Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Hello Terry, “I have been trying to avoid sugar and all simple carbohydrates. My friend suggested that I use fructose as a sweetener. Supposedly this is different from sugar. What do you think?” — Amanda G, Pasco, WA

A. Dear Amanda, My answer is straightforward and simple. Don’t use any sweetener, but get your natural sugars from the fruits and vegetables you eat. If you absolutely must use a sweetener for coffee or tea, I would suggest using honey or stevia. I would never use fructose. It is a simple carbohydrate and has a very negative impact on measures of the glycemic impact of food. Lots of folks think fructose is great because fructose is in fruit. However, in fruit, the fructose is very complex and is metabolized quite differently than the fructose you find on the grocery store shelf. It is not a natural sugar. Fructose is usually produced from corn, and one particularly bad form is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is unnatural and has been linked to many health concerns. Please avoid all artificial sweeteners as there is nothing good to say about them.

Healthy regards!

Terry . . . Naturally