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Extremely Unhealthy Sweetener? Experts Advise to do Without it Completely – That’s What’s Behind it

Many people like to use sugar alternatives. Sweeteners are particularly popular. But appearances are deceptive: despite their good reputation, sweeteners harbor many health risks.

Risks of sweeteners: Experts advocate complete avoidance

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), less than ten percent of the daily energy intake should consist of sugar. Many people often consume far more sugar than they should and switch to artificial sweeteners, which, at first glance, appear to be a good alternative. But the chemical sugar substitute can cause unpredictable physical problems. Experts like Dr. Mark Hyman, doctor and best-selling author of the New York Times, even advocates a complete avoidance of any sweeteners.

Sweeteners are synthetically produced or natural substitutes, for example from sweetener plants for sugar, which are a lot sweeter. Sweeteners do not provide any food for caries-causing bacteria because they are not metabolized by the oral flora. Aspartame, stevioglycosides and sodium cyclamate are examples of sweeteners found in foods. Sweeteners have no or few calories, but taste about 10 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Sounds very tempting, but is not really healthy.

However, sweeteners are very often confused with sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes are – in contrast to sweeteners – suppliers of energy. They contain 2.4 calories per gram, making them about half as “heavy” as sugar. The substitutes and also sweeteners are well suited for diabetics because, unlike sugar, they do not affect insulin and blood sugar levels.

That’s why sweeteners are so bad for you

Researchers looked at the consumption of low-calorie sweetened beverages in a study that found it was associated with higher total energy and sugar intake in children. Using 7,026 children who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey over five years, the researchers were able to evaluate nutrient intake from sweetened beverages compared to water consumers.

According to this study, sweetener consumption was associated with more total calories and added sugars. Based on this finding, researchers question the benefits of low-calorie sweetened beverages for weight management in children and adolescents. Large amounts of sweetener can thus change the entire metabolism and promote unfavorable weight gain, even if the sweetener itself contains almost no calories.

Since the composition of the intestinal bacteria changes as a result of the artificial sweeteners, weight gain can occur. Regular consumption of sweeteners also increases the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Sweeteners are also laxative, addictive, and can trigger migraines and skin rashes. And they are also suspected of being carcinogenic. So it seems the healthier option is to stick with “real” sugar and reduce sugar intake to a healthy amount.

Omit sweetener: These delicious sugar alternatives are available

While most properties of sweeteners are certainly compelling, over-consumption can lead to serious side effects. Therefore, you should not overdo it with the low-calorie sweetness and rather use natural sweeteners such as agave syrup or honey.

For many foods that contain sweeteners instead of sugar, you might choose the sugar variant, such as herbal candies or soft drinks. If you generally feel like eating something sweet and also want to do something good for your health, then simply grab an apple or a banana instead of unhealthy snacks or use agave syrup, maple syrup or coconut blossom sugar instead of sweeteners.

Other foods that do not contain any harmful sweeteners and still taste sweet:
dates
raisins
honey
dried fruit
bananas

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Food

Healthy Sugar Substitute: Tasty Alternatives as a Sweetener in Everyday Life

Many low-calorie drinks now have a permanent place on the menu of our favorite restaurants. Our diet also offers us many opportunities to avoid sugar with the help of sweetening alternatives. But which sugar alternatives are there, what can they be used for and how healthy are they actually?

Artificial Sugar Alternative #1: Saccharin

With a sweetening power 300 to 500 times stronger than our table sugar, saccharin has made it to the top of the most popular sweetening alternatives. Saccharin is not metabolized and is ultimately excreted unchanged. Because it is calorie-free, saccharin is often used in light products.

#2: Aspartame

The same can be said about aspartame. Aspartame has protein building blocks (proteins) that contain four calories per gram. Therefore, it comes very close to sugar, also with four calories per gram.

