By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Consumers have been chasing low calorie sweeteners for years. In the past, most of the non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) have been chemical concoctions with potentially serious health risks. A few we’ve had in the past couple of decades:

• Saccharin (SweetN’Low)
• Aspartame (NutraSweet)
• Sucralose (Splenda)
• Neotame (Newtame)
• Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, Sunett, Sweet One)

All of these artificial sweeteners have been found to have some adverse health effects. In addition, they can have a bad effect on the gut microbiome, increase the risk of some types of cancers, raise insulin levels, increase appetite and be the cause of weight gain.

Artificial sweeteners are also known to cause allergic reactions and can cause rashes, hives, itching, oozing skin, and eczema. They can also upset the digestive system and cause nausea, diarrhea, dizziness and stomach pains.

Key new research shows artificial sweeteners disrupt our gut microbiome, the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria that helps with digestion, brain chemicals and our immune systems. Dysbiosis can also result in gas, bloating and even bring on irritable bowel syndrome.

More importantly, artificial sweeteners can actually cause glucose intolerance. Glucose intolerance is a term for metabolic syndromes that result when normal blood glucose levels are abnormally high. This is often the beginning of prediabetes and diabetes.

In this study conducted in 2015, the effects of saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, glucose and sucrose were tested on mice. Some groups of mice received saccharin, sucralose or aspartame in water. The control groups received either plain water, glucose or sucrose (table sugar). After only 3 weeks, the control groups had normal glucose tolerance curves, but the NAS groups had already developed glucose intolerance.

Many people mistakenly believe that artificial sweeteners will have no effect on their blood glucose, when in actuality, NAS cause or worsen the very conditions many people are trying to avoid!

Obviously, we need to steer away from these artificial sweeteners that have been shown to be very detrimental to our health.

Lately there have been a couple of popular natural sweeteners to the low-calorie sweetener market—Stevia and Monk fruit.

Stevia is one natural sweetener option that has been readily available for several years, has few serious health risks and is calorie-free.

Stevia was one of the first popular natural sweeteners that showed up in in the marketplace. It is now readily available in coffee shops, restaurants and grocery stores.

Stevia comes from the leaves of a shrub native to Paraguay and Brazil and has been used as a sweetener for many years in South America.

Stevia is a zero-calorie option, doesn’t promote tooth decay, doesn’t elevate blood sugar levels, cause glucose issues–or cause weight gain.

Is there a downside to Stevia?

Pure stevia extract has never been approved by the FDA and is considered a ‘supplement’, but can be obtained through health food stores in powder or liquid form.

Generally, the stevia that is mass marketed is sold under the brand name Truvia. Coca-Cola and the food giant Cargill created Truvia as their own stevia-based sweetener. Truvia is not pure stevia but primarily erythritol, refined stevia and natural flavorings.

Erythritol is not a terrible sweetener—it does have some antioxidant activity, is vasoprotective and protects your teeth from getting cavities. You still get a low-calorie sweetener, and decent blood sugar control as well.

But do keep in mind, a mostly erythritol sweetener which can have some negative effects. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol made by fermenting the natural sugars found in corn, which is GMO corn, by the way.

Side effects of erythritol typically include bloating, cramps, gas and diarrhea. Additionally, erythritol and other sugar alcohols cause more water to accumulate in the intestines which causes diarrhea. Nausea and headaches may occur as well. Not so pleasant. Guzzling down beverages which mostly contain Truvia sweetener may not work so well for your digestive system, even if they are low-calorie.

What about Monk Fruit?

The latest entry into the natural, low calorie sweetener options is monk fruit. Monk fruit, or Luo Han Guo is a small green melon grown in China. Luo Han Buddhist monks have been cultivating monk fruit since the 13th century.

Monk fruit has very sweet taste—but zero calories and zero carbs, making it a great natural sweetener for keto diets and low-carb diets.

Monk fruit belongs to the cucurbit family—the same family as cucumbers and squash.

The good thing about monk fruit is that it gets most of its sweetness from a group of antioxidants called mogrosides, with mogroside V having a sweetness 250 times that of table sugar.

The only problem with going from the basic monk fruit to the natural “zero calorie” sweetener, is that most of the natural healthy compounds in the fruit are lost. Monk fruit goes through a processing to remove any off-flavors, then it is homogenized and pasteurized. The resulting extract not entirely ‘natural’ after all that processing.

