Sugar-free cookies, reduced-sugar cereal, sugar-free candy, diet soda... are these better for you? Since sugar became a taboo (禁忌) in the nutrition and wellness world, sugar-free food items and drinks have acted as alternatives for once beloved sweet drinks and snacks. Claiming to be ZERO sugar means it is healthier, better for diabetics, and helps you slim down... Right?
In fact, sugar-free is worse. Sugar-free means that artificial sweeteners (甜味剂) are used instead of real sugar. The problem: these sweeteners do not come from natural sources and they can cause you more harm than good.
Let’s get into what these artificial sweeteners actually are. Sugar-free sugar sounds wrong and that’s because there is no such thing as sugar-free sugar. Some of these sugar-free alternatives still contain sugar and the ones that don’t contain sugar have chemicals your body often does not know how to process.
Most artificial sweeteners are a lot sweeter than sugar, so only a tiny amount is needed. That’s why they can market sugar-free alternatives as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie”. It also means that you get no nutritional value from consuming them, which is why many sugar-free substitutes are classified as “non-nutritive”. These artificial sweeteners tend to hide under sneaky names. Actually, they are 200-600 times sweeter than sugar.
When you eat sweet stuff, your body continues to desire it and, even though your body cannot metabolize (代谢) these sugar-free alternatives, your brain does not know the difference. In turn, sugar-free alternatives connect to weight gain and type 2 diabetes (糖尿病).
Artificial sweeteners also damage your gut’s ability to break down sugar, which impacts everything you eat. In other words, your body doesn’t know how to handle artificial sweeteners because they have nothing real to process.
A good rule of thumb: stay away from artificial sweeteners and look for non-sugar, natural sweeteners like Stevia or date sugar. In the war against artificial sweeteners and real sugar, both lose. Satisfy your sweet tooth with natural sugars that come from fruits and stay away from products claiming to be sugar-free or diet!
38. Why are sugar-free alternatives described as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie”?
A.They won’t lead to weight gain. |
B.They are greener and healthier. |
C.They are much to everyone’s taste. |
D.Small quantities of artificial sweeteners are used. |
39. What do we know about artificial sweeteners?
A.They present a bigger health risk. |
B.They can be easily broken down. |
C.They are as sweet as sugar. |
D.They improve our ability to metabolize. |
40. What is the author’s final conclusion?
A.Real sugar is a better choice. |
B.Stay away from sugary products. |
C.Sugar-free products are healthier. |
D.Choose sugar from natural sources. |