Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery News and Info

Check your favorite beverage to see what it is sweetened with. If you find one of the use with caution or avoid sweeteners, consider making your own version. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Hot Apple Cider

2 bags Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice tea
1 lemon wedge, juiced or 1 teaspoon lemon juice
sweetener to taste
8 oz water
1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Boil water and pour over 2 tea bags. Steep for a few minutes and then add sweetener and lemon juice. Stir with cinnamon stick if desired. Makes 1 serving.
Alpine Hot Spiced Cider is a wonderful drink to sip on a cool evening, but it’s sweetened with aspartame. This is an easy-to-prepare substitute that puts you in control of the sweetener you would like to use. Tastes great with liquid stevia or erythritol.
Nutrition information per serving: 1 calorie, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fat, 0 grams carbohydrate, 0 mg sodium.

Fruit Punch

4 tea bags fruit flavored decaffeinated tea
4 cups boiling water
4 cups cold water
Flavored or plain liquid stevia or other sweetener to taste

Place tea bags in a large mason jar or other heat resistant container. Pour hot water over tea bags and steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and add cold water and sweetener. Stir and refrigerate. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 0 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fat, 0 grams carbohydrate, 0 mg sodium.
Green Tea Lemonade

5 cups brewed green tea
3 cups water
Juice from 4 small lemons or ⅓ cup of lemon juice
15 drops of liquid stevia or other sweetener
Ice cubes
Brew tea according to instructions. Refrigerate to cool. Pour brewed green tea in a large pitcher and stir in water, lemon juice and stevia. Add ice cubes and serve. Optional: add lemon slices to garnish. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition Information Per Serving: 2 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fat, 1 gram carbohydrate, 0 mg sodium.

Download On Track with Barix:  The Sweetener Debate

Unfortunately, the media, in an effort to grab attention through headlines, often misleads the public about the true importance of study findings. The danger in this constant bombardment of conflicting and hyped information is that people, not knowing the right thing to do, may simply give up on making healthy changes to their diet. But making healthy food choices can have a positive impact on health; so it is important that people, especially those who have undergone weight loss surgery, strive to eat a healthy diet. Choosing sugar substitutes can be part of that healthy diet.

Research tells us that sugar substitutes are not equal when it comes to safety. What ends up in our food is most likely based on the acceptable taste of the finished product and the cost to produce the product, not the potential health risks to individuals. After all, the FDA has approved all the sweeteners we find in our food supply as being safe for human consumption.

As an individual, selecting healthy foods and beverages for yourself and your family, you may want to be more discerning. Although it sounds easy enough, read the labels and discard any options that contain potentially toxic sweeteners; many of our favorite drinks and foods contain these ingredients. For example, Jello gelatin contains aspartame and Crystal Light is sweetened mostly with aspartame. It’s best to focus on the sweeteners in the beverages you choose and foods that you eat on a regular basis. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to avoid all of the potentially toxic sweeteners in our food supply, but you can cut back drastically by putting your focus into these areas.

Here’s how the individual sugar substitutes stack up.

Stevia, found in Equal Naturals, Pure Via, Splenda Naturals, Stevia in the Raw, SweetLeaaf, and Truvia may have a slightly bitter aftertaste, but appear to be safe to consume.

Erythritol, found in Equal Naturals, Splenda Naturals, Swerve, Truvia, and Wholesome Zero is an underutilized gem in the world of sugar substitutes. You may have the best luck finding this product online. It bakes well and tastes like sugar and appears to be safe for consumption. Although it is a sugar alcohol, it has fewer of the gastro-intestinal side effects found with most sugar alcohols.

Sugar Alcohols, known by the names hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, Isomalt, Lactitol, Maltitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol, and Xylitol appear to be safe in moderate amounts. Larger amounts can cause the gastro-intestinal side effects of gas, cramping and diarrhea. Sugar alcohols are found in many sugar free products including candy, protein bars, and ice cream. Limit to 7 grams per day until you are able to establish your personal tolerance level.

Acesulfame Potassium is found in Equal Original and Equal Spoonful and many processed foods and should be used with caution or avoided because it may cause cancer in animals.

Aspartame is found in Equal Original, Equal Spoonful, and NutraSweet and many processed foods. It is the most widely studied sweetener and should be used with caution or avoided because it may cause cancer in animals.

Saccharin is found in Sugar Twin and Sweet’N Low and many processed foods and should be used with caution or avoided because it may cause cancer in animals.

Sucralose is found in Spenda and many processed foods and should be used with caution or avoided because it may cause cancer in animals.

Download On Track with Barix:  The Sweetener Debate