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The many benefits of low-calories sweeteners
Eat and drink with pleasure ... and sensibly
In our affluent society, hunger and thirst are often only secondary reasons for eating and drinking. Increasingly, we look for taste and enjoyment, even when we only have time to snatch some fast food or a snack. Today, we like to combine the basic necessities of life with conversation, a friendly atmosphere and perhaps trying out some new culinary delight.
Sweet foods have always been a temptation. Even babies respond to a sweet taste with an expression that says, "I'm happy, I like this". In fact humans and other mammals have an innate preference for a sweet taste and, as it is a genetically determined inheritance, even the best arguments will sometimes be insufficient to persuade us not to enjoy that sweet treat. A sweet taste, moreover, has always been an instinctive criterion in selecting safe food, thereby serving the survival of the species, whilst bitter substances signal caution.
In former times, people rarely got as much energy as they actually needed. However, since the 1960's this situation has radically changed. Today we eat more than we need and we consume too much fat and sugar, whilst complex carbohydrates and roughage form a relatively low part of our diet.
Low-calorie sweeteners are the only means of giving food a sweet taste without increasing its calorie content. Many consumers now use low-calorie sweeteners regularly to sweeten food or drinks, or they buy finished products prepared with low-calorie sweeteners.
European food law defines where and in which amounts low-calorie sweeteners may be used and how they should be labelled. A broad variety of low-calorie products is now available to those consumers who do not wish to make any compromises regarding taste while maintaining a balanced diet low on calories. Low-calorie sweeteners therefore contribute towards consumer choice.
The ISA publication "Sweeteners in all confidence" gives a detailed introduction to the world of low-calorie sweeteners…download the complete publication here (pdf).