#3: Erythritol

We often come across erythritol in the sugar department, packed in a bag as an alternative sweetener. It is mostly used 1:1 like sugar for baking

More artificial sugar alternatives

Sucralose is a real all-rounder! This is a new sweetener made from sugar that is not metabolized and is excreted unchanged in most people. In addition, it is 600 times sweeter than sugar, good for the teeth, water-soluble and can be used for many foods.

Natural Sugar Alternative #1: Stevia

After dealing with the chemical sweeteners, we turn to the natural, plant-based alternatives and their special features.

#2: Xylitol

Even if the name is more reminiscent of a musical instrument: xylitol
The sweetener from Finland has the name “birch sugar” because it is traditionally made from birch bark here. Xylitol dissolves well in water, looks just like our table sugar and is often used for chewing gum and toothpaste due to its tooth compatibility.

#3: Coconut Blossom Sugar

Coconut blossom sugar is also known as palm sugar and is considered one of the top sweetening alternatives. With a whopping 380 calories per 100 grams (sugar at around 400 calories) it is the most sinful sugar substitute. If you also look at the nutritional values ​​(90g per 100g of carbohydrates), you might ask yourself why coconut blossom sugar is supposed to be healthier.

Other natural sugar alternatives: rice syrup and sweeteners from the kitchen

Rice syrup is made into syrup using a fermentation of cooked rice and originally comes from Japan. Rice syrup* comes to about 290 kilocalories and 70 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. The syrup also contains no fructose and is therefore well suited for people with a fructose intolerance. Rice syrup tastes less sweet than sugar and also has an effect on blood sugar levels. Rice syrup contains calcium and iron.

Baking with sugar alternatives – you should pay attention to that

Since hardly anyone would like to do without their sweet cake in the afternoon, the question arises as to how well the sweetening alternatives are suitable for baking. Because the correct dosage is particularly important when baking, as this can deviate from the usual sugar and the alternatives. As we noted above, sweeteners vary

Sugar alternatives: That’s what dental health is all about

The dissatisfied look of the dentist and then again: caries! It’s simple: oral bacteria feed on sugar, and sugar has become a big part of many of our foods. Because we are eating more and more sugar.

Sweet drinks in particular are dangerous because they quickly give us a lot of sugar and thus damage our dental health. Refined sugar and cane sugar promote the development of caries to the same extent. Even honey should not be consumed excessively when the teeth are suffering.

Sugar alternatives and weight: For a slim line?

The eternal suffering with sugar and the morning number game on the scales – if you want to lose weight, you should avoid sugar. This is often said and unfortunately it is also true. But what about sweeteners? Don’t worry, because sweeteners are often accused of making you fat, but the German Society for Nutrition has no current scientific evidence.

Due to the lack of metabolization and the lack of nutritional values, the body cannot utilize sweeteners, which is why the blood sugar levels are not further influenced. It should be borne in mind that artificial sweeteners increase the appetite for sweets as they trick the brain into thinking it is eating something “sugary” and this feeling does not last long due to the lack of energy (in the form of kilocalories). The feeling of hunger can thus return faster and let us devour the second piece as well.

However, as long as it’s two (maybe three) and a good balance, sweeteners shouldn’t interfere with weight gain. On the contrary: if used correctly, sweeteners can help reduce our cravings (especially at the beginning of a craving).

Sweeteners in diabetics and children

Sugar alternatives for children: As mentioned above, sweeteners are almost calorie-free, tooth-friendly and do not affect blood sugar levels, which is why they are harmless to children’s health in reasonable amounts. However, it is important to ensure a balanced diet, since sweeteners do not keep you full for long. In addition, children should not eat too much, as these are often heavily sweetened and they could get used to the above-average sweet taste.