Manufacturers often add in other sweeteners like erythritol or xylitol to add bulk and make it easier to use for cooking and baking. You can easily find added sugars like sucrose or dextrose if you read the ingredients list carefully, so if you are trying to totally avoid sugar, check the ingredients of your monk fruit sweetener to be sure.

Monk fruit helps increase insulin sensitivity and does not raise blood sugar, making it safe for diabetics or weight loss. Additionally, monk fruit contains antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory, and helps strengthen immune function. Monk fruit has actually been shown to have retard the growth of common bacteria, prevent the growth of common bacterial pathogens like Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Candida albicans.

While monk fruit has zero calories and carbohydrates, be careful because most baked goods, smoothies and other drinks still have plenty of calories on their own, and can fool you into thinking you are not eating any calories.

Bottom line: Stevia or monk fruit?

Positives

1. Both sweeteners are derived from a natural source, and while they are both processed, the processing is minimal.
2. Both monk fruit and stevia don’t impact blood sugar levels.
3. Both contain zero calories and zero carbs.
4. Both sweeteners often have other types of low-calorie sweeteners added, primarily erythritol, so if erythritol bothers you, it’s best to use the purer form of them.
5. Both sweeteners are readily available at most health food stores and even grocery stores.

Negatives

1. Both monk fruit and stevia are fairly expensive.
2. Monk fruit sweeteners are harder to find than stevia in any commercial setting like a restaurant or coffee shop.
3. Not everyone is a fan of monk fruit’s somewhat fruity aftertaste. Some people report an unpleasant aftertaste.
4. Stevia can also have an unpleasant bitter aftertaste.
5. Stevia is also more likely to evoke an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, especially people allergic to ragweed, daisies or sunflowers.

Bottom line: If you’re diabetic, on a keto diet, or just trying to cut back on sugar and lose weight, check monk fruit and stevia product labels carefully to evaluate if other sweeteners have been added.

Both stevia and monk fruit are subject to your own taste buds. If you don’t like the taste, then it really doesn’t matter. If possible, try them both to see which you prefer.

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References
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/stevia-side-effects
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/stevia-vs-truvia/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/monk-fruit-sweetener/#ref-17
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/monk-fruit-vs-stevia#takeaway
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/monk-fruit-health-benefits
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322769

The post Artificial Sweeteners vs. Monk Fruit vs. Stevia appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

You may have seen an interesting new ingredient on your healthy food products lately and have been wondering exactly what it is. Monk fruit, or lo han guo, is a small green melon from China with a very sweet taste—but zero calories as a sweetener and zero carbs. It also does not raise blood sugar levels. This sweet little secret has been around for decades, but is just now making its way into mainstream foods as a healthy, zero calorie, natural alternative sweetener.

We’ve had a variety of choices for low calorie sweeteners over the years. However, most of them have previously met with negative reviews due to potentially serious health issues.

Consider for example, these low-calorie artificial sweeteners that have been on the market (all approved by the FDA):

• saccharin/SweetN’Low
• aspartame/NutraSweet
• sucralose/Splenda
• neotame/Newtame
• acesulfame potassium/Ace-K, Sunett, Sweet One

All of these have been found to have adverse health effects, negatively affect the gut microbiome, have links to some types of cancers, increase appetite and actually cause weight gain.

Saccharin or benzoic sulfinide, was discovered by a scientist studying coal tar derivatives. This coal tar derivative was considered a cancer risk and has been a controversial sweetener ever since.

Aspartame, or NutraSweet as it is called, has been found to be neurotoxic and the excitatory amino acids in it can cause long term damage to the brain neurons. One of aspartame’s primary ingredients, phenylalanine, blocks the production of serotonin in our gut, which not only negatively affects moods, causing anxiety and depression, but low serotonin also brings on food cravings—especially for sweet, starchy foods. Result is often weight gain.

While sucralose was marketed as a safer artificial sweetener called Splenda, it is a chemically created compound modified by adding chlorine atoms to sugar. This is like ingesting small amounts of chlorinated pesticides. Oh, and by the way, sucralose was discovered in the 1970’s by scientists who were working on creating a new pesticide.

Many people are actually allergic or sensitive to artificial sweeteners and can have reactions ranging from an itching, oozing rash, hives, eczema to nausea, diarrhea, and wheezing.

