Every time I see someone praise an alternative ingredient as "organic" or "natural" and therefore "so much better", I can't help remembering a Pratchett quote: “It contained herbs and all natural ingredients. But belladonna was an herb, and arsenic was natural.”
11:11 just came up, thought about complaining in the comments, looked back at the screen and saw your comment. It's lovely coincidences like these that give me life~
Everyone on the internet: “you must do this, it IS healthier. Can’t explain it just is” Ann Reardon: “let me explain everything to you so that you easily understand it even if you don’t get science”
The best eating advice I've heard is "eat balanced meals in moderation." No bans on any food unless it's medically contraindicated (ex. allergies), and no suggestions to substitute anything.
@@maurice2572 The information in this video is wrong, trust me I lost 120lbs in a year or two. Maple syrop is gods water compared to high fructose syrop. Also im canadian I know maple syrop ive used many liters of pure maple syrop in just the past few months, and ive actually gotten fitter
@@ferdtheterd3897 your evidence is anecdotal. losing weight doesn't equal health. in some cases with how some people fanatically go about losing weight without proper research it can actually be actively harmful to the body.
@@vegetablea9611 Okay you want better proof, I also gained 30lbs of muscle in a matter of a few months and I can do 20 pullups in a row, I know what im talking about and maple syrop is better than anything labelled "corn" in 99% of cases
Not only did Ann debunked the claims, but also she educated us about the topic even better! I'm coming out of this video knowing the difference between glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose. Thank you so much!!!
@@beabea5985 you can’t expect all schools teach the same things? i for one have never learned any of this in school and clearly a lot of other people haven’t either
@@beabea5985 you know not everyone went to the same school that you did? Like maybe another country, maybe focus on another topics, or maybe they went to school 50 years ago. Or had horrible teacher.
@@BigMastah79 Yes, most people are smart enough. Including Ann. Although unfortunately even though many people know better but often still don't do it.
"the things I do for you". Literally. Ann deserves an award for all the times she's cleaned out her microwave/pans and tested ridiculous recipes that she knows can't possibly work. I feel like this time takes it to a new level though, considering she's stuck a glucose monitor into her arm and is eating a bunch of sugar just so we can see what it does to her body.
Lol I actually checked if this was sponsored by Freestyle Libre when I saw that but no, Ann is just going the extra mile for us yet again. What a star!!!!
@@prairielily08 CGMs are fantastic! I absolutely love mine. It started screaming at me at work, letting me know my number was dropping, fast. My sister, who I work with, looks at me, “Don’t ignore it. There’s cake in the fridge.” My sis is not one to ignore. As I have learned (she chased me away from doing dishes a few nights!)
man i love hearing about all the food science without even a MENTION of "This will absolutely make you fat" or "This will help you lose weight." it's nice to learn about food in a way that isn't transparently terrified of gaining a single pound. it's almost like the process of gaining and losing weight is a lot more complicated than "these foods do it" and "these foods don't."
It's actually not, it's even the opposite actually. When you really boil it down, gaining and losing weight is just numbers, calories, nothing else. Burn more than you lose, eat more than you lose. Nothing else matters.
@@DeepgoatI'm actually baffled that you could watch this and other food science videos and come to that conclusion. Food is complicated, there's all sorts of vitamins and things your body needs that aren't counted by a calorie. It can be dangerous to base your diet entirely on calorie count, because then you could end up "succeeding," but severely deficient in something. Not to mention that calories don't really give you a good picture of how your body, specifically, will digest any given food (as ann points out in this video, the iron in a steak is better absorbed than the iron in coconut sugar. calories, or even the literal number of how much iron it contains, wouldn't tell you that). A healthy diet is important, but it is much, much more complex than "burn more than you eat."
@@Deepgoatbesides which, my initial comment was just pointing that a food in and of itself will not make you gain or lose weight. It depends on, again, your specific body's metabolism and such, and the context in which you eat it. A slice of cake every now and then isn't inherently going to make you fat, and eating 60 pears in a day won't make you thin. Moderation is more important than the idea that some foods are just "evil" and others are "miracle food."