Sugar Alternatives for Diabetics: Sweeteners (like aspartame, saccharin) are beneficial for diabetics because they come with no calorie content or blood sugar effect. Since diabetics should pay close attention to their sugar intake, the craving for lots of sweets can still be satisfied with sugar alternatives. Of course, the same applies here: enjoy consciously! Rice syrup and honey (similar to sugar) have a lot of influence on blood sugar levels. Xylitol affects blood sugar a little. No influence

In summary, sweeteners should be dosed correctly so that they do not have the opposite effect and trigger feelings of hunger. In terms of health, sweeteners have surprisingly many benefits. Therefore, the first sugar-free cake should not be long in coming!

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Aspartame – The Controversial Sweetener

Opinions are currently divided on sugar as a new “drug”. Many consumers are looking for alternatives that are sweet but don’t bring calories to the hips – aspartame is also often discussed. But the sweetener is controversial.

Can aspartame be a suitable sugar substitute in the diet or not? We looked at how natural the sweetener is, which foods contain it and whether the sweetener is harmful to health.

How natural is aspartame?

Basically, aspartame is a synthetically produced substance that does not occur in nature. However, it is made from two amino acids (phenylalanine and aspartic acid), which are nothing more than protein building blocks, i.e. the smallest particles that also make up the protein of your peas or grilled sausage.

In the body, every protein is broken down into its two amino acids and some methanol during the course of metabolism. Your body recognizes aspartame as a protein building block and breaks it down again into the two synthetically assembled amino acids. However, this produces phenylalanine, a substance that people suffering from the metabolic disease phenylketonuria are not allowed to ingest.
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What foods contain aspartame?

Because it does not occur naturally in food, but is produced synthetically, the sugar substitute is only found in industrially produced foods. Aspartame is used very often in sweetened drinks, such as Cola Zero or Pepsi Max. Chewing gum and many low-calorie desserts are also sweetened with it, for example yoghurt, pudding or ice cream.

Because this sweetener is not heat-stable, i.e. it loses its sweetening power when heated, baked goods or foods intended for heating, such as ready meals, do not contain aspartame.

The sweetener can also be found under other names, for example NutraSweet, Canderel, Amino-Sweet, Sanecta or Equal-Classic.

Is aspartame calorie free?

The sweetener is by no means calorie-free and has a similar energy content to sugar or sugar substitutes. The difference is that aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, so much smaller amounts are needed to achieve the same sweetness. Products sweetened with it therefore have a lower calorific value than those containing sugar or its relatives.

Some studies suggest that it promotes obesity: Scientists assume that sweeteners disrupt appetite regulation in the brain. With its sweet taste, aspartame fools the brain into believing it is being supplied with glucose – the brain’s fuel. However, the brain does not receive real sugar, but an imitation and feels cheated. It demands new glucose and thus new food – the result is weight gain.

However, other studies cannot confirm this appetite-stimulating effect. So far, the obesity-promoting effect of aspartame could neither be proven nor disproved. More independent research is needed, according to the consumer advice center.

However, sweetening with reduced-calorie sugar alternatives is often understood as an incentive to “be allowed” to eat or drink more because the sweeteners have already “saved” energy. Because of the wrong eating habits, you gain weight despite reduced-calorie sugar alternatives.

Although it is possible to save calories with aspartame, this alone does little to change personal eating habits. The purpose and aim of a diet should be to learn how to eat a healthy and balanced diet. When in doubt, it makes much more sense than replacing sugar with aspartame to avoid such foods altogether. Because even a soda or cola sweetened with this agent is anything but healthy.

Is aspartame carcinogenic?

In parts of the press, the situation seems clear: anyone who consumes aspartame will die of cancer, according to the opinion that is often published. However, there are no scientific studies that could seriously show a connection between aspartame and cancer.

For example, the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Commission, the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), the Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR), the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) and the US National Cancer Institute deal with this topic again and again come to the conclusion that, according to the current state of research, aspartame is not carcinogenic.

Does Aspartame Cause Headaches?

It is repeatedly reported that aspartame is responsible for headaches and migraines. Since this accusation comes up regularly, there are always new studies, none of which have been able to clearly identify aspartame as a trigger for headaches or migraines.

