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"Sugar-free food" is not suitable for whom?

 Last Update: 2021-11-11
 Source: Internet
 Author: User

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Original: Yun Wuxin

Recently, the news that the custom-made moon cakes caused big V diarrhea has been searched hotly, and people have another layer of doubts about sugar-free food
.
With the increase in health awareness and the pursuit of weight loss, many people are becoming more and more afraid of carbohydrates and more and more afraid of sugar
.
However, due to years of immersion in the sweet environment, the love for sweetness is hard to give up
.
Therefore, the beverages must be sweet, and the snacks must be sweet.
.
.
The so-called "mind is very rational, body is honest"
.

There must be no sugar, but also sweetness; it comforts the soul and satisfies the taste-this is the market basis for the popularity of non-sugar sweeteners
.
Since consumers have this need, keen businesses will naturally develop a variety of sweet "sugar-free foods" to meet people's needs
.

Many people have asked questions recently:

What is the difference between sweeteners and sugar? Are sugar substitutes and sweeteners the same thing? Why do mooncakes with sugar alcohol cause diarrhea? Are sugar-free products with sweeteners better than eating sugar directly? Should you buy sugar-free food?

If you really can’t read the scientific vocabulary, you can look at the bold font and turn directly to the end
.
There are many problems, so I will sort out from the beginning
.

1.
What are sweeteners and sugar substitutes?

There are actually only a few categories of things that can provide sweetness to food
.

(1) Natural sweet sugar

In the traditional diet, the natural sugars used for sweetening mainly include sucrose, fructose, glucose and maltose
.
White sugar, rock sugar, brown sugar, brown sugar, brown sugar.
.
.
all belong to sucrose
.
Only the purity is different, the crystalline state is different
.

The honey is mainly fructose, but also some glucose and a small amount of sucrose
.
Depending on the variety, the ratio of the three sugars is different
.
The same is true for fruits.
The sweetness comes from a mixture of sucrose, glucose and fructose, in different proportions
.
Kanto candy, candied melons, candy bars, caramel, etc.
eaten in my childhood are maltose
.

These sugars can generate calories and raise blood sugar
.
When you have low blood sugar, drinking sugar water and eating maltose can save your life
.
But because of the calories and blood sugar rise, they are rejected by many people
.

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Chinese Nutrition Society, the sweetening sugar added to food should not exceed 50 grams per day, and it is best to limit it to 25 grams
.
A 500ml bottle of sweet drink contains almost 50 grams of added sugar, so it is easy to exceed the standard
.

(2) Sugar alcohols and oligosaccharides

Sugar alcohols and real sugars are similar in chemical structure, have a sweet taste, and are easily soluble in water
.
In fact, there are many types of sugar alcohols, but some varieties are not so commonly used
.

Commonly used are maltitol in moon cakes, xylitol in chewing gum, sorbitol and mannitol which can be used in bread to retain water and sweeten, and erythritol, which is often used in high-end beverages in recent years
.

Among them, sorbitol has the highest sweetness, which is equivalent to white sugar; xylitol is 0.
8-1.
0 times the sweetness of white sugar, while maltitol is only about half the sweetness of white sugar
.

There are also many types of oligosaccharides, such as fructooligosaccharides, xyloligosaccharides, and isomaltose oligosaccharides
.
They have the effect of promoting the growth of probiotics such as bifidobacteria in the intestines, so they have the reputation of "prebiotics"
.

These two types are relatively "natural" sweeteners, because there are these substances in nature
.
Their advantages are natural sweetness, high safety, low absorption and utilization, low calories (but not zero!), low blood sugar increase effect (also slightly increased), and will not cause dental caries
.

There are no restrictions on the amount of sugar alcohols added to foods in various countries, and they can generally be used "according to the actual needs of production
.
" In addition to baby food or some medical foods, various daily sweet foods can be added
.

However, most of these varieties cannot be used more, because the digestion and absorption rate of sugar alcohols and oligosaccharides in the small intestine is low.
When the concentration is higher, the intestinal tract will be stimulated due to hypertonic effect, which will increase the intestinal water content and accelerate the movement.
Promote excretion, and may cause diarrhea in severe cases
.
To put it bluntly, use a lot of things like sugar to pickle your small intestine.
.
.
The part that cannot be absorbed by the small intestine enters the large intestine and is fermented by microorganisms, which will cause bloating and gas
.
Compared with the two, sugar alcohols have a stronger ability to cause diarrhea, while oligosaccharides have a stronger ability to cause bloating and gas
.

