Consider Me Amazed

I always like to taste products tailored to people on modified diets (i.e.: people living with diabetes, celiac disease, or lactose intolerance).

While I do not have a condition that requires me to avoid specific ingredients or keep my intake of a certain nutrient below a certain amount, I strongly believe that to get a firm grasp on the nutritional lifestyle of a given condition, I have to be familiar with what is available to that population.

Whenever I have tried sugar-free varieties of popular sweets (mainly meant for people who have diabetes and not anyone looking to lose weight since these products add more fat to balance out the absence of sugar, thereby being just as caloric as regular versions), I have been disappointed.

The presence of sugar alcohols usually imparts a strange aftertaste, and one too many bites of sugar-free chocolate often result in awful gastrointestinal effects.

I will never forget an incident where a "sugar-free" muffin (chock full of maltitol) had me bent over in pain for two hours from the absolutely horrible stomach pain.

Alas, my faith in diabetic-friendly desserts has been reawakened by So Delicious Sugar-Free ice cream bars.

These soy (yes, they are also lactose-free!) bars (available in fudge or vanilla bar varieties) are not only sugar-free, but also "artificial-sweetener free"!

Even better, they do not pump up the fat content to make up for the decrease in sugar.

A look at the ingredient list reveals: Organic soymilk, filtered water, vegetable glycerine, soybean/safflower oil, chicory root extract, cocoa (processed with alkali), gum acacia, erythritol (sugar alcohol from natural fermentation), vanilla extract, tricalcium phosphate (a natural source of calcium), guar gum, carrageenan, natural flavors.

Before having my first bite, I was skeptical. How on Earth, I thought, are they going to make ice cream taste good without any sweetness?

Well, the folks at So Delicious quickly won me over.

So much so that I recommend these 80-calorie bars to anyone looking for a low-calorie sweet treat to satisfy a chocolate craving.

You Ask, I Answer: Aspartame/Chewing Gum

How much aspartame is in chewing gum, specifically Eclipse gum?

Should one stick to a limited number per day or can we chew to our heart's content?

-- "MC"
Via the blog

The average stick of gum contains 6 to 8 milligrams of aspartame (a 12 ounce can of Diet Coke, meanwhile, provides 180 milligrams.)

According to current guidelines, humans can safely consume 50 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day.

Based on recent studies, however, a growing body of scientists are calling for this number to be lowered to as little as 10 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day.

Even with the more conservative 10 milligram guidelines, though, a 130 pound individual (59 kilograms) can still safely consume 590 milligrams of aspartame per day (the equivalent of three 12-ounce cans of Diet Coke.)

That said, I don't like the notion of "chewing to your heart's content."

Sugarless gums -- including Eclipse -- contain other sweeteners beside aspartame.

One of these -- which appears well before aspartame on the ingredient list, meaning it is included in higher quantities -- is sorbitol.

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that, when consumed in large amounts, results in undesirable gastrointestinal effects, including diarrhea, acute intestinal cramps, and even unintended weight loss.

To play it safe, I suggest capping your gum intake at 4 or 6 sticks/pieces a day.

You Ask, I Answer: Hydrogenated Starch

I recently saw an ingredient called "hydrogenated starch."

What is it?

Is avoidance prudent?

-- Corey Clark
(Location withheld)

Let me guess -- you saw hydrogenated starch as an ingredient in a sugar-free product?

Althrough hydrogenation always conjures up thoughts of unhealthy fats, that same process is rather harmless when applied to starch.

Hydrogenating starch is one way of producing a calorically low sweetener (approximately two to three calories per gram, compared to sugar's four.)

It's technically a type of sugar alcohol (just like sorbitol, maltitol, and other ingredients ending in 'ol' that you can spot on most low-carb candy bars.)

First, starch -- usually corn or wheat -- is partially hydrolyzed (meaning molecular bonds are broken by reacting them with water.)

The resulting molecules are then hydrogenated (saturated with hydrogen).

End result? Sweetness, bulk, long shelf life, and the ability to develop products labeled "diabetic friendly" or "low carb."

Hydrogenated starch in and of itself does not pose any health risks.

In The News: Just How Splendid Is Splenda?