The same applies to other complaints that patients like to attribute to the consumption of aspartame, such as depression, mood swings, behavioral problems, personality changes, altered motor skills, aggression, epilepsy and many other ailments.

How much aspartame is healthy?

When determining the permitted daily dose of a substance (e.g. vitamins or minerals), values ​​are set at which, according to the current state of research, lifelong, daily consumption of a substance cannot lead to health problems, even in this amount of a substance.

The allowable daily dose of aspartame varies around the world. In the EU it is set at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, in the USA it is 50 milligrams. According to Efsa, for example, an adult weighing 60 kilos would have to drink more than four liters of aspartame-containing lemonade every day in order to exceed this limit.

Is aspartame harmful to the environment?

Most sweeteners are not metabolized and are excreted again. Although they get into sewage treatment plants via the toilet, they cannot be completely broken down there and thus pollute our ground and surface water.

It contains the sweeteners saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose and acesulfame and even serves to document the entry of impurities into mineral water: if the mineral water contains sweeteners, the source was not adequately protected from external influences. In view of the as yet unknown effects of synthetic sweeteners in bodies of water and upper groundwater layers, you should refrain from using the sweeteners mentioned.

However, aspartame is not excreted and therefore does not get into the environment, since it is broken down into its three components in the course of human metabolism, which are found in many natural foods. Only the production of the sweetener raises criticism: It is very energy-intensive and genetic engineering can be used to obtain the amino acids.

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Invert Sugar: What You Need to Know About The Sweetener

Invert sugar is used in the food industry for the manufacture of various products. Here you can find out what sugar is all about and what you should pay attention to.

What is invert sugar?

In the food industry, invert sugar is added to various products, particularly in the form of syrup. The raw material of the sugar syrup is sucrose or starch. This is broken down to form a mixture of glucose (dextrose) and fructose (fruit sugar).

For this reason, you will also find invert sugar syrup on the list of ingredients under the name “glucose-fructose syrup” or “isoglucose”. It is slightly sweeter than regular table sugar. In contrast to other sweeteners, it also has the advantage that it no longer crystallizes. It gives products a smooth and creamy consistency.

Because of these benefits, invert sugar syrup is hiding in a variety of everyday products. Including especially in various desserts, such as ice cream, sorbets, puddings, rice pudding or yoghurt. But liqueurs, ketchup, sweet drinks, gummy bears, biscuits, cakes, ready-made sauces, bread and rolls are often sweetened with the popular sugar syrup.

Invert sugar: health consequences

Invert sugar contains around 400 calories per 100 grams. At around 99.8 percent, it consists almost entirely of carbohydrates and contains no significant amounts of minerals, fiber or vitamins. Therefore, like the other types of sugar, it is referred to as “empty calories”.

Like all types of sugar, invert sugar does not provide important minerals, but primarily serves to give a product a sweet taste. It is not particularly beneficial to health. However, if you are aware of it and consume it in moderation, it will not do much damage to your health. The WHO recommends consuming no more than six teaspoons of sugar (about 25 grams) per day.

On the other hand, if you consume large amounts of sugar (or invert sugar) every day, this can lead to increased body weight and obesity and the associated health risks.

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Saccharin: What You Need to Know About The Oldest Sweetener

Saccharin has been around since the 19th century. The oldest sweetener is still used in many foods today. However, scientists disagree about the health benefits and risks of saccharin.

Saccharin is even the stuff of best-selling literature: in the bleak future version of George Orwell’s novel “1984” there is hardly any sugar left – instead, people sweeten it with saccharin. The reality is a bit different: Today we can choose between a variety of sugar and sugar-free sweeteners. The sweetener saccharin is one of the sugar-free products.

