Many people often ask PhytoFairy whether PHHP products contain any sugars. If you are interested in food ingredients, you might find that the word "stevia leaf" often appears in the ingredient list. What exactly are stevia leaves?

Stevia leaf is a natural sugar substitute. As the name suggests, sugar substitute is a substitution of sugar. It is different from sucrose, fructose, and glucose that are usually added to food. It has extremely high sweetness as well as having low calorie content. Therefore, it is often used to be added to food or beverages.

There are two types of sugar substitutes:

1. Artificial sweeteners:

Low or even no calories, but hundreds times sweeter than sucrose, and therefore it is common to be added in the diabetic diet to replace general sugar content. Saccharin, Aspartame, and Acesulfame-K are the examples of this category of sugar substitutes.

2. Natural sweeteners:

Steviol Glycoside is a glycoside extracted from stevia leaves. It is 300 times sweeter than white sugar, has no calories and is unlikely to cause weight gain.

Sugar Alcohols: such as Xylitol extracted from birch, corn and other plants. However, we should be noted that the sugar substitutes of sugar alcohols still contain calories. Although the calories are lower than that of sugar, consuming great amount of it would still make us put on weight and increase our blood sugar level.

Honey is also a natural sweetener, but it contains fructose, so it may still affect our blood sugar. Since the digestive system of babies under the age of 1 is not fully developed, it is not recommended for consumption.

If you want to choose a sugar substitute, stevia leaves may be the healthiest choice. Although sugar alcohols and other natural sweeteners have less effect on blood sugar than granulated sugar, we should still consume carefully.

However, PhytoFairy still want to emphasise that although sugar substitutes can help manage body weight and blood sugar, they are not a panacea for the health problems and should be used in moderation. Foods that are advertised as sugar-free or lowsugar on the market are not completely calorie-free. Although sugar substitutes are used to replace sugar, we should pay attention to the fat content of the product because it is one of the source of calorie too!

So "sugar substitute" is not completely suitable for everyone! When making a choice, you may learn more about the types of sugar substitutes and your personal needs first! This is what I wanted to share with you today, remember to share it with your loved ones ~ may everyone learn the difference of sugar substitutes and eat healthily!