Artificial sweeteners have been found to disrupt our microbiome in our gut as well, causing a big drop in serotonin production. This can lead to a variety of digestive problems, brain dysfunction and mood disorders including:

• Seizures
• Migraines/headaches
• Gut dysbiosis
• Diarrhea
• Asthma
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s
• Brain tumors
• Sperm damage
• ADHD
• Cancer
• Kidney dysfunction

Artificial sweeteners also trigger insulin release and increase appetite, defeating the purpose for which they are used in the first place—causing cravings, excessive eating and weight gain.

Stevia, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, has been used for years as a safe and natural alternative to artificial sweeteners. Stevia, however, when used in its more natural form, can have an unpleasant aftertaste that is bitter or metallic tasting. And, some people actually have allergic reactions to stevia. Many of the commercially marketed stevia products are mixed with dextrose, erythritol, and lactose, making them nutritionally much different and iffy as far as being a healthy sweetener.

Enter monk fruit. Monk fruit has traditionally been used in herbal medicine and has a naturally sweet taste. Monk fruit contains something called mogrosides, which are intensely sweet.

Monk fruit sweetener has several health benefits as a natural sweetener. It has zero calories, zero carbohydrates and no harmful side effects–like the FDA-approved artificial sweeteners listed above.

Monk fruit also contains antioxidants and does not raise blood sugar, making it safe for diabetics or weight loss. According to this 2011 study, monk fruit has been safely used in traditional Chinese medicine for many, many years. One of its uses is to relieve sore throats and minimize phlegm in colds and flu.

And since monk fruit has been used for centuries, it is a safe and healthful sweetener. The Food and Drug Administration has determined that monk fruit is “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” for everyone, including pregnant women and children.

However, outside of traditional Chinese medicine, monk fruit mass is just now beginning to be mass marketed, so more scientific studies will have to be done to determine its overall effects.

The downside of monk fruit includes the fact that monk fruit is difficult to grow and harvest–and it spoils easily–so it is still a fairly expensive product. While it is gaining in popularity, it is still tricky to find monk fruit sweetener at your local grocery or health food store.

Monk fruit does have a little bit of a bitter or strange aftertaste, depending on the food or drink it is included in. Monk fruit sweeteners can be used in coffee, tea, salad dressings, sauces, baked goods, and even as a sweetener in collagen and protein powders.

While monk fruit has zero calories and carbohydrates, be careful because most baked goods, smoothies and other drinks still have plenty of calories on their own, and can fool you into thinking you are not eating any calories.

Monk fruit is a member of the Curcurbitaceae family, which includes pumpkin, cucumbers, squash, and melons. If you are allergic to any of these foods, you may be allergic to monk fruit.

While monk fruit may need further research to study all of its health impacts, it seems to be a great, natural alternative to other artificial sweeteners—and great for anyone who wants to limit sugar in their diet. Especially those with diabetes or following a weight loss diet. While there are a few claims about monk fruit’s ability to prevent cancer or other health problems, more research is needed.

Try this luscious, healthy, frosted monk fruit brownie recipe from our friends at Healthline and thesmartcookieblog.com. You are sure to enjoy every bite!

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References
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/extra-ingredients-natural-stevia-product/
https://chriskresser.com/how-artificial-sweeteners-wreak-havoc-on-your-gut/
https://usrtk.org/sweeteners/aspartame_health_risks/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322769#stevia

The post Monkfruit–The Curiously Sweet, Low Calorie Natural Sweetener appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar, schizophrenia, behavioral problems, ADD/ADHD—the list goes on and on. Mental health issues are increasing by the day.

Pharmaceutical companies make massive amounts of money treating mental health, mood and behavioral disorders. In fact, Americans spend about $188 billion dollars a year on mental health treatments and medications. Of that, $71 billion is on depressive disorders alone. It is estimated that almost 20%, or 1 out of every 5 people in the United States have some form of mental health issue, according to the National Institute on Mental Health (2017).

Medical treatments for depression, autism, attention deficit disorder, insomnia, eating disorders, learning disabilities, drug addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, bipolar, dementia are making pharmaceutical companies billions of dollars!

And then there are things like chronic stress, brain fog, anger management, anxiety, mood swings, sleep issues, irritability, and memory loss. Mental health problems are an ‘invisible epidemic’ that affect 1.1 billion people worldwide.

Physicians have long held onto the belief that the brain and the body do not affect each other. The common belief was that what we put into our bodies did not change anything in our brain. But that is wrong.

We now know, that mood, memory, attention and behavior problems and most other brain diseases have their root cause in the body, especially the gut. Perhaps the conventional medical approach to dealing with brain disorders is totally backwards.

