This sweetener uses 38X less land than table sugar

So you’re considering how sugar affects your life, huh? Sugar is one of the most present ingredients in our food. Its cheap, tasty & even creates a feeling of happiness in our brains. As sweet as sugar may be, its impact on your health and our environment isn’t as rosy. As the population continues to grow exponentially, what will happen to America’s sweet tooth?

In today’s issue:

• Health: Too much of a good thing

• Feature Story: Is all sugar the same?

• Early Adopters: A checklist to indulge responsibly

HEALTH

Too much of a good thing

Sugar offers a quick source of energy, a valuable asset when food was scarce throughout history. The original sweeteners, honey and fruit, were a rare commodity in history that only the wealthy enjoyed. Everything changed when a handful of countries in Southeast Asia introduced sugarcane to the global economy. Starting as early as the 1400s, Europeans built supply lines from colonized countries to satisfy the demand for a variety of commodities, including sugar. Today, sugar is added to foods that historically weren’t sweet (ex. bread & peanut butter) & to foods that already have natural sweetness (ex. applesauce & jam).

Sugar offers no nutritional value beyond calories. Instead there is a correlation between the high consumption of added sugar and a higher risk to 11 chronic diseases:

1. Dementia: 110% higher risk¹

2. Arthritis: 63% higher risk²

3. Kidney Disease: 58% higher risk³

4. Dental Decay: 50% higher risk⁴

5. Early Aging: 42% higher risk⁵

6. Liver Disease: 40% higher risk⁶

7. Depression: 31% higher risk⁷

8. Obesity: 18% high risk⁸

9. Heart Disease: 16% higher risk⁹

10. Type 2 Diabetes: 13% higher risk¹⁰

11. Cancer-related Death: 12% higher risk¹¹

In fact, excessive sugar consumption can mimic the brain’s response to addictive substances in the chase for dopamine, the neurotransmitter for pleasure. Despite these concerns, the long-term risks are commonly overlooked. Either because they aren’t felt immediately or because they are rationalized with another behavior that mitigates some of the risks. Another round of brushing your teeth may help with Dental Decay but will to do little to avoid the higher risk of Dementia you may have signed yourself up for.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Thanks for tuning in to learn about small changes that make a big difference. That being said, consider professional advice (not me) when changing your lifestyle.

FEATURE STORY

Is all sugar the same?

To your tastebuds sugar may seem the same, but its a bit more complicated than that. In fact there is a group of sweeteners that aren’t sugars at all (chemically speaking) & some that control your blood sugar while still adding sweetness to your food.

Sugars:

1. Fructose: 50% sweeter than sucrose

2. High Fructose Corn Syrup: 10% sweeter than sucrose

3. Sucrose: Table sugar

4. Glucose: 25% less sweet than sucrose

5. Dextrose: 25% less sweet than sucrose

Natural Sweeteners:

1. Stevia: 250X sweeter than sucrose

2. Monk Fruit: 200X sweeter than sucrose

3. Agave Nectar: 50% sweeter than sucrose

4. Honey: 25% sweeter than sucrose

5. Maple Syrup: 30% less sweet than sucrose

There are also a number of artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, xylitol, erythritol, etc.) that are widely used to create products with sugar-free claims such as diet soda, gum and toothpaste.

To further differentiate these sweeteners, there are some that are better at controlling blood sugar than others. The 4 sweeteners that don’t spike blood sugar levels in the same way sucrose does are Fructose, Stevia, Monk Fruit & Agave Nectar.

Where does sugar come from?

90% of the sweetener market is dominated by Sucrose (60%) & High Fructose Corn Syrup (30%). Sucrose can be produced from either Sugarcane or Sugar Beets where Sugarcane (40%) is more common than Sugar Beets (20%).

The top contributors of Sugarcane used in the US are Florida (16%), Louisiana (12%) & Brazil (8%). For Sugar Beets the top contributors to the US are Minnesota (8%), North Dakota (6%) & Idaho (4%).

Like the name implies, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is derived from Corn. Its difficult to trace the origins of HFCS because corn can be processed into a variety of products like cattle feed (40%), ethanol biofuel (35%), & a number of different sweeteners.

How is sugar made?

Sugarcane is a grass that grows best in tropical regions with high temperatures and large amounts of rainfall. For that reason, Brazil (40%) & India (20%) are responsible for the majority of global sugarcane supply.

Sugar Beets are root crops that were genetically modified (GMO) to increase sugar content, expand its growing region to temperate climates & resist herbicides. These traits allow the US to domestically produce all the sugar beets needed to meet their sugar demand.

Corn can also be made into sugar in the form of Fructose, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Dextrose, Glucose & a handful of sugar alcohols. Since farming corn is heavily subsidized by the US government, corn-based sweeteners are cheap. This allowed food scientists to create different sugars to fit different product characteristics:

• Fructose → Higher sweetness

• HFCS → Longer shelf life

• Dextrose → Absorbed quickly

• Glucose → Prevent crystallization

• Sugar alcohols → Fewer calories

Are their any concerns with sweeteners?

Yes, and nearly all have to do with how they are produced. The most popular sugar source, sugarcane grows in tropical regions, which is expected to be hit the hardest by climate change. In addition, as the population grows, the demand for sugar will require more land and more deforestation.

In 2009 Brazil implemented the Sugarcane Agroecological Zoning Law which limits sugarcane plantations growth to only cleared land. While this does provide some protection, farmers can still convert diverse wildlife and carbon sinks into grazing fields for cattle, then transition to sugarcane.

Sugar Beets & sugars derived from corn have concerns surrounding the potentially harmful affects of the not-well understood impact of GMOs on the human body. GMOs usually solve a growers problem (i.e. improved pest-resistance, larger crops etc.) and are rarely developed with your health or the health of the planet in mind. Areas that grow these crops have a chronic risk of water contamination from pesticide-ridden fields as well as soil degradation from their long-term use.

EARLY ADOPTERS

Early adopters are taking a few steps to indulge in sweets responsibly. First they are choosing products that have little to no added sugar. This ensures the sweetness comes from the food itself and limits the health risks from overconsumption. Next they lean into products that use natural sweeteners, like Agave Nectar which won’t spike your blood sugar or Maple Syrup which adds micro-nutrients to your diet.

While alternative natural sweeteners to sugar are not available within a majority of products, early adopters are getting added sugar from products that have Organic & non-GMO claims on their packaging. Specifically checking the ingredients label for Organic Sugarcane will ensure your food doesn’t contain Sugar Beets, often seen in the ingredients as simply “sugar”.

How do different sweeteners use resources?

To produce a pound of sweetener:

While Stevia & Monk Fruit are resource efficient sweeteners, there are some drawbacks in taste. While both are 200X sweeter than sucrose & control your blood sugar, both have a distinct aftertaste that limits their widespread adoption. Evaluate for yourself if this is off-putting, otherwise Agave Nectar, Honey and Maple Syrup make great alternatives. So when you find a product that uses these sweeteners, feel encouraged to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ultimately making greener choices should encourage you to indulge in sustainable foods, especially as something as delicious as sweets. If these steps still seem too daunting to manage, consider eliminating High Fructose Corn Syrup from your diet. That way you can still enjoy something sweet while feeling good about avoiding a resource-intensive sweetener.

TIGHT 5

• Agave Nectar: 85% of the US consumption gets produced in Mexico.

• Candy: Americans eat on average 45 lbs. of candy per year.

• Vermont: Responsible for 50% of the US’s production of Maple Syrup.

• Honey: 38% of the US production comes from North Dakota.

• Soda: 30% of American adults consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily (soda, energy drinks etc.).