YOUR HEALTH: Say YES! to this Queen of Fruit! The ultimate Sugar Replacement
Sweet-tooths, home-bakers and dessert-lovers, this is a game-changer for you. The truth is that sugar intake is at an all-time high, and consequently so are diabetes and obesity. Sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners are usually filled with toxic chemicals and ingredients, negative hormonal responses and some still contain calories. What gives?
Monk fruit sweetener is being celebrated as the MVP of sweeteners because it is up to 300 times sweeter than cane sugar, has negligible calories and no effect on blood sugar, and tastes like sugar, without the harmful effects of sugar and sugar substitutes. Too good to be true? Here is a little bit of background. When eaten fresh, monk fruit does offer 25 percent to 38 percent various carbohydrates, as well as vitamin C. After drying (the process of turning it into a sweetener vs. a fruit), the trace amounts of fructose, glucose and other components are considered negligible. This fruit has been used as a sweetener for centuries in Asia and is finally making its way to supermarkets around the world.
Sweetness aside, here are 3 reasons to swap sugar and sugar substitutes for monk fruit.
War on Free Radicals
Monk fruit has long been regarded as the “longevity fruit” thanks to its high antioxidant levels. Throughout history, it was also used medicinally as an expectorant and for help with other respiratory ailments.
Monk fruit contains mogrosides, the compounds that give it its intense sweetness. Mogrosides are also powerful antioxidants. Oxidative stress plays a part in many diseases and disorders, and choosing high-antioxidant foods is the key to reducing free radical damage in the body.
The fact that the same monk fruit ingredients that provide antioxidants also provide a no-calorie sweetener makes it nothing less than a superfood.
Combats Obesity and Diabetes
Sugar is damaging. We don’t want to hear it, but it’s true. Apart from weight gain, sugar ages us and makes us more susceptible to diseases. It is estimated African women consume 130 pounds of sugar per year, as opposed to our ancestors in the early 1800s who averaged sugar-intake to about 10 pounds. This surge in sugar intake has ballooned obesity rates, as well as cases of diabetes.
The side effects of sugar substitutes like aspartame make them more harmful than the natural stuff. Monk fruit extract does not affect blood sugar the way natural sugars do — providing the sweet flavor we strongly crave without the damaging side effects.
Using monk fruit sweetener can help those already suffering from obesity and diabetes from furthering their condition because it works as a natural obesity treatment. Unlike table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener is extracted from non-GMO fruit.
Anti-cancer and anti-bacterial properties
Studies have proven the anti-carcinogenic effects of the natural sweeteners contained in monk fruit. Recent studies have shown its abilities in inhibiting skin and breast tumor growth and providing proteins that have potent anti-cancer abilities. Other sweeteners are proven to increase the risk of cancer.
Also antibiotics are widely overused. To slow the ongoing surge of antibiotic resistance, natural antimicrobial agents are said to be better infection fighting options. Monk fruit has shown incredible results in inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