Doctors used to speak of the ‘blood/brain’ barrier in terms of medications, toxins, foods etc. The idea was that most of what we ate or drank did not cross that barrier to the brain. Now we know that that is totally not true.

That holds very true for many of the foods we eat. Toxins in the form of preservatives, hormones, pesticides and other chemicals affect us physically and mentally, and often the result is dementia, ADHD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, memory loss, autism, behavior problems and more.

According to Dr. Hyman in his “UltraMind Solution” book—

“There is such an onslaught of stress and environmental chemicals in our world, and it’s no wonder that our bodies and our brains are challenged and not functioning properly. We are exposed to toxins we were never designed to deal with—and nearly all of them cause brain injury…In fact, a recent government survey found an average of 148 chemicals in our bodies. And those were only the ones they tested.”

We are finding it very clear that the brain is very much linked to the body and the gut, and that what happens in the brain affects the body and what happens in the body most definitely affects the brain.

If our health is off somewhere in our body, then the health of the brain is often off too.

While just treating the brain with pharmaceuticals may lead to drug dependence, a dulled reality, and not treat the REAL problem, treating the body’s systemic natural chemistry and gut microbiome can fix brain chemistry imbalances and lead to genuine healing in the entire physical body.

An imbalance in any of system–nutrition, hormones, immune function, digestion, gut bacteria, detoxification, or metabolism can help to explain many of the symptoms that we think of as mental health issues. Most of these imbalances start in the body and show up eventually in the brain as mood, mental health or behavioral problems.

Messed up physical systems in the body actually can clue us into explanations for the depression, anxiety, dementia, autism, and attention deficit disorder that we see today.

Conventional treatments treat only the symptoms—often with powerful drugs that cause adverse side effects and never get to the root of the problem.

The simple truth is that your body and your brain, and all of your physical systems must interact together in one smooth dynamic system. If you improve your physical body’s health, you improve the health of your brain as well.

To illustrate, think about this– does a sugary snack make you feel anxious, jittery, and sleepy, then irritable later? Do you feel groggy and mentally slow after a big meal? Ever exercise hard and then feel calm, relaxed and happy afterwards?

How well do you focus on anything when you are sick?

We know that PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) is the result of fluctuating hormones, but did you know that alcoholics can actually become ‘crazy’ with something called Wernicke’s encephalopathy that comes from vitamin B1 deficiency and simply treating with this vitamin will cure this condition? Did you know that antibiotics for strep infections can cure some children who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder? And did you know that many schizophrenics often have a gluten sensitivity?

Heal the body, heal the brain.

Changing your diet, nutrients, sleep patterns, exercise, detoxing, balancing your hormones, correcting the bacterial balance in the gut, and removing foods that cause food allergies can all radically transform your mood, behavior and brain function.

These few steps can have a huge difference in your brain function and your physical health:

1. Eat, healthy, clean foods. Avoid any foods that you are sensitive or allergic to.
2. Add in necessary supplements for brain and physical health.
3. Make a habit of exercise, relaxation, meditation, and quality sleep in your daily life.
4. Avoid toxins in your food and environment.

If you can follow these steps for at least 6 weeks, you will see major changes your life, your outlook, and your sense of well being—literally in weeks or days!

Some of the changes you experience may happen almost immediately. If you are gluten sensitive and you stop eating gluten, your gut health and your brain can change within just a week or so. You may notice other major mental health improvements by removing dairy products, corn, and food additives.

More than 90% of the body’s serotonin lies in the gut, as well as about 50% of the body’s dopamine, so feeding the gut bacteria healthy foods, only serves to help your body make ‘happy’ brain chemicals.

Once you begin following these steps you will realize just how good you can feel—and you’ll never want to go back to feeling bad again.

Feed Your Brain the Right Foods

Your fork, you could say, can actually become one of the most powerful tools to use to change your health, your brain and your life.

There is nothing that has a bigger impact on your health. Absolutely nothing.

Here’s how to use that powerful tool:

• Eat REAL Food–Eat whole, real, fresh, organic, local and unprocessed food. If it has more than three ingredients (especially ones you do not immediately recognize), a package, or a barcode, AVOID IT.

• Get Healthy Fats for Your Head—The brain needs omega 3 fat DHA and EPA, which comes from algae, cold-water fatty fish and grass fed meats, along with saturated fats to stay its healthiest.

