The Low-Down on Low-Calorie Sweeteners

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Artificial sweeteners seem to be miraculous little substances. They’re just as sweet, if not sweeter than regular sugar, and they have little to no calories! But, in a way, this seems too good to be true.

Here’s a little bit of insight from registered dietitian nutritionist Bianca Tamburello on some of the most popular artificial sweeteners.

Sugar Alcohols – Erythritol, Sorbitol, Mannitol, and Xylitol

These sugar alcohols are extracted from plants that produce berries. Sugar alcohols aren’t entirely calorie-free, but they do have significantly fewer calories than regular sugar. Specifically, sugar alcohols have only one-third to half of the calories of regular sugar.

Aspartame – Equal

Aspartame is made of an amino acid called phenylalanine, and aspartic acid. While aspartame isn’t completely calorie-free, it only has 4 calories per gram. Due to its high content of methanol, aspartame is actually carcinogenic.

Saccharin – Sweet N Low

Saccharin is an artificial sweetener that actually has 0 calories per gram. Saccharin can’t be metabolized by our bodies, so it won’t cause your blood sugar to fluctuate. While this sounds great, this artificial sweetener causes our gut microbiomes to be altered.

Sucralose – Splenda

Sucralose is made in a lab and is completely calorie-free. Sucralose is probably the most common form of artificial sweetener to be found in many sugar-free products. One downside to sucralose is that it can produce a carcinogenic substance when heated too much.

Stevia and Monk fruit

Stevia and monk fruit sweeteners are extracts from plants that are zero calorie sweeteners. Since they are plant derived, they are more natural than the other sugar alternatives. But just because they are more natural doesn’t mean that they are completely harmless. Stevia is well known for causing gut disruptions, and monk fruit doesn’t have enough evidence to be proven completely safe.

So, while these sugar alternatives might look appealing because they are low in calories and don’t cause your blood sugar to fluctuate, they aren’t completely harmless.

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Pay Attention to Unhealthy Ingredients in Beverages

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Many of us pay close attention to the ingredient labels on the foods that we eat. We know that it isn’t good to eat a lot of foods that are high in fats, sugars, and empty carbohydrates. But foods aren’t the only culprit when it comes to being full of unhealthy ingredients; beverages can be just as unhealthy.

Some of the beverages that we consume that dieticians say can be full of unhealthy ingredients include:

Energy drinks – These contain lots of artificial sugars, regular sugars, excess caffeine, and other chemicals that aren’t always the best for our health.

Teas – Unless it’s plain tea, sweetened teas contain a lot of sugar, some having as much as sodas.

Fruit juices – While they may seem healthy, fruit juices are basically all of the sugar pulled out of the fruit with none of the fiber and other nutrients that fruit has to offer.

Coffees – Unless it’s black, coffee can be made incredibly unhealthy when lots of creamers and syrups are added.

Sodas – Sodas are an obvious one, as they are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup and have absolutely no other nutritional value.

 

Excess sugars, caffeine, fats, and carbohydrates can lead to a variety of different health issues including type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, gut microbiome disruption, brain health disruption, and more. Try opting for healthier drinks such as sparkling water, plain teas, plain coffees, or matcha!

 

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Foods That Beat Bloating

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Have you ever finished a meal and then you felt all bloated inside? Maybe it was from something that you ate or maybe you overindulged a little. Other causes of bloating could be eating foods that are high in salt, eating or drinking too quickly, or battling digestive conditions.

Whatever the cause, it is definitely an uncomfortable feeling. There are certain foods that can help to relieve some of the pressure that can build up in your stomach.

These foods include:

  • Avocados
  • Yogurt
  • Ginger
  • Cucumber
  • Oats
  • Celery
  • Bananas
  • Mint
  • Fennel
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Grapefruit
  • Turmeric
  • Quinoa
  • Pineapple
  • Lemon

Each of these foods have nutrients that either reduce inflammation in the gut, activate the release of digestive enzymes, or are water and fiber rich, which helps bloats to pass through your digestive system.

Next time that you feel a bloat coming on, or if you know that you are prone to bloating, try incorporating some of these foods into your meals or snacks!

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Fill Up on Fiber!

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Did you know that only 7% of adults in the United States get enough fiber? That means that the remaining 93% of us are significantly lacking in our intake of this important nutrient.

Gift of CSA share

Fill up on fiber with fruits, vegetables, nuts and more.

According to registered dietician Novella Lui, fiber is a type of carbohydrate that can’t be digested or absorbed. There are two kinds of fiber, soluble, which forms a gel when combined with water, and insoluble, which doesn’t dissolve in water. Both kinds of fiber can provide a whole bunch of health benefits such as preventing constipation, stabilizing blood sugar, improving gut health, helping to maintain a healthy weight, and lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes are full of fiber, but the following are some foods that have an exceptional amount of fiber in them!

  • Artichokes
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Kale
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Collard Greens
  • Beets
  • Beet Greens
  • Turnip Greens
  • Mustard Greens

Arizona agriculture grows lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and legumes! Next time that you’re out grocery shopping, choose locally grown products so that you support Arizona farmers while getting high-quality fiber while you’re at it!

For more articles about fiber, or for more information about finding locally grown produce, check out the Fill Your Plate website!

 

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Healthy Coffee Additives if Black Coffee Isn’t for You

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

One of my favorite things about also working at a coffee shop as my main job is getting to answer customers when they ask me for a coffee recommendation. Most of them expect me to have some complex, fancy drink with all these flavors, toppings, and more. But really, all I drink is black coffee, whether it be just straight espresso shots, black cold brew, or black americanos. After giving me a weird look for a second, most of them tell me that I’m crazy, or they compliment me and say they wish they could keep their coffee that healthy.

While coffee in general is chock full of health benefits, what you add or don’t add to it also contributes to its healthfulness. Many coffees, especially those from a coffee shop are full of added sugars from the flavored syrups, and lots of calories from both the milk and creamer as well as the syrups. This is why drinking your coffee black is the healthiest way to drink it.

But black coffee isn’t for everyone, so here are a few ideas on ways to flavor and add to your coffee without making it too high in sugar or calories!

Go for just milk.

If you want to cut back on the amount of sugar in your coffee, just adding a few ounces of milk, half and half, or heavy cream takes away the bitter acidity in the coffee and makes it smooth and creamy. In my opinion, you don’t even miss the lack of sweetness, and you can enjoy the flavor of the coffee without the interference of the sugary flavor.

Use flavored extracts.

If you like your coffee flavored but don’t want the hefty amount of sugar that comes along with those flavored syrups, try adding a few drops of a flavored extract. Vanilla, hazelnut, almond, and others are great.

Add spices to your coffee grounds.

While this might sound a little crazy, don’t knock it till you try it! Whether you’re pulling espresso or brewing a pot of drip, shake a little cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever spice you like into your coffee grounds before brewing it. It adds a nice spiciness to your coffee, and with cinnamon especially, it adds some natural sweetness to it!

The nice thing about coffee is that you can tailor it any way that you like, and there are plenty of ways to flavor it and add milk to it without making it too unhealthy.

Want to read more about coffee? Check out these articles from Fill Your Plate!

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