zjz470

Quitting refined sugar can be tough.

But given how incredibly harmful sugar can be, it’s definitely worth the effort.

Luckily, there are quite a few sweeteners found in nature that are actually good for your health.

They are low in calories, low in fructose and taste very sweet.

Here are 3 natural sweeteners that are truly healthy.



1. Stevia

Stevia is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener that can lower both blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

It’s extracted from the leaves of a plant called Stevia rebaudiana.

This plant has been grown for sweetness and medicinal purposes for centuries in South America.

Several sweet compounds are found in stevia leaves. The main ones are stevioside and rebaudioside A. Both are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, gram for gram.

Therefore, stevia is very sweet but has virtually no calories.

Additionally, a few human-based studies suggest stevia has health benefits:

Stevia can lower high blood pressure in people with hypertension by 6–14%. However, it has no effect on blood pressure that is normal or only mildly elevated.
Stevia has also been shown to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes (4).

Several studies in rats show that stevia can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol and reduce plaque build up in the arteries.

If you need to sweeten something, stevia may be your healthiest choice.

However, many people greatly dislike the taste of stevia. The flavor depends on the brand though, so you may need to experiment to find a type of stevia you like.



2. Erythritol

Erythritol is a very sweet and low-calorie sugar alcohol. Studies show that it’s very safe to eat, although it can cause digestive problems at high doses.

It’s a sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits. However, powdered erythritol available for purchase is most likely made via an industrial process.

It contains 0.24 calories per gram, or about 6% of the calories in an equal amount of sugar, with 70% of the sweetness.

Erythritol doesn spike blood sugar or insulin levels and has no effect on blood lipids like cholesterol or triglycerides.

It’s absorbed into the body from the intestine but eventually excreted from the kidneys unchanged.

Studies show that erythritol is very safe. However, as with other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive issues if you consume too much at a time.

Erythritol tastes very much like sugar, although it can have a mild aftertaste.

Although erythritol doesn’t seem to have any health benefits, it certainly doesn appear to be harmful in any way and is better tolerated than most other sugar alcohols.



3. Xylitol

Xylitol is a very popular sweetener. It’s a sugar alcohol containing about 2.4 calories per gram. It has some dental benefits. In rats, it may improve bone density and lower the risk of osteoporosis.

Xylitol doesn raise blood sugar or insulin levels. However, as with other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive side effects at high doses.

If you have a dog at home, you might want to keep xylitol out of its reach since it’s highly toxic to dogs.

With the improvement of people’s health awareness, sweeteners are more and more widely used. These sweeteners can stimulate the taste buds, but will not be absorbed by the body. They are very good sugar substitutes.

But there are many types of sweeteners, how to choose healthier sweeteners? A healthy sweetener should have the following characteristics:

(1) High sweetness and low calories. As a sugar substitute, sweeteners have the advantages of high sweetness and low usage.

(2) It has additional health benefits. In addition to providing sweetness, some sweeteners can also supplement other nutrients, such as micronutrients.

2(3) Does not raise blood sugar. The glycemic index is used to measure the degree of elevated blood sugar and insulin levels. High blood sugar sweeteners can cause fat storage, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and increased oxidation.

Among the natural sweeteners, Mogroside, stevia, and erythritol are all healthy sweeteners suitable for low-calorie products.

Stevia helps reduce the peak blood sugar and insulin levels after meals.

Mogroside is rich in vitamins and has no calories.

Erythritol has low calories and is an antioxidant polyol, so it helps to reduce the body’s oxidation by scavenging free radicals.

Plant fermentation liquid, commonly known as "enzymes", is a traditional fermented food in Taiwan, Japan and other places.

Botanical fermentation broth is a mixture of fresh vegetables, fruits, medicinal and traditional Chinese medicine and other plant raw materials, which are extracted through juicing or extraction process and then fermented by probiotics to produce a broth rich in biological enzymes, probiotics, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, organic acids, polysaccharides and other nutrients.

Through fermentation, the shelf life, flavor, and texture of raw materials are greatly improved, while undesirable ingredients are removed and beneficial ingredients are added.

Research shows that plant fermentation broth has antioxidant, anti-fatigue, anti-cancer, gastrointestinal and other effects; composition analysis shows that plant fermentation broth is rich in carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, phenols, polysaccharides and some special functional factors, all of which are the basic energy substances.



Application in sports drinks



Sports drinks mainly contain three types of basic substances: water, sugar and electrolytes, and their mechanism of action is to replenish the body with energy and electrolytes during and after exercise, so as to reduce damage to the body and speed up recovery after exercise.

