Ann Reardon

Sugar Alternatives are they a “healthy” option

Agave Nectar

Structure: Up to 75% fructose, which is more than high fructose corn syrup.
Claim: low GI
Answer: True it is low GI because it does not have much glucose in it, it is mainly fructose. However fructose has to go to the liver for processing. If we consume a large amount of fructose it is converted to blood fats and cholesterol, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease. Note: eating a small amount of fructose do not have this effect.

Coconut Sugar

Structure: Sucrose, Glucose and Fructose

Claims: Contains minerals
Answer: 4 teaspoons has the same amount of iron s you would form 10g (0.35 ounces) of steak. Or if you ate a 100g (3.53 ounces) of steak you’d need 40 teaspoons of coconut sugar to get that amount of iron.

Claims: Contains inulin
Answer: Coconut sugar has a very small amount of inulin. If you ate 50g (1.76 ounces) of coconut sugar you’d get less inulin that you would if you ate a banana. Other foods that are a good source of inulin are asparagus, burdock, chicory, dandelion root, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks and onions.

Claim: Natural & Raw
Answer: There are not regulations about raw or natural in the food labelling laws.

Claim Low GI
Answer: GI ranges from slightly lower than normal sugar to the same as normal sugar.

Manuka Honey

Structure: Glucose (40%), Fructose (48%), Sucrose (6%), Maltose (6%) of sugars in the honey.

Claim: Antibacterial
Answer: Manuka honey has been shown to have superior anti bacterial properties against some bacteria. However these studies were carried out in a Petri dish exposing the bacteria to dilution of honey for 24 hours. This is not the same as eating a teaspoon of honey, in that case the honey passes very quickly over the mouth and throat.
Mechanism: a) They enzymes in honey are inactive, once the honey is diluted they become active again and convert some of the glucose to hydrogen peroxide which is antibacterial. These enzymes are made inactive by the acid in the stomach.
b) Other factors that are non-enzymatic also play role and these seem to be higher in Manuka honey.
Summary – Manuka honey sterile dressings are bing used on wounds, do not use honey from the kitchen for this purpose as it is not sterile, some bacteria are not killed by honey, and you may add bacteria and therefore cause infection in your wound.

Claim: Prevents tooth decay
Answer: Studies in a Petri dish show the diluted honey is effective against common bacteria in the mouth. The only human study that looked at this gave people a concentrated honey leather to chew on for 10 minutes after each meal. When compared to using sugar free gum they saw a decrease in gingivitis and plaque.
Summary – honey leather used in the study is not available to purchase, you have to have it in your mouth chewing on it for 10 minutes. The study compared effectiveness to sugar free gum, it did not compare to known effective measures such as brushing your teeth or using a mouthwash.

Claim: Low GI
Answer: Manuka honey has a similar GI to white sugar. In other types of honey GI can vary from low to high.

Maple Syrup

Structure: Mainly sucrose with a little bit of glucose and fructose.

Claims: Contains minerals
Answer: White sugar also contains mineral but they are both not a good source of these minerals because the amount that they contain is so low.

My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

6 Comments View Comments

  1. Rating: 5

    Hi,
    I’m really thankful for your youtube channel because if my mother wasn’t crazy about these debunking videos my class would still be watching 5 Minute Crafts at lunch time.
    Yeah.
    They used to watch those really weird hack videos (not usually recipe ones–but mostly things like how to sneak candy into the gym or how to sneak candy into class). I told the teacher that I wasn’t allowed, even though the truth was that I both wasn’t allowed and didn’t want to watch it. Then, they began to watch videos of people playing with slime or people using machines or even their CARS to crush various objects.
    The things kids watch these days. (Not that I was born before 2010).
    I couldn’t really see any actual DANGER in watching those crushing-things-for-fun videos, so I let it go as long as we weren’t watching Five Minute Crafts or things like that.
    But the point is that I wanted to say thankyou for all the beautiful work you’ve been doing. And also, it’s so funny how Dave taste-tests everything.
    -Steph

  2. Rating: 4.5

    How about zero sugar uptake “sugars” like xylitol, erythritol, Splenda, et al? I have diabetics in my family.

  3. Rating: 5

    How about zero calorie (zero sugars uptake) “sugars” like xylitol, erythritol, Splenda, et al? I have diabetics in my family.

  4. Rating: 5

    This was so fun to watch!
    I love all your videos Ann!!!!
    You are such an inspiration to me!!!
    I already love to bake, but now I like to make my own recipes!
    Love,
    ~Ang

    • OMG!
      The time here in Canada is 11:15 pm on the 20 of Nov.
      I never really realized the time change that much.
      Forgot to say, I’m 13 by the way.
      Bye again for now!
      ~Ang

  5. Rating: 5

    Oh my goodness, one of the best videos I have ever seen. My husband is 62 and loves Coke, ginger beer, white bread, jelly beans, snake lollies, Cordial. He is on no medication and is not a diabetic. He works hard in a physical job and only eats takeaway once a week as I cook dinner each night and include at least 4 or 5 vegetables and a protein. So as the graph in video shows, sugar is not the culprit in obesity.

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