Skip monk fruit
Many people are looking for ways to cut down on sugar or avoid it all together. That’s how artificial sweeteners caught on until their image became tarnished by studies indicating they cause sugar cravings, weight gain and other health issues. Now, along comes monk fruit extract marketed as a healthy natural sweetener.
Monk fruit extract is made from a melon-like fruit grown in China and long used there for medicinal purposes. The fruit produces an extract 300 times sweeter than sugar. The Food and Drug Administration classified monk fruit extract as “generally safe.”
Unfortunately, monk fruit extract is not pure monk fruit. Unless it’s 100 percent pure monk fruit, the main ingredient is probably erythritol which is added to make the monk fruit extract more manageable and spoon equivalent to sugar.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol in the same group as sorbitol and xylitol which can produce bloating, gas and digestive issues. Sugar alcohols resemble both alcohol and sugar but aren’t really either one. Your body can’t completely absorb them which means they hang around and ferment in your digestive tract and cause all kinds of issues.
I found out about these unwelcome digestive issues by inadvertently purchasing a product that said it was not sweetened with sugar but contained monk fruit extract instead. I just read that the product was unsweetened and didn’t read on to find out about the monk fruit extract.
My body is not a fan of sugar alcohols. Less than one hour after drinking the alternative milk beverage with the monk fruit extract, my digestive system basically seized up because I couldn’t digest the sugar alcohols. These symptoms stayed with me for hours.
I guess I’m not so bright because a day later I decided to give the non-dairy beverage another try. Guess what happened? The same symptoms occurred only this time were much more severe and lasted longer.
Bottom line: natural sweeteners aren’t really all that natural. If you see monk fruit extract listed on an ingredient label, be wary. If you want to try monk fruit sweetener, look for 100 percent pure monk fruit with nothing else added.
Monk fruit extract is made from a melon-like fruit grown in China and long used there for medicinal purposes. The fruit produces an extract 300 times sweeter than sugar. The Food and Drug Administration classified monk fruit extract as “generally safe.”
Unfortunately, monk fruit extract is not pure monk fruit. Unless it’s 100 percent pure monk fruit, the main ingredient is probably erythritol which is added to make the monk fruit extract more manageable and spoon equivalent to sugar.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol in the same group as sorbitol and xylitol which can produce bloating, gas and digestive issues. Sugar alcohols resemble both alcohol and sugar but aren’t really either one. Your body can’t completely absorb them which means they hang around and ferment in your digestive tract and cause all kinds of issues.
I found out about these unwelcome digestive issues by inadvertently purchasing a product that said it was not sweetened with sugar but contained monk fruit extract instead. I just read that the product was unsweetened and didn’t read on to find out about the monk fruit extract.
My body is not a fan of sugar alcohols. Less than one hour after drinking the alternative milk beverage with the monk fruit extract, my digestive system basically seized up because I couldn’t digest the sugar alcohols. These symptoms stayed with me for hours.
I guess I’m not so bright because a day later I decided to give the non-dairy beverage another try. Guess what happened? The same symptoms occurred only this time were much more severe and lasted longer.
Bottom line: natural sweeteners aren’t really all that natural. If you see monk fruit extract listed on an ingredient label, be wary. If you want to try monk fruit sweetener, look for 100 percent pure monk fruit with nothing else added.
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This content was written by Sheree Welshimer. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Sheree Welshimer for details.