The safer way is to make low-sugar foods
.
Put half real sugar, half sugar alcohol or oligosaccharide, and don't eat too much at once
.
If you eat less, the risk of trouble will decrease
.

(3) Natural glycosides

For example, the sources of sweetness in licorice and stevia are the natural sweet substances in these herbs, which can be extracted as sweeteners
.
However, when compared with the same concentration, their sweetness is much stronger than that of sucrose (for example, stevia is 100-300 times sweeter than sucrose), and the sweetness is "not very positive", and it tastes a little strange when used alone
.
They are suitable for use with real sugar or sugar alcohol to make low-sugar foods
.
When used in small amounts, no obvious harm was found
.
It doesn’t taste good anyway.
.
.

(4) Synthetic sweetener

Synthetic sweeteners are substances that have a sweet taste, but have nothing to do with sugar and can be synthesized chemically
.
Their sweetness is much higher than that of white sugar, they have almost no calories, they do not increase blood sugar after a meal, and the cost is lower
.
Such as saccharin, acesulfame K, cyclamate, aspartame, sucralose and so on
.
They are also often referred to as "sugar substitutes" or "artificial sweeteners", and their sweetness ranges from tens of times to thousands of times that of white sugar
.

The taste of these sweeteners is not so "positive", they are weird when used alone, so they are usually mixed
.
If you add a part of real sugar or sugar alcohol and mix the remaining part with a variety of sweeteners, the sweetness effect will be better and more natural
.

The amount of synthetic sweeteners is restricted by national laws and regulations
.
For example, in China, aspartame can be added to pastry foods, but the addition amount per kilogram cannot exceed 1.
7 grams
.
If added to bread, it cannot exceed 4.
0 grams per kilogram
.

2.
Why do moon cakes with maltitol add diarrhea? Who is not suitable to eat sugar alcohol sweeteners?

It is not uncommon news that sugar-free mooncakes with maltitol make people diarrhea
.
I remember that I analyzed a similar problem for the media ten years ago-I thought it was a food poisoning incident.
I said that the high probability is just sugar alcohol intolerance
.

In fact, the insider can understand from the ingredient list of the moon cake that it is normal for this kind of moon cake to cause diarrhea
.
We all told our students in class that excessive intake of sugar alcohols and oligosaccharides may cause gas, bloating, diarrhea and other problems
.
Generally speaking, about 15-20 grams of sugar alcohol will cause intestinal discomfort
.
If the amount is increased to 30 or 40 grams, most people cannot hold it in their intestines
.

In this news, the sugar alcohol content in a moon cake exceeded 20 grams
.

By the way, these "healthy moon cakes" are made of ingredients with high dietary fiber content
.
For example, cranberries that contain a lot of pectin, mung beans and white kidney beans that contain a lot of resistant starch and cellulose, milk powder containing lactose, coffee powder that promotes intestinal motility, added microcrystalline cellulose, xanthan gum and modified Starch.
.
.
These things add up to the intestinal challenges that should not be underestimated
.

Many people have heard that patients with irritable bowel syndrome need to eat "low-hit and diffuse food
.
" Foods containing more sugar alcohols and oligosaccharides, foods containing a lot of pectin, other foods with high soluble dietary fiber, foods with too much resistant starch, and coffee and strong tea are not suitable for irritable bowel syndrome Patient
.
They have a stimulating effect on the intestines, and cause the intestinal flora to be overactive, and flatulence and diarrhea will be more serious
.

In short, patients with acute or chronic diarrhea, chronic enteritis, irritable bowel syndrome and other diseases, as well as patients with hemorrhoids, are not suitable to eat foods with added sugar alcohols
.
Because their intestines will be more sensitive, the symptoms will be more severe
.

3.
Is eating sugar-free foods with sweeteners better than eating sugary foods? This is really not necessarily
.

First of all, it depends on whether you have the problem of eating too much sugar
.

If the total amount of sugar eaten is not much, such as within 25 grams per day, at least not more than 50 grams, and the calories from carbohydrates are not too much, eating real sugar at this time will not bring obvious health hazards
.
It is not necessary to deliberately choose sugar-free foods
.