Saccharin: Zero calories and about 400 times sweeter than sugar

Saccharin is about 400 to 500 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). Therefore, a few milligrams are enough to sweeten food.
Since the human body cannot metabolize saccharin, the sweetener is calorie-free.
Unlike sugar, saccharin does not cause tooth decay.
Because saccharin tolerates heat, cold, and acid, and retains its shape for years, it is a good sweetener for many foods. However, saccharin not only tastes sweet, but also slightly bitter and metallic. That’s why you often find it in combination with other sweeteners such as the sweeteners cyclamate and aspartame.

Health effects of saccharin

According to the BfR, saccharin is considered harmless as long as the amount ingested is within the range of the ADI.

However, this was not always the case: in the 1970s, high doses of saccharin caused bladder cancer in animal experiments. As a result, many states have banned the substance. In the years that followed, however, no evidence was found that saccharin also increases the risk of bladder cancer in humans – at least not if the permitted dose is observed.

Since the human body does not metabolize saccharin, the sweetener is particularly popular in reduced-calorie and diabetic foods. However, scientists disagree on how saccharin affects weight and blood sugar levels:
Based on the current study situation, a review from 2015 sees no evidence that sugar-free sweeteners help you lose weight or have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Conversely, there is no evidence that there are negative effects on weight and blood sugar levels.
A 2016 review looks at various animal experiments and clinical studies. He concludes that sugar-free sweeteners can help with weight loss.
However, both reviews do not specifically rate saccharin.

Losing weight with saccharin?

In 2014, a study caused a stir in which rats were given high doses of saccharin: their intestinal flora changed, causing blood sugar levels to rise. The researchers found a similar effect in their study on humans.

So far, little is known about how certain substances affect the intestinal flora and what effects this in turn has on health. However, it is considered very likely that a disturbed intestinal flora can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes (study). However, much research needs to be done in this area.

Equally unclear is the question of whether sweeteners such as saccharin stimulate the appetite and thereby negate their calorie-saving effect. Here, too, meaningful studies are still lacking.

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Acesulfame K (E950): Why The Sweetener is Criticized

Acesulfame K is a common sweetener found in many diet drinks, sweets and sauces. You can find out exactly what the substance is and what risks are associated with it here.

What is acesulfame K?

Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener that is often found in diet products. For example, you can find it in low-sugar soft drinks, chewing gum, sweets, sauces, spreads or crackers, but also in toothpaste.

In addition, it is usually available in combination with other sweeteners in tablet form or as liquid or sprinkled sweetener. It is also indicated on ingredient lists by its European approval number E950.

The K at the end of the name stands for potassium salt and thus refers to one of the main components of the sweetener. In addition, water, sour and carbon as well as sulfur are used for the production. Chemical reactions ultimately result in a white, crystal-like sweetener that is heat-resistant, easily soluble in water and around 200 times as sweet as table sugar.

Does acesulfame K help you lose weight?

Since acesulfame K is a calorie-free sweetener, it is often used in weight loss programs and certain diets. The extent to which weight can be reduced with the help of calorie-free sweeteners is controversial in science.

Some scientists assume that synthetic sweeteners trigger an increased feeling of hunger. According to this theory, whenever you taste something sweet, your pancreas is stimulated to release insulin. If it is a calorie-free sweetener, however, you are not consuming any sugar that can be utilized.

This would cause blood sugar levels to drop, which in turn disrupts the natural feeling of hunger. As a result, you might even eat more than usual and feel more cravings for sweets.

According to the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), however, sweeteners have no effect on the release of insulin, but rather are considered a sensible way to reduce calorie consumption and thereby lose weight.

In general, we recommend rethinking the consumption of sweet foods and generally not sweetening them as much as switching to sugar substitutes. In order to lose weight healthily and sustainably, you should eat a balanced diet and do enough exercise. Many diets bring only short-term success, if at all, and are sometimes associated with other health risks – such as mineral deficiencies.

How harmful is acesulfame K?

Acesulfame K has been partially linked to an increased risk of cancer, diabetes, and other side effects. However, these are not scientifically proven. This is also due to the fact that some sweeteners are tested on laboratory animals or isolated cells, so the results cannot be directly extrapolated to humans.