Not very, according to some Duke University researchers who point the finger at the artificial sweetener, accusing it of "contribut[ing] to obesity, destroy[ing] “good” intestinal bacteria and prevent[ing] prescription drugs from being absorbed."

Interestingly, the study is financed by the Sugar Association.

Perhaps more ironically, the first two statements could also apply to sugar.

In fact, many foods and ingredients can feasibly be labeled as "obesity contributors" depending on consumed quantities.

Someone could very well point to olive oil as an "obesity contributor," which it can be if it is liberally poured over every meal you eat.

As you can see, such statements completely distract everybody from more relevant issues.

In the case of sugar and Splenda, these accusations are misleading.

After all, obesity rates were much lower 400 years ago (when sugar was consumed), and it's not as if a surge in obesity occurred when Splenda was unleashed to the public.

Here are my thoughts on the real issues at stake here:

1) Is Splenda safe?

A packet of Splenda in your morning coffee or enjoying a Splenda-sweetened beverage a few times a week with your lunch isn't a huge concern.

However, there are no long-term human studies -- Splenda is less than ten years old.

We truly do not know what, say, 40 or 50 years of consuming Splenda on a daily basis does to the human body. A little tidbit to keep in your back pocket...

2) Does Splenda contribute to obesity? What about sugar?

Well, sugar is the epitome of empty calories (you can down 500 calories of sugar water and not feel the least bit full.)

And, since most sugary treats are also high in fat and overall calories, I suppose there is a "two degrees of separation" concept going on here. However, sugar was consumed long before obesity rates skyrocketed, so branding it a culprit seems wrong to me.

As far as Splenda "contributing to obesity," I don't buy it.

What I will say is that it can certainly provide a false sense of security.

A slice of sugar-free cake (made with Splenda) is NOT calorie-free, although many people may inaccurately think so.

The fact remains that sweetener consumption in the United States has grown exponentially over the past 20 years.

Consequently, additional calories are being consumed from sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup.

Sugar as a sole ingredient does not make anyone fat. Having endless grams (and calories) of sugar on cereals, cookies, frozen desserts, yogurts, and salad dressings, however, gets very problematic very quickly.

Artificial sweeteners, meanwhile, continue to become more available in a wide variety of calorie-free foods.

Completely absent from everyone's diet fifty years ago, they are a relatively new piece to the public health nutrition puzzle.

My suggestion? Scale back a little on both. You can't go wrong reducing your intake of empty calories and artificial chemicals.

Say What?: You Say "Wholesome," I Say "Really?"

The Slim-Fast Foods Company describes itself as being “committed to the development of wholesome and balanced nutritional products to aid in weight management and improved health.”

An interesting description, to say the least, given the ingredient list for their 120-calorie chocolate peanut nougat snack bar:

Maltitol Syrup, Milk Chocolate Flavored Coating (Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel And Palm Oil, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Sugar, Roasted Peanuts (Peanuts, Peanut Oil), Sweetened Condensed Skim Milk (Skim Milk, Sugar), Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel And Soybean), Whey Protein Isolate, Gum Arabic, Malted Milk (Extracts Of Wheat Flour And Malt Barley, Milk, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate), Nonfat Milk, Salt, Egg Whites, Artificial Flavor, Caramel Color, Soy Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Tbhq And Citric Acid, Vitamins And Minerals (Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Ferric Orthophosphate, Vitamin E Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Acetate, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrocholoride, Riboflavin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12).

How a product with partially hydrogenated oils and maltitol syrup (the syrup of a sugar alcohol!) as its first ingredient can be described as 'wholesome' beats me.

You might as well eat a small chocolate bar and pop a multivitamin.

Why not have a handful (160 calories’ worth) of peanuts instead?

It's just as convenient and portable a snack as one of these bars, and doesn't contribute added sugars or partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) to your day.

Added bonus if you choose peanuts? Heart-healthy monounsaturated fats!

By the way, the "40% less sugar" banner on the box of these bars is the result of replacing half the sugar with maltitol (the sugar alcohol most likely to cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Yum!)

Craving chocolate but looking to control calories? Have a 100-calorie chocolate bar, sans sugar alcohols. Savor it, enjoy it, and go about your day.