Aspartame, used as an artificial sweetener in several products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to chewing gum, is set to be listed as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) cancer arm.
This has led to a debate about how much of the additive a person can safely consume without it turning harmful, as well as whether artificial sweeteners like aspartame have any nutritional value. The WHO report comes after an observational study conducted in France in 2022 that showed that adults who consumed larger amounts of artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, had a slightly elevated cancer risk.
Products like aspartame are generally used by consumers as artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes for weight loss and diet control. While being 200 times sweeter than sugar, aspartame also has a lower calorie count, making it a popular choice in products like diet colas, zero-sugar desserts, chewing gums, and even sugar-free cough drops.
However, nutritionists and doctors in India have cracked down on this FDA-approved substance for a long time. Integrative lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho has described it as a "scam by the food lobby," explaining that aspartame has a negative impact on the gut. He adds, "Have jaggery or sugar if you must. But artificial sweeteners aren’t meant for human consumption."
Dr. Anoop Misra, Chairman of Fortis CDOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences, has also urged people to be mindful of what they consume since artificial sweeteners are not risk-free.
In a recent Tweet following the WHO’s report, nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar pointed out the "tall claims" being made by products that say they are healthier "because they used a sugar substitute." In fact, in her book, Eating in the Age of Dieting, she has instead advocated that to beat diabetes, instead of cutting sugar, it is better to stop an unregulated intake of biscuits, crackers, and digestives. In the Tweet too, she adds that consuming cola is unhealthy to begin with.
So, while refined white sugar is high in calorie content and is best avoided in weight-loss regimes, artificial sweeteners like aspartame also pose a considerable risk to the body. There are, however, several natural sweeteners that could be added to food cooked at home to ensure reduced consumption of sugar while avoiding the use of artificial products. Read on below for some natural sugar substitutes that can be part of our daily diet:
Honey
Putting honey on toast, in cereal, or on top of fruits is a great alternative to dusting sugar over a plateful of food. Honey is an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agent, making it ideal for consumption, particularly in cooler climes. Honey can also be used to soothe a sore throat, and its saccharine quality is enough to add sweetness to any breakfast bowl.
Jaggery
In most Indian households, jaggery, or gud, is a staple sweetener used for whipping up several delicious desserts. Jaggery is also a preferred sweetener in ladoos, karanjis, and other sweet treats, a far healthier option than sugar. Adding jaggery to tea instead of sugar is a better substitute than artificial sweeteners, although diabetics ought to be careful about the quantity of gud consumed because jaggery is also a less refined form of sugar.
Freshly Grated Coconut
Mixing fresh coconut and jaggery together is what makes the delightful modak a favourite during several festivals and celebrations. In recent years, coconut sugar has also been incorporated into dessert recipes as an alternative to high-calorie icing sugar. However, nothing beats the airiness of freshly grated coconut, which is a great way to infuse sweetness into home-cooked meals.
Dates
Dry fruits like dates are great natural substitutes for refined sugar because of their exceedingly sweet taste. To be used in baking cupcakes or brownies, dates are a great way to reduce the intake of processed sugar. Dates are also a good source of fibre, potassium, and vitamin B6, making them a much more appealing choice in place of artificial sweeteners.
Molasses
Known as kakvi in Marathi, molasses is acquired just moments before sugarcane turns into gud and is an exceedingly sweet, brown, and syrupy liquid that makes a good substitute for direct intake of refined sugar. However, while molasses contains several antioxidants, it is still a form of sugar and should be consumed in moderate proportions.