Natural Sweeteners examples:

Stevia sweeteners are calorie-free sweeteners manufactured by Stevia Rebaudiona. It may be used to reduce added sugar consumption without sacrificing the flavor, and an approximate range of 200-350 times sweeter than sugar, and a teaspoon of stevia is as sweet as a cup of sugar. Moreover, stevia sweeteners can be utilized in canned fruits, sauces, dairy products, baked goods, cereals, chocolates, confections, syrups, and beverages like diet sodas, low-sugar juices, and flavored waters. Some individuals find the aftertaste of stevia unpleasant due to its bitterness and would want an alternative sweetener.

Monk fruit sweeteners are likewise made from a tiny, Asian native melon and as well have no calories. There are several varieties of monk fruits, including baked, powdered, brown, and golden. It’s typically between 100 and 250 times sweeter than table sugar. It has an advantage over stevia sweeteners due to its stability when exposed to heat, with an aftertaste of monk fruit that is pleasant compared to stevia. Monk fruit sweeteners are another option that some people use to cut calories in baked products. Substituting monk fruit sweeteners for sugar in recipes may lead to slightly different results in texture and volume due to sugar’s role beyond sweetness. Additionally, the monk fruit extract is a concentrated sweetener made from the mogrosides in the monk fruit, which is highly processed and sweeter than sugar.

Artificial Sweeteners are a type of sweetener, that is also calorie-free yet has a powerful flavor and has no calories and is either broken down into many components or not broken down at all and is derived from plant extracts that are used in chemical synthesis. They can be 200- 700 times sweeter than table sugar, and are typically found in dairy products, sugar-free candies, and soft drinks.

Exposure to artificial sweeteners can permanently modify a person’s taste for sweetness, increasing their lifetime sugar intake. Moreover, it may also prevent a person from understanding the fundamental relationships between sweet flavors and calorie delivery, which could have a negative impact on metabolic process regulation. There are several examples of artificial sweeteners such as Advantame, Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharine (Sweet n Low), Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and Sucralose. Artificial sweeteners may change the gut microbiota’s makeup, which leads to metabolic dysregulation, and might attach the individual’s nervous system to the dopamine-releasing sweetness. Some studies have shown that artificial sweeteners are addictive, and when people consume a lot of these sweeteners, there might be a chance to have some serious health conditions like metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and obesity.

In summary, both sweeteners share similarities in reducing calorie intake and substituting sugar with a healthier option. However, they differ in sweetness levels and other factors. For instance, various research suggested that natural sweeteners are a safer option than artificial sweeteners since they are often less processed and have stronger nutritional benefits, and antioxidants that contribute to overall health and well-being, so customers distinguish them positively. To illustrate, for individuals with diabetes, sweeteners are a safer choice as they do not raise blood sugar levels as regular sugar does.

References:

Artificial sweeteners (no date) Artificial Sweeteners – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/artificial-sweeteners (Accessed: 01 July 2024).

Artificial vs. natural sweeteners: The inside scoop on Sugar Substitutes (2024) Gundersen Health System. Available at: https://www.gundersenhealth.org/health-wellness/eat-move/artificial-vs-natural-sweeteners-the-inside-scoop-on-sugar-substitutes (Accessed: 01 July 2024).

Author links open overlay panelRoberto Castro-Muñoz a b et al. (2021) Natural sweeteners: Sources, extraction and current uses in foods and Food Industries, Food Chemistry. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030881462101997X (Accessed: 29 June 2024).

Bramlet, K. (no date) Artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners: What to know, MD Anderson Cancer Center. Available at: https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/artificial-sweeteners-natural-sweeteners.h23-1591413.html (Accessed: 29 June 2024).

Cleveland Clinic (2024) This is what makes artificial sweeteners so bad for you, Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/whats-worse-sugar-or-artificial-sweetener (Accessed: 01 July 2024).

Facts about sugar and sugar substitutes (2024) Johns Hopkins Medicine. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/facts-about-sugar-and-sugar-substitutes (Accessed: 01 July 2024).

Food Insight (2023) Everything you need to know about monk fruit sweeteners, Food Insight. Available at: https://foodinsight.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-monk-fruit-sweeteners/ (Accessed: 29 June 2024).

Food Insight (2024) Everything you need to know about stevia sweeteners, Food Insight. Available at: https://foodinsight.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-stevia-sweeteners/ (Accessed: 29 June 2024).

In our rush to “get it all done” at the office and at home, it’s easy to forget that as our stress levels spike, our productivity plummets. Stress can zap our concentration, make us irritable or depressed, and harm our personal and professional relationships.

Over time, stress weakens our immune systems, and makes us susceptible to a variety of ailments from colds to backaches to heart disease. Latest research shows that chronic stress can actually double our risk of having a heart attack. That statistic alone is enough to raise your blood pressure! Moreover, stressed people are more likely to be overweight and face difficulties in losing the extra pounds due to the high cortisol levels!