According to the DGE, however, all sweeteners that are currently approved in the EU were scientifically examined before they were approved and classified as harmless to health. Nevertheless, there are certain maximum values ​​for almost all sweeteners that should not be exceeded.

This so-called “ADI” value stands for “Acceptable Daily Intake” and describes the amount that you could consume daily throughout your life without suffering any damage to your health. For acesulfame K, this value is a maximum of nine milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

This value only applies to adults. So far, there are no maximum values ​​for children. Rather, they are usually completely discouraged from consuming synthetic sweeteners.

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Sodium Cyclamate (E952): What You Dhould Know About The Sweetener

Sodium cyclamate is one of the most popular sweeteners. Find out here what properties sodium cyclamate has and whether the substance is harmless.

Sodium cyclamate is a common ingredient in sugar-free or reduced-sugar foods and beverages. The chemical name of the substance, which was first synthesized in 1937, is cyclohexylsulfamic acid. Strictly speaking, this does not mean just one substance: the name designates both the basic form cyclamate and its salts calcium and sodium cyclamate. “Cyclamate” is often simply spoken of, although what is actually meant is sodium cyclamate.

The most important properties of sodium cyclamate:
35 times as sweet as sugar (however, the sweetening power increases in combination with the sweetener saccharin, for example)
“zero calorie”: The body cannot metabolize sodium cyclamate
Unlike sugar, it does not cause tooth decay
has hardly any aftertaste compared to other sweeteners, intensifies fruit aromas
Resistant to heat and cold, suitable for cooking and baking

Foods containing sodium cyclamate

You can find sodium cyclamate in numerous sugar-free or reduced-sugar foods:
Sweets
soft drinks
spreads and jams
fruit preserves
dietary supplements
You can also buy sodium cyclamate as a sweetener, for example in tablet form. The sweetener can also be found in medicines and cosmetics.

According to a 2014 EU directive, the product’s list of ingredients includes either the name of the sweetener (“sodium cyclamate”) or its E number E 952. On the front, however, manufacturers only have to indicate that the product contains sweeteners.

Sodium cyclamate: health assessment and exposure limits

According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been assessing in the EU since 2003 whether an additive is harmful to health. Previously, the Scientific Committee on Food (SFC) was responsible.

In 2000, the SFC specified the maximum amount of sodium cyclamate one should consume per day. According to the BfR, this so-called ADI (“acceptable daily intake”) is seven milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

Based on this, according to “additives online”, there are these limit values ​​for food:
a maximum of 250 milligrams per liter or per kilogram in drinks and desserts
maximum 500 to 1000 milligrams per kilogram in spreads and fruit preserves
Especially with soft drinks, children can reach or exceed the ADI. However, the value is so low that it should be harmless to occasionally take in too much sodium cyclamate.

Conclusion on sodium cyclamate

Sodium cyclamate is considered harmless within the limit values ​​- but its effects in the body are not yet sufficiently understood. It remains to be seen what EFSA’s reassessment reveals. If you would generally like to eat less sweets, you should still avoid sodium cyclamate: You are more likely to lose your desire for sweets if you use naturally sweet fruits and vegetables.

Important to know: Children who do not yet weigh that much quickly reach their daily maximum with drinks containing sodium cyclamate.

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Advantame (E969): What You Need to Know About The Sweetener

Advantame (E969) is an artificial sweetener that can be found in many foods. But how dangerous is E969 for health? Here we show which effects of Advantam are known and which limit values ​​there are.

Advantame is a fairly new substance that companies have only been allowed to use in food since 2014. It must be declared and is behind the E number E969. What is special about Advantame is its high sweetening power: Advantame is the sweetest additive permitted for food. But the substance has other advantages that make it popular with the food industry.

