What is sucralose?

The newest member of the artificial sweetener family is sucralose, popularly known as Splenda. This sweetener is actually made from table sugar, sucrose, with newly attached chlorine molecules. Sucralose is six hundred times sweeter than sucrose and, unlike aspartame, does not break down when heated. Although sucralose appears safer than either aspartame or saccharin, our top choice for a non-calorie sweetener is stevia, a natural sweetener extracted from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. Stevia contains a molecule known as stevioside that is three hundred times sweeter than sugar and has an excellent safety profile. Stevia is used around the world for its incredible sweetening properties. Preliminary studies in animal models show that stevia lowers blood glucose levels and blood pressure-two effects of prime importance in dealing with diabetes. However, since it has not yet passed FDA testing as a food additive, it cannot be advertised as a sweetener in the U.S. Since stevia preparations are not likely to be patented (you cannot patent something that exists in nature), no company has been willing to invest in the cost of FDA testing. Instead, it is sold as a &quote;dietary supplement.&quote; There are several different brands of stevia (Stevita, Stevia Plus, SweetLeaf), each with a slightly different taste.

Find out more about this book: Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

Buy Book