Staff Photo by Allison Carter/Chattanooga Times Free Press – Feb 15, 2011 – A variety of different sweeteners are available to sweeten beverages and foods such as honey, Agave nectar, regular sugar, corn syrup, Splenda and a variety of different packaged sugars.Sugar is still sweet, in moderation, experts say.
With many options of sweetening agents available-processed or raw sugar, Stevia or Sweet’n Low, honey or agave-local dietary experts say nothing need be eliminated entirely. The key is to indulge the sweet tooth judiciously.
The American Heart Association recommends women limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or six teaspoons, per day. For men, the recommended limits are 150 calories or nine teaspoons.
“It breaks down to moderation, but you have to be an informed consumer about what you’re buying,” said Brian Jones, registered dietitian at Memorial Hospital. “There’s not one sweetener I would brand as the devil.”
Questions surrounding the safety of artificial sweeteners have been circulating for decades.