The key to managing stress lies in that one magic word: balance. Not only is achieving a healthy work-life balance an attainable goal but workers and businesses alike see the rewards. When workers are balanced and happy, they are more productive, take fewer sick days, and are more likely to stay in their jobs.

Setting manageable goals each day, being efficient with your time, Communicating effectively, staying active, treating your body right and staying healthy at work are all essential in order to create this balance and wellbeing at the workplace. And in this article, we will emphasize on few practical tips that help employees stay healthy at work, so they can reduce their levels of stress:

1. Plan ahead

Planning can really help you have healthy meals and snacks no matter how busy things get. Set aside time each week to make a meal plan and shopping list. Keep to it each week. Once you get into the habit of planning, you will need less time. This will save you time in the supermarket and the kitchen and probably help you control your food choices and portion size.

2. Meal Preparation

One of the clues for eating healthy and keeping normal body weights in our busy life is preparing our meals and having a meal plan for the whole week. Spend an hour or two on Sunday tackling some of the week’s cooking. Think small, like cleaning and chopping veggies in advance. Or, go bigger, and make your stew, soup or slow-cooker dinner in full on Sunday.

3. Stay Hydrated

Keeping hydrated is associated with better mental performance and cognition and combating tiredness, so it’s in your best interests to drink the recommended daily water intake to keep mentally alert in the workplace. Fill your water bottle once you arrive to work and keep it on your desk as a water-drinking reminder.

4. Keep healthy snacks at your office

Having nutritious snacks to eat during the workday can help you stay energized and productive. Some great options for healthy snacks include nuts, low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, vegetable sticks with hummus or peanut butter, or even a few squares of dark chocolate. Keeping these snacks in a desk drawer or shelf can make it easier for you to grab something nutritious when hunger strikes.

5. Take small regular breaks

It’s essential to take short breaks throughout the day to rest your eyes, stretch your muscles, and clear your mind. This can help prevent burnout and improve focus.

6. Stay active:

Aside from its well-known physical benefits, regular exercise reduces stress, depression and anxiety, enables people to better cope with adversity, and prevents weight gain according to researchers. It’ll also boost your immune system and keep you out of the doctor’s office. Make time in your schedule for the gym or to take a walk during lunch—and have some fun! Choose the stairs instead of the elevator at work to stay active.

7. Fuel your body.

A tasty smoothie, a piece of fruit, or a handful of your preferred nuts/dried         fruit/leftover veggies from the night before will make all the difference in your day. The people who consume unhealthily fried foods or foods loaded with preservatives will crash and burn much earlier than those who load up on nutritional foods that provide energy reserve for your cells.

Keeping yourself well at work involves maintaining your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Sometimes, you just to add small modifications to your daily routine to make you feel better and more productive.

In this article we will go through the definition of intermittent fasting, exploring its various types, physiological mechanisms, and evidence-based outcomes on health and wellness.

To start with, intermittent fasting refers to an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating called eating window, meaning of having specific periods of eating and fasting. It does not say anything about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them.

There are various types of intermittent fasting:

1. Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF): This involves limiting daily eating to a specific window of time, typically 8-10 hours, followed by a fasting period of 14-16 hours.
2. Alternate-Day Fasting (ADF): This approach alternates between days of normal eating and very low-calorie intake or complete fasting days.
3. 5:2 Diet: Participants eat normally for five days of the week and consume significantly fewer calories (around 500-600) on the remaining two days.
4. Eat Stop Eat: Involves a 24-hour fast once or twice per week.

Intermittent fasting triggers various physiological effects in the body, such as metabolic and cellular responses, here are some of the main physiological effects of intermittent fasting in the body:

1. Insulin level: Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar (glucose) levels. When you consume carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. In response to rising blood glucose levels after a meal, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream, Insulin facilitates the transport & uptake of glucose by body cells and storage of excess glucose as glycogen in the liver and muscles for later use. In intermittent fasting Your blood level of insulindrops significantly, which promotes fat burning by emptying the glycogen storage first then heading to the fat cells to have energy.
2. Human growth hormone (HGH) level:Your blood level of HGH may increase dramatically. Higher levels of this hormone promote fat burning and muscle gain and have numerous other benefits.
3. Cellular repair:Your body starts important cellular repair processes such as removing waste material from cells.
4. Gene expression:Beneficial changes occur in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease.

There are several health benefits of IF, these include:

1. Weight Loss and Body Composition: IF can aid weight loss by reducing calorie intake and enhancing fat oxidation
2. Brain Function: Some studies suggest that intermittent fasting supports brain health by enhancing cognitive function and protecting against neurodegenerative diseases.
3. Reducing body inflammation including asthma, arthritis and other diseases
4. Blood sugar Reduction thus increases insulin sensitivity
5. Cardiovascular Health: IF may improve heart health by lowering blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

Intermittent fasting represents a promising dietary strategy with various health benefits supported by scientific evidence. Its effects on metabolism, cellular processes, and overall health warrant further research to optimize its application in clinical and public health settings.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29754952/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31804775/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31525701/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30897855/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8839325/