Are There Any Healthy Sugars And Sweeteners?

This episode is brought to you by ButcherBox and InsideTracker. As hunter-gatherers, we ate the equivalent of only 20 teaspoons of sugar a year. Today, we eat over 150 pounds per year per person, or half a pound per day. The average school kid eats 34 teaspoons of sugar a day. Many supermarkets and health-food stores now carry many sneaky sources of sugar disguised in unrecognizable ingredients and so-called “healthy” foods that contain as much—if not more—sugar than their regular versions. In today’s episode of my series I’m calling Health Bites, I am talking all about sugar and sweeteners. I discuss how sugar can dramatically alter your metabolism and brain chemistry, causing you to suffer intense cravings, how quitting sugar can rapidly improve your health, the different types of sugars, and what sugars we should absolutely stay away from. This episode is brought to you by ButcherBox and InsideTracker. For a limited time, new subscribers to ButcherBox will receive ground beef FOR LIFE. When you sign up today, ButcherBox will send you two pounds of 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef free in every box for the life of your subscription + $10 off. To receive this offer, go to ButcherBox.com/farmacy. InsideTracker is a personalized health and wellness platform like no other. Right now they’re offering my community 20% off at insidetracker.com/drhyman. Here are more details from the episode (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

True or False segment: busting frequent myths about sugar (5:58 / 2:15)

The problem with sugar (13:12 / 9:32)

Sugar addiction and quitting sugar (16:23 / 12:40)

The many ways to say “sugar” (20:37 / 17:25)

Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols (22:37 / 19:00)

Which natural sweeteners are better than others? (26:51 / 23:09)

Sugar production and the environment (29:43 / 25:56)

Which sweeteners to eat and which ones to avoid (33:33 / 28:55)

Mentioned in this episode Saturated fat is not the major issue Saturated Fat and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes: a Fresh Look at the Evidence A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease Can dietary saturated fat be beneficial in prevention of stroke risk? A meta-analysis Fair Trade USA Ethical Consumer Guide for honey