The addition of specific functional factors such as natural plant extracts, which are beneficial to the improvement of athletes bodily functions and do not contain doping ingredients, to the basic ingredients of sports drinks essentially enhances the bodys anti-fatigue ability, thus supplementing the inadequacy of commercially available sports drinks and promoting the product upgrade of sports drinks.

Many traditional Chinese medicines have obvious anti-exercise fatigue effects, such as lily and goji berries, burdock, yam, carnation, asparagus and other vegetables of the same source of medicine and food, while they contain a variety of vitamin C, amino acids, proteins, fiber, polysaccharides, trace elements and functional factors beneficial to health.

Vegetable ferment is made from fresh fruits and vegetables, rich in all kinds of natural vitamins and minerals, and can replenish the body with the right amount of electrolytes and nutrients.

The fermentation liquid obtained through microbial fermentation of plant raw materials has a sweet but not greasy taste and a unique and pure flavor, which can enhance the athletes appetite and willingness to drink to some extent and provide physicochemical advantages for the development of sports drinks.

At the same time, through the decomposition of microorganisms, plant fermentation broth contains a large number of small molecules of oligosaccharide components, which are easy to be absorbed by the body, can replenish sugar and energy, and relieve exercise fatigue.

Enzymes have a low pH and are acidic and alkaline. When absorbed by the human body, they can reduce the accumulation of lactic acid during exercise and promote recovery after exercise.

Enzymes are rich in nutrients and the production process is natural and environmentally friendly, no preservatives or other exogenous substances are added.



Development of sports drinks

Plant fermentation broth is derived from natural fruits and vegetables and is rich in oligosaccharides and polysaccharides and other carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, phenols and amino acids. These substances are not only the basic materials to provide energy, but also part of the electrolyte. The plant fermentation broth products that add specific antibody fatigue will improve the human body’s anti-fatigue ability.

After a certain process design, the plant fermentation broth can be developed to be resistant to fatigue. Functional sports drink with fatigue effect. The reference technical route is as follows: plant raw material composition, a specific extract, a natural fermentation broth, a graded plant fermentation broth product, a sports drink basic substance, a product formulation, a product quality inspection, a packaging, and the finished product.

Soy protein isolate is a full-valued protein food additive produced from low-temperature desolvable soybean meal. Soy protein isolate is an important plant protein product, rich in nutrients, cholesterol-free, and is one of the few plant proteins that can replace animal protein. It has been widely used in food and other industries, and its protein content is over 90%. The digestive utilization rate can reach 93%～97%.

Soy protein isolate contains 8 essential amino acids and the content of some amino acids exceeds the FA0/WHO recommended standard. It is mainly composed of 11S and 7S globulin, and the protein composition is balanced with the eight essential amino acids, especially lysine.

It also contains a large number of essential fatty acids, phospholipids and rich calcium, phosphorus and other minerals beneficial to human health and does not contain cholesterol, which makes it more effective than meat. When mixed with other foods, it can significantly improve the nutritional value of the original food.


Soybean Protein Isolates in Meat Products


Using the functional properties of soy protein isolate, we produce a variety of meat-like products without or instead of meat, but with the flavor and taste of natural meat products, high protein, low fat, no cholesterol, and high nutritional value.

The main use of soy protein isolate in meat processing is its water-holding and gelling properties, which can improve product texture, tissue characteristics (cut, tenderness, taste) and surface morphology, reduce dehydration shrinkage, and stabilize product quality.


Application of Soy Protein Isolate in Baked Food



In the production of bread, adding up to 5% of soy protein isolate can increase the volume of bread, improve the color of the crust, the sensory quality of bread and nutritional value have an obvious role (such as the protein content of bread products can be increased, the volume increases, the texture is soft, good flavor, nutritional supplement effect is obvious), but also to extend the shelf life of the product.

Adding soy protein isolate to cookies can improve water retention, prevent water loss, improve the sensory flavor and appearance of the product, shorten the mixing time of the dough, make the product easy to delaminate, reduce product fragmentation, and effectively improve the shelf life of the product.



Application of soy protein isolate in dairy products



Soy protein isolate as a new type of functional additive. It is the trend in the milk powder processing industry to add it to special formulas. By adding a certain proportion of soy protein isolate to milk powder, animal protein can be combined with vegetable protein.

Soy protein and cows milk protein have similar isoelectric points, so it is feasible to produce dual-protein compound yogurt. The main raw materials are cows milk and soybean protein. The active lactobacillus beverage made through lactobacillus fermentation has very little difference in flavor and taste from ordinary yogurt, which not only has the inherent characteristics of yogurt, but also complements animal and plant proteins and has a reasonable balance in nutritional structure.



