Reasons to avoid sugar, particularly applicable to non-secretors:

1. Avoiding sugar strengthens the immune system, particularly important for children as it is the safest way to boost their immune systems. Also particulary important for non-secretors who are more susceptible to many infections due to the lack of decoys (blood type antigens that germs will bind onto instead).

2. Sugar feeds candida/yeast problems. All anti-candida diets remove sugar.

3. Sugar promotes tooth decay, and non-secretors are more prone to tooth decay.

4. Sugar is concentrated carbohydrate, and carbohydrates are the enemy, especially for an O's metabolism.

Reasons to avoid artificial sweeteners:

1. Most artificial sweeteners are designed to not be digestible. Since Olestra, I tend to avoid foods that are designed to be undigestible.

2. Most artificial sweeteners break down into chemical waste in the body, some (saccharine) are probably carcinogens.

3. They may not even help weight loss. Here's an article that came out recently about that...

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/89/100381.htm

So where does that leave us?

Vegetable Glycerine! Despite it's artificial-sounding name, and the fact that I can only find it in the soap section of my Health Food store, it is not artificial. (Not to be confused with petroleum glycerine, vegetable glycerine is derived from edible vegetable oils) It is naturally occuring in the body, and almost always listed in the ingredient lists of granola bars, and protein bars. It is digestible, does have some calories, but doesn't cause blood sugar problems. It's been debated whether it is a carbohydrate or a fat, and is currently classified as a carbohydrate on food labelling, though that is still under debate. It tastes great, is twice as sweet as sugar, and works well in everything I've used it for. In moderation, of course!

Here's a previous blog on the subject:


New To Glycerine