However, if the total amount of sugar eaten is particularly large, sugary drinks and sugary foods have brought greater health risks, and it is really impossible to quit the hobby of sweets.
At this time, choose low-sugar and sugar-free foods appropriately.
It might be a bit beneficial
.

Secondly, it depends on how often you eat sweet food
.

Some holiday foods, such as moon cakes, glutinous rice balls, zongzi, and birthday cakes, are only eaten once a year
.
The sugar eaten in these days, on average, 365 days a year, is actually insignificant and does not reach the level of causing health hazards
.
Therefore, for sweets, the key is to limit and reduce frequency
.
If you really eat a small piece once or twice a year, then it does not matter if you eat moon cakes made with sugar
.

Third, eating food is for nutrition, and it is meaningless to talk about sugar or no sugar without the nutritional value
.

Many natural foods have a sweet taste
.
Is sweet potato and purple potato not sweet? Are sweet corn and pumpkin not sweet? Are all kinds of fruits and dried fruits not sweet? They contain sugar, but they are all part of a healthy diet
.
Those so-called "sugar-free" snack biscuit drinks are still low in nutritional value and are not healthier than these natural sugary foods
.

For example, a serving of yogurt with 7% sugar added is healthier than a serving of biscuits with sweeteners
.
Because yogurt can provide protein, calcium and 12 kinds of vitamins, but biscuits do not help nutritional balance
.

4.
What are the possible misunderstandings in the concept of "sugar-free food"?

Sugar-free foods with sweeteners can be eaten, but they need to be eaten clearly and not because of a concept
.

Myth 1: Sugar-free foods and sugar-free beverages are helpful in preventing obesity
.

The current research results are not completely consistent
.
Most studies have not found that sugar-free foods and sugar-free beverages with added sweeteners can effectively prevent obesity
.
A few studies have found that sugar-free beverages are even associated with increased appetite and increased risk of obesity
.

As long as you eat a variety of natural foods normally, even if you don’t eat foods containing added sugars and sweeteners for a lifetime, people can live well
.
It is good to drink unsweetened white water, light tea, barley tea, buckwheat tea, etc.
They are truly zero-sugar, zero-fat, and zero-calorie drinks
.
Why have to drink sugar-free beverages with sweeteners in the name of health?

Myth 2: Sugar-free foods and sugar-free beverages are helpful in preventing diabetes
.

No sweeteners such as sugar alcohols have been found to help prevent diabetes
.
Some studies have found that synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose may reduce insulin sensitivity
.

Myth 3: Sugar-free foods have higher nutritional value than sugar-free products
.

Adding a lot of sugar to food will indeed reduce the nutrient density of food
.
However, sugar-free products may not have higher nutritional value
.
The key depends on what ingredients are substituted for sugar
.
If it is ingredients such as starch, dextrin, and oil, the nutritional value is not higher than that of sugar
.

For example, unsweetened milk does have higher nutritional value than sweetened milk
.
But the "sesame paste" with dextrin and aspartame added to replace sugar is not as nutritious as sugared sesame paste
.
Because the nutritional value of dextrin itself is not higher than sugar
.

Myth 4: Sugar-free foods have a lower blood sugar response than sugar-free products
.

For example, in biscuits, snacks, and aleurone foods, if synthetic sweeteners are used to replace white sugar for sweetening, the amount will be much less than white sugar (because the sweetness is too high.
.
.
), how can the proportion of white sugar make up? Naturally, it is filled with starch, dextrin, oil and other ingredients
.
Among them, the blood sugar response of dextrin is almost equal to that of glucose, and the blood sugar response of refined white starch is also very high
.

For example, the soft staple bread with no sugar and sweetener is still a high glycemic index product
.
The key is not whether sugar is added, but the flour ingredients and processing technology used
.

In short, the meaning of the existence of sweets is to bring people the joy of taste occasionally on some special days
.
Sweets are not guilty.
The mistake is that we abuse this sensory enjoyment
.
Because of the presence of sweeteners, I think that I can indulge in sweet food.
This idea is unhealthy, because there is no over-satisfaction of desire without a price
.
Instead of blaming sweeteners, limit the amount and frequency of sweet foods
.

Every day when you want to eat sweet food, eat half a catty of fruit, a small handful of raisins, and two or three dates
.
Only on holidays, birthdays and happy party occasions, only enjoy a sweet drink
.
This kind of life not only satisfies the joy of life, but also can coexist peacefully with sweet food, isn't it better than tangling about the sugar in food every day
.

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