating habits has a profound effect on many aspects of your health including feeling energised, uplifted, positive, and able to enjoy life in a more balanced and creative way. If you have trouble finding or deciding on an alternative, or want the best chocolate (!) then all you have to do is “Ask a naturopath” at Mr Vitamins. Read also Mr Vitamins article: Sweeteners - the good the bad and the scary