• Protein Power--Eat high quality, naturally sourced protein for breakfast every day, such as omega 3 eggs, salmon or grass fed meat, plain organic yogurt, or nut butters.

• Boost Your Brain Protectors–Eat piles of fruit and vegetables deeply colored with powerful phytonutrients. The deep red, yellow, orange, green, and blue in foods are a sign of powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, energy boosting, and brain-powering nutrients.

• Eat the RIGHT Kind of Carbs–Eat foods full of fiber, including raw vegetables, raw fruit, nuts, and seeds. This helps to clean out the gut, remove toxins, and grow healthy gut bacteria. A healthy gut has MUCH to do with the brain, and a healthy gut means a healthy brain!

• Remove the Poisons–Eliminate sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, coffee, alcohol, trans fats, food additives and preservatives, all of which poison your brain and disrupt your biochemistry.

If you can just follow these few steps—yes they may be big steps, but you can start instantly eliminating the brain-damaging foods and chemicals from you diet.

There is one other KEY change that is essential–That step is to eliminate the two most common causes of food allergens and hidden reactions in our diet. These come from gluten and pasteurized processed dairy.

Your brain reacts to allergens as well as your body—with increased inflammation. And when this occurs, you can get brain fog, anxiety/depression, autism, ADHD, dementia, and more. Gluten has even been proven to cause some cases of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

You don’t need to break out in hives or have an anaphylaxis reaction to these foods to be allergic. People often have hidden allergies to these foods and not even realize it—especially because these foods are often eaten on a daily basis, so the problem becomes chronic. Actually, that should be the FIRST thing you think of—“I am irritable today, or I feel depressed today,”…Think about WHAT you ate yesterday or the day before.

You can eat a piece of cheesecake on Monday and feel depressed on Tuesday. You eat a bag of cookies one day and the next day you are irritable. Many times, inflammatory reactions occur up to 24 to 48 hours later, but there definitely IS a connection to food sensitivities and changes in mood.

Many people just have ongoing, low-grade, delayed food sensitivities or allergies all the time. What you eat on a regular basis, may be causing a delayed allergic reaction you might not ever know it because those foods are the foods you just can’t do without.

You can get tested for food reactions from a doctor, but this method is not food proof. The best and easiest way is to remove the most common foods that cause reactions. Usually the top two are wheat and dairy.

Then pay close attention to your body and mind when you do this—the first few days may be tough, because you may actually have to break an addiction to these foods, but then you may suddenly feel great!

Remove the poisons in your diet as well including the artificial sweeteners, foods with preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats or vegetable oils, and junk food.

Try this for a minimum of two-six weeks. Then challenge those foods and see how you feel, 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 and 48 hours later. You may be SHOCKED!

Supplements for your brain and physical health

Even those who eat the healthiest diet will probably need some additional supplements. These are ESSENTIAL for brain health and physical health as well.

1. Multivitamin–A high-quality, high-potency, multivitamin.
2. B vitamins that include methylfolate and methylcobalamin. These are forms of B vitamins necessary for brain health, nerve function, energy, and fat metabolism. A deficiency will cause anxiety, depression, loss of energy.
3. Vitamin C 500-1000 mg, take 1000 mg a day. Vitamin C reduces inflammation in the body and brain as well as protecting the immune system.
4. Omega 3 fatty acids with high levels of EPA and DHA.
5. Magnesium Glycinate or Magnesium Theonate to promote calm and overall better health.
6. An all-purpose digestive enzyme.

And be sure to incorporate these lifestyle changes into your life—exercise, relaxation and good sleep. Exercise naturally eases stress, releases ‘feel-good’ hormones, balances your gut bacteria, increases blood flow and helps balance blood sugar. Good sleep helps to ‘rewire’ the brain, eases stress and reboots the brain.

You should have the privilege to live a life that is alert, awake, engaged, present, focused, joyful and balanced. Making these changes in your diet and lifestyle, while healing your body will most definitely help heal your brain as well. You cannot have a truly healthy body without a healthy brain too.

Your body, your brain, your gut, and your health. All are one. Nourish your body and your mind will be nourished as well.

We have been told for many years to eat your five a day to keep a healthy body, but this one fruit is revolutionary in brain health…

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References
Report on brain aging at the National Institute on Aging:
Elias, M., 2005. “Want a Sharp Mind for Your Golden Years? Start Now,” USA Today, Aug 17, 2005. [accessed April 20, 2007] http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-08-17-save-your-brain_x.htm.

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