Advantame: The sweetest sweetener on the market

The artificial sweetener stevia is 30 times sweeter than regular table sugar, and the sweetener aspartame is 185 times sweeter. But food chemists continued to research aspartame and discovered that if aspartame reacts with propionaldehyde and isovanillin, a new sweetener with extreme sweetening power is created – advantame. According to Stiftung Warentest, this sweetener is up to 37,000 times sweeter than ordinary table sugar. Therefore, even the smallest amounts are sufficient to sweeten food.

This makes Advantame the sweetest sweetener on the food market. And the fabric has other advantages. According to the industry-related Sweeteners Association:
Advantame enhances the taste: Citrus, fruit and mint aromas in particular come out better.
Advantam is sweet for a long time: Chewing gum tastes sweet longer with Advantam.
Advantam reduces bitter taste notes: This allows unpleasant flavors to be concealed.
Advantam tastes like sugar: The use of Advantam does not have an unpleasant taste.
The EU regulation on advantame also states that the use of advantame can “reduce the calorie content of these foods”.

E969 Advantame: Limits and Guide Values ​​(ADI)

Advantame is available in pure form as a white powder, but is also found in many processed foods. Advantame is only permitted as an additive in food for certain product groups. With the exception of tabletop sweetener, there are maximum values ​​set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for all products (listed below in brackets):
Dairy products (10 mg/l)
ice cream (10 mg/l)
Fruits and vegetables in vinegar, oil or brine (3 mg/kg)
Canned fruits and vegetables (10 mg/kg)
Jams, jellies, marmalades, chestnut cream, other spreads (10 mg/kg)
Cocoa and chocolate products (20 mg/kg)
Confectionery (10 or 20 mg/kg, breath freshener 60 mg/kg)
chewing gum (200 or 400 mg/kg)
Decorations, coatings and fillings (10 or 20 mg/kg)
Sauces (2 or 4 mg/kg)
Breakfast cereals (10 mg/kg)
Fine Bakery Products for Special Nutritional Purposes (17 mg/kg)
Fish and fishery products (3 mg/kg)
Mustard (2 mg/ kg)
Soups and broths (2 mg/kg)
Salads and spicy spreads (4 mg/kg)
Fruit nectar (6 mg/kg)
Beer and malt beverages, perry and cider (6 mg/kg)
Potato, grain, flour or starch-based snack foods (5 mg/kg)
The EFSA has also defined an acceptable daily intake (ADI). It is five milligrams per kilogram of body weight. This is a guide value that should not be exceeded. According to the experts, we normally never consume more than one milligram per kilogram of body weight in everyday life, so there is no need to worry. Since the EFSA experts found increased amounts of palladium and platinum in Advantam in its pure form, there are also limit values ​​for this.

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Cooking Tips

Sugar, Sweetener & Co.

Sweet as sugar or rather bitter? If you want to sweeten your coffee or tea, you are spoiled for choice. There has long been a large selection of sweeteners. We present you with a selection.

The raw material sugar

The sweet taste of various types of sugar makes one or the other connoisseur’s heart beat somersaults. It makes us happy. The word sugar originally comes from the Sanskrit word (that’s a language in India) and means “sweet”. How fitting! Many sweeten the classic way with sugar. Whether in fine crystal form, as sugar cubes, syrup or rock candy – it comes in many forms. But what other alternatives are there?

There is cane, beet, maple and palm sugar. These are obtained from sugar cane, the juice of sugar beet or sugar maple and types of palm trees. A total of 194 million tons of sugar were produced in the 2017/2018 harvest year.

sweetener

Good alternatives are, for example, honey, stevia, sweeteners, fructose or types of syrup. Of course, they all have their own taste, so it’s best to try them in a cup of coffee to see what you like. Honey is a food made from the nectar of flowers by bees. The collected juices of the plants are enriched and changed by the bees in their bodies with endogenous substances such as enzymes, proteins and acids. After that, this liquid is stored in honeycombs and matured.
Stevia. It hides in a plant growing in South America. Native people have been using this plant for centuries as a sugar-free and natural sweetener, as the extract obtained from the leaves has a sweetening power that is ten to thirty times stronger than conventional sugar. So you need significantly less for sweetening. Sweetener is either synthetic or made from natural substitutes for sugar. It surpasses the sweetness of conventional sugar considerably. The best known forms are lozenges or in liquid form.

