The procedure used in the production of some foods, instead of improving their nutritional properties, affects them due to the many additives and chemicals used, and one of the most typical cases is seen in the manufacture of cane or beet sugar, two of the sweeteners most employees in the world.
Originally, the manufacture of cane sugar was carried out from the direct evaporation of the juice and the result was crystals rich in the vitamins and minerals contained in the plant. Today’s mills or factories have incorporated a series of clarification, cooking, filtering, washing and crystallizing processes that cause the loss of many of its virtuous components.
The end result is sugar, rich in sucrose , an unstable element that, when incorporated into the body, immediately seeks to ally itself with the mineral salts that were extracted from it, especially calcium. Calcium sucrate is then formed, a non-assimilable substance that is later eliminated. That is, the body is stripped of calcium and remains exposed to dental caries, loss of bone mass , or childhood rickets among other ills.
It is clear that sugar is an unavoidable and instantaneous source of energy, but it is preferable to incorporate it from fruits that are easier to digest, do not overload the work of the liver and prevent obesity and diabetes.
Molasses
Other alternatives to replace the white and sweet crystal are molasses —concentrated from dark-colored cane juice, rich in iron and calcium— and honey, a natural substance rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, essential oils, glucose, sucrose , levulose, dextrin and vitamins .
Honey
Honey and molasses are excellent for sweetening infusions, preparing jams and desserts, but they are high in calories, making them prohibitive for people who cannot consume sugar or follow a low-calorie diet.
Stevia
Just for these people, the healthiest alternative is stevioside , the main sweetener of stevia rebaudiana , a plant species whose leaves were used, since past centuries, by the Guarani Indians (Paraguay and Brazil) not only to sweeten but also for its medicinal properties. .
In 1930 French researchers managed to crystallize the sweetening principle of Stevia and concluded that it is 300 times sweeter than sugar and has no toxic effects.. Its defenders also assure that it does not leave the typical metallic taste of synthetic sweeteners in the mouth, although it does leave an aftertaste that many people get used to. Of all the medicinal properties that can be listed for stevia, the effects it has on the quality of life of diabetics stand out . Many of those affected by this disease (it is estimated that more than 135 million worldwide) could benefit from the regulatory properties of blood sugar levels provided by the intake of tender stevia leaves. Medical studies confirm that the active principle of the plant induces the beta cells of the pancreas to produce significant amounts of insulin by themselves, whichIt helps reduce blood glucose , which is the cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Stevia is currently marketed in powder and liquid form , the latter being the most effective due to its easy dilution and because two or three drops are enough to sweeten a cup of tea or coffee.