Discussion Assignment
Please read Section 4.7, The Food Industry: Functional Attributes of Carbohydrates and the Use of Sugar Substitutes, from your textbook, An Introduction to Nutrition. Does your diet include any of these types of sugar substitutes? Please discuss if you agree or disagree with the use of sugar substitutes (both from naturally-based and artificially-based).
Reference
Zimmerman, M., & Snow, B. (2012). 2.4 National Goals for Nutrition and Health: Healthy People 2020. In An Introduction to Nutrition, V1.0. Unnamed Publisher.
1. Does your diet include any of these types of sugar substitutes?
There are two types of sugar substitutes which are natural and artificial substances. An example of a naturally-based sugar substitute is Pectin. "Pectin is a type of starch, called a heteropolysaccharide, that occurs naturally in the cell walls of fruits and vegetables", and "usually commercial pectins are made from citrus rinds" (Timberlake, 2022, para.1). Pectin is found in jams, gummies, and cakes. An example of artificially-based sugar substitutes is Acesulfame-K. It is found in zero-calorie beverages, such as coke or cider.
2. Please discuss if you agree or disagree with the use of sugar substitutes (both from naturally-based and artificially-based).
I agree with the use of both sugar substitutes. Those substances contribute to the supply of various kinds of goods cheaply and stably. Also, artificial sweeteners are mostly zero-calorie, so they might help people on a diet to limit their calorie intake (Zimmerman & Snow, 2012).
However, I personally have no experience of dieting successfully by eating beverages or sweets containing these artificial sweeteners while on a diet. It often makes people think it is okay to eat a lot of these because they have zero calories. As a result, they may end up consuming more calories. For example, 500 milliliters of coke is 225 calories (self-calculation), but if they drink with a 500-calorie hamburger, it will be 725 calories. As you know, a set of french fries will have nearly 1000 calories. But if they drink a zero-calorie Coke instead of a regular Coke, they feel less guilty and hesitant about eating hamburgers and fries.
Therefore, I agree with those use, whether natural or artificial substances, but both can be harmful if overused.
Reference
Timberlake, S. (2022). Learn about using pectin in your jams and jellies. The Spruce Eats. Retrieved from https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-pectin-1327810
Zimmerman, M., & Snow, B. (2012). 2.4 National Goals for Nutrition and Health: Healthy People 2020. In An Introduction to Nutrition, V1.0. Unnamed Publisher. Retrieved from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-nutrition/s08-07-the-food-industry-functional-a.html
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