@@Sky-vj5fg Nah not really it's all about calories when you talk about food. Typically people's metabolic rates don't different SO DRAMATICALLY that one person is just becoming jiggly puff off the same diet that someone is losing weight on. If you're just talking about "losing weight", go no further, all you need to know is calories in and out. Health is a different story.
As a chemist, I cringe so hard at the influencers' so-called "scientific justification" of their reason to pick a sugar of choice to the point it became so unbearable that honestly i felt a secondhand embarassment. No hate to those who have personal taste preferences, but if you try to justify healthier option with science at least do your research. Awesome video as always, Ann ✨
As I watched the video, my one thought was "And this is why you don't get your health advice from unlicensed attractive people on social media." And at the absolute least, pay attention to if the person gives sources to scientific studies. If they never quote any or give a shorthand explanation such as "It has a lower glycemic index than sugar" and the person never brings up any downsides to a product, press X to doubt. As Ann said, you can't replace one sweetner with another and expect zero detriments. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
It's very clear with a lot of these people that they don't understand a lot of the vocab and jargon they are using. If you asked a lot of them to explain what an enzyme was and what it does I think they'd struggle to tell you but they are happy to endorse a product because it apparently contains a lot of them.
@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley the irony is they're so fixated on "it's natural so it's good" that they ignore the simple fact that it's artificial sweeteners that ARE more healthy. They have negligible calories. Diet coke is a butt of all jokes but it actually has almost no calories while sugary sweet drinks are absolutely about the worst thing possible for a diet...
@@KasumiRINA certainly , but i think the main issue is that all sugars ( natural and artificial) have benefits and downsides. Saying that one is oh so much healthier than another because of XYZ perpetuates misinformation which can be even more harmful. Your statement about artificial sweeteners is not wrong but also skips over the fact that while ,yes, artificial sweeteners have no calories, they can be processed differently by the body and have other long-term effects. Hundreds of studies are being conducted on every type of sweetener every year with no true conclusive evidence that one is better or more healthy than another simply because there are far more factors than the sweetner at play.
I love that Ann debunks things like this without resorting to making people feel stupid for believing it in the first place. Ann understands how people come to hold their mistaken beliefs, and just straightens out the actual observable facts with very little judgement. I LOVE that she included a clip of the blond guy (no idea, sorry!) later correcting himself about agave nectar - showing that the people in the clips she uses aren't there to be the "villains" of the piece, they're an example of how many of us confidently hold incorrect beliefs. It should be normalised and admired for someone to change their mind when presented with new information - that's how learning works!
It's espcially nice when she doesn't treat people who believe in life-hacks like they are stupid either. It's so easy to fall for those kinds of things, lifehacks are designed that way, and she just explains how they don't work. I'm not one who knows food science (nor am I knowledgable on "healthy" foods, so I probably would listen to all the hyper about sugar alternatives without understanding and I think she understands that too. She's just an all around amazing youtuber (probably an amazing person too but I only really know her on youtube so that's why I said that)
But there's a difference between holding an incorrect belief because you don't know better vs. shouting out your incorrect belief to everyone while making money even though it is contradicted by actual observable facts (meaning that you never tried to actually proof your belief). These influencers do match the 2nd version quite well.
@@renem.5852 That's very true! There's innocent ignorance, and then there's deliberate lying. I don't know any of the influencers shown here, so I don't know what their angle is. It was good to see an example of one of them reversing their position, but whether that was genuine, or because they found a different product to shill is another question!
It’s more about portion rather than the poison. When I was losing weight I was still eating chocolate and cake and burgers, but at much smaller portions and less frequently. Completely cutting off daily consumption of sugary goods is a non starter for many people, but cutting back to maybe two Oreos a day is doable (plus it vastly improves the experience eating it). Likewise with vegetables, I found that finding the right vegetable to snack on to replace all the sugary stuff I was eating when I wanted to snack was crucial. From baby carrots to green sweet pea pods to brocolli, it was great!
I agree! I decided to try cutting sweets and such for only on Saturdays, and in order to get through the rest of the week I bought a lot of mandarin and sparkling water to trick my brain whenever I had a sugar rush. Then after two weeks of doing that, I cut down the mandarins and used other fruits and vegetables, then went from sparkling to regular water, and I found