Syrup is available from many manufacturers in a wide variety of flavors. Caramel, coconut and co. sweeten the coffee with an additional flavor. But be careful: some types of syrup are only suitable for cold drinks. In forums you can read from some users that they use their drinks with agave syrup, sugar beet syrup, maple syrup or conventional vanilla sugar (the one used in baking).

There is certainly no one best solution for all people, for all occasions. Rather, it is a matter of taste whether it should be cane sugar for baking and hazelnut syrup in the cappuccino. Basically, you should of course always pay attention to a moderate consumption of sugar and other sweeteners.

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Date Sugar: This is How You Make the Healthy Sweetener Yourself

Date sugar is made from dried, finely ground dates. You can also easily make the sugar at home in the oven. You can find out exactly how this works and why we can only recommend date sugar to a limited extent here.

If you want to sweeten in a healthier way, you can use date sugar. This consists only of dried and finely ground dates. Date sugar has a more subtle sweetening power than conventional sugar, but also has a fine caramel note that goes particularly well with sweet baked goods. On the other hand, if you want to sweeten drinks, date sugar is not suitable. The fine date powder does not dissolve in liquid.

Since date sugar consists only of dried dates, it still has some healthy ingredients. For example, it is high in fiber. However, the crystalline date sweetener is still a sugar, so you should use it sparingly.

Also with regard to the ecological balance of dates, it is advisable to use date sugar consciously. Dates come from far away areas like Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia, so they have to travel long distances in transportation. Dates are also susceptible to pest infestation, which is why pesticides are often used.

If you make your own date sugar, you have the option of buying dates that are as environmentally friendly as possible. We recommend dried dates from organic farming that does not use chemical-synthetic pesticides.

Make date sugar yourself: Here’s how it works

Making date sugar yourself is very easy. In addition to the dried dates, you only need an oven and a powerful blender. First let the dates dry completely in the oven and then use the mixer to pulverize them.

You can do this step by step:

Halve the dates and remove the stone if necessary.
Place the dates on a wire rack lined with parchment paper or a more sustainable parchment paper alternative.
Allow the dates to dry through at 100 to 120 degrees Celsius.
Depending on the oven and the residual moisture content in the dates, the drying time can vary, from 60 minutes to two or even three hours. Place a wooden spoon between the oven and oven door to allow moisture to escape.
The dates should start to harden in the oven, but not burn. So check them regularly and reduce the heat if necessary.
Let the dates cool down completely overnight in the switched off oven with the oven slightly open. This makes them very hard.
Put the completely cooled dates in a blender and process them into a powder.
The resulting date sugar may start clumping from the humidity, but you can still use it.
The date sugar can be stored in an airtight container for up to eight weeks.

Make date sugar yourself: Healthier, but energy-intensive

Because the oven time can get long and the oven door is left open during this time, constantly escaping heat, the power consumption of making your own date sugar is quite high. Therefore, drying the dates in the oven can not only be expensive, but also increase the ecological footprint.

With a few tips, however, you can make the eco-balance of homemade date sugar a little more positive:

Do not use so-called soft dates, but dates that are as hard as possible, for example the Deglet Nour variety. The harder the dates are, the less time they need in the oven.
Don’t just halve the dates, cut them into quarters. They also dry faster this way. Be careful not to burn the dates.
If you have a dehydrator, you can use that. Note, however, that while most dehydrators use less electricity than the oven when drying, the power consumption is not necessarily low here either.
In order not to have to dry them at all, you can soak the dates overnight and then puree them with a little lemon juice. This is how you get a date puree that you can use for many things just like the solid date sugar.

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