The Sweetest Thing

Let's face it...we all have a sweet tooth. Sugar is in everything; baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, and we purposely add it to our coffee and tea. However, in the past few years, there has been heightened emphasis on decreasing the amount of sugar in our diets. Today, marketers have found clever ways to incorporate this sweet taste into their products without using good old table sugar. 

The American Dietetic Association classifies sweeteners into two categories. Nutritive sweeteners (i.e. sucrose, fructose), are primary sugar sweeteners that occur naturally or are added to foods which provide energy (aka calories) and are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.  Non-nutritive sweeteners can be 200 times or more sweeter but provide little or no energy (i.e. sucralose, saccharin, aspartame). 

But what if artificial sweeteners aren't your thing?  You may have heard recommendations about "natural" sugars that are supposedly better for you. But are they safe? Recently I was asked about 2 "natural" sweeteners found in stores, Stevia and Agave . If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. I believe it's important to have the facts before you add them to your coffee, tea or food. And, of course, you should check with your doctor before taking any "natural" product. 

Stevia:

Stevia comes from the plant Stevia rebaudiana and extracts of the leaves have been used in the treatment of diabetes in South America for many years. Standardized extracts have also been used as natural sweeteners or dietary supplements for their content of stevioside (rebaudioside A), which possesses up to 250 times the sweetness of table sugar, is non-caloric, and doesn't promote tooth decay. Stevia is NOT considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA for use as a food additive. Stevia can only be imported if it's explicitly labeled as a dietary supplement or for use as a dietary ingredient in a dietary supplement. Although stevia may be sold as such under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), products that are labeled as using stevia plant parts or extracts as flavoring agents, sweeteners, or other food additive purposes are deemed "unsafe" because available toxicological information is insufficient to exhibit its safety at this time. 

While stevia is used as a non-caloric sweetener in Japan, China and Brazil it is not approved for that use in the US, Canada or Europe. Manufactures are currently working on bringing stevia-derived products to the market, which uses high amounts of rebaudioside A and will have the sweetening power of 300-400x of sugar. 

Bottom line: Small amounts are probably safe. However, until further, more well-designed studies are conducted and/or it becomes approved by the FDA, in my opinion, I would not recommend using this product as a sweetener. If you are looking for the sweetness factor without the calories, there are other non-nutritive sweeteners, like sucralose (Splenda), on the market you might consider. 

Agave: 

Agaves are plants from the Agavaceae family from which there are 200 known species. Commonly found in the American southwest, Mexico, central and tropical South America, the Mediterranean and India, different parts of the agave plants are used in a variety of ways. The leaves may be used for textile production and their spikes for pens. When dried or roasted, the flowering stem can be eaten and used to make bread. You might best know agave as the plant that gives us tequila. Ever notice on a Patron bottle that it says 100% Agave? 

Agave is also useful as a sugar alternative since it is 90% fructose, a natural sugar found in fruits and vegetables (this would be classified as a nutritive sweetener, meaning it has calories). It has been found to be lower on the Glycemic Index than regular sugar and honey, making it very desirable for people on low-carb diets, like Atkins or South Beach, and even for diabetics. Again, you MUST check with your doctor first! And since it comes from plants, it's great for vegans. 

Bottom Line: A safer bet. The downside? Agave nectars are as calorically dense as brown or white sugar, approximately 15 calories per teaspoon, only 1 calorie less than regular table sugar. But because it's reported to be about 40% sweeter, the amount of agave you use can be reduced. Another issue is the price: agave nectar products tend to be expensive. While it may be better for your diet, it's not necessarily for your wallet! So in the end, it comes down to personal taste. 

Remember when choosing the right sweetener for you, whether is natural or artificial, it's always best to have the facts. The best consumer is an educated consumer!