Application of soy protein isolate in canned products



Soy protein, also known as vegetarian meat, has a protein content of more than 50% and contains 8 essential amino acids. It is a high-protein nutritional food that can be processed into canned plant protein meat, making it a portable, convenient food with high nutritional value.

Protect joint cartilage ingredients

Joint damage is the most common sports injury. Maintaining joint health and reducing joint damage are the main functions of this type of food. Its main functional factors include essential fatty acids, pantothenic acid, vitamins, calcium, hydrolytic proteases, glucosamine, chondroitin, methanesulfonyl methane, and S-adenosyl methyl sulfide. Acid, collagen and soy isoflavones, etc.

As collagen is the main component of articular cartilage tissue, it is responsible for constructing the framework of cartilage tissue and shaping it. Therefore, supplementing an appropriate amount of high-quality hydrolyzed collagen can maintain the function of the bodys own cartilage tissue and protect the joints from damage.

Chondroitin sulfate has lubricating and supporting functions in joints. Its products are mainly composed of chondroitin sulfate or glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. It can be used as a dietary supplement to protect joints. The recommended intake of chondroitin sulfate is 1500mg/d .


Ingredients for improving muscle mass

There are two main types of substances used to increase muscle size and contractility: (1) high-quality protein and amino acids with high biological activity as raw materials for muscle protein synthesis; (2) substances that promote muscle synthesis and improve muscle contraction, such as creatine, kidney and yang Chinese medicine preparations, chromium, boron, vitamins and zinc, etc.

Taurine is a very rich amino acid in normal human muscles. It is a sports nutritional supplement that promotes rapid muscle growth. It can inhibit the decomposition of muscle protein and make muscles bigger and stronger. Commercial products generally add taurine to fruit juice containing calcium, magnesium, potassium and other minerals and nutrients to make sports drinks.

Studies have shown that short-term creatine supplementation can increase the storage of creatine phosphate. The increase in creatine and creatine phosphate storage can maintain the ATP level during high-intensity exercise and promote the regeneration of creatine phosphate during the intermittent period of repeated high-intensity exercise. synthesis. Therefore, short-term creatine supplementation can increase muscle contractility and single sprint capacity.

Supplementing ribose can increase the average power and maximum power of repetitive full-strength exercises, allowing skeletal muscle cells to use stored energy more effectively during exercise.



Weight control ingredients

L-Carnitine, or carnitine, is a safe and effective nutritional supplement that promotes the oxidation and decomposition of fatty acids. It can promote the oxidation and decomposition of fatty acids into mitochondria, and is a carrier of fatty acids.

In long-term high-intensity exercise, L-carnitine increases the oxidation rate of fat, reduces glycogen consumption, and also delays fatigue.

Carnitine has been used in mass weight loss, fat loss and anti-fatigue for competitive athletes. Many nutritional supplement manufacturers use L-carnitine as the main ingredient of diet food.



Prevent exercise-induced anemia

Athletes can adopt comprehensive prevention and treatment measures when iron storage declines or low hemoglobin occurs, including: (1) Chinese medicine for blood production; (2) iron supplementation for blood; (3) oxygen free radical antagonism; (4) red blood cell protection.

In sports training, we cannot overcome the factors that destroy red blood cells, but we can take more antioxidants, such as increasing the intake of nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B12, and selenium to protect red blood cells and reduce exercise effects. Destruction of red blood cells.

After exercise, sufficient protein should be added in time to prepare sufficient raw materials for the accelerated synthesis of red blood cells.



Ingredients that increase energy storage and utilization

Malto-oligosaccharide is a new type of sugar source, mainly composed of maltose, maltotriose, maltotetraose to maltooctaose, without dextrin, and is a new type of nutritional sweetness obtained by the action of specific malto-oligosaccharide enzymes on starch. Flavoring agent, has the effect of prolonging the bodys energy supply, strengthening the bodys endurance and working function.



Anti-oxidant ingredients

Common functional factors are SOD (superoxide dismutase), lycopene, capsaicin, allicin, genistein, puerarin and auxiliary enzymes. In addition, searching for substances that can scavenge free radicals from natural foods is a very active research field in recent years.

Many natural foods have been found to have the effect of scavenging free radicals, such as wolfberry, shiitake mushrooms, ginkgo, ganoderma, tea, mung beans, ginseng, gynostemma pentaphylla, bee pollen, sea buckthorn, soft dates, kiwi juice, mountain plant juice, green bamboo plum, ginger, garlic And fis