In today’s market, we are taught to avoid anything with sugar, artificial (chemical) sweeteners, and inspect ingredients making sure to avoid anything that ends in –OSE!! But did you know that fructose can be a safe sweetener? It is true! And fructose is actually considered a low calorie sweetener!

Fructose is a monosaccharide which means a single sugar. It is extremely sweet, even sweeter than table sugar (sucrose), which means that less of it is used to obtain the same sweetness.  It may even be considered a low calorie food due to the small amount needed because of it’s sweetness. Fructose, in the natural state, has a low glycemic index which means it results in low serum glucose and insulin responses.

Naturally produced fructose and chemical fructose are not the same thing. The fructose you see listed on most ingredient labels of processed foods is usually not derived naturally from fruit or honey. This fructose is often extracted corn syrup. In the processing stage the sucrose molecule breaks down into two simple sugars- fructose and glucose. This makes this type of fructose more processed than white sugar and a very unhealthy choice. So, needless to say you need to make sure it’s natural if it’s in the ingredient panel and always buy from a trusted your source! Fructose on ‘all natural’ products are healthy to consume (in moderation) as this type of fructose is derived naturally from fruit.

We work hard to educate people on the dangers of artificial sweeteners. Besides the fact that they are very harmful to our bodies, studies have shown that they do not help with weight loss. It is our hope that after learning the dangers of the artificial man made sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose and the like, that you will choose the naturally occurring sweeteners over them at every opportunity.

It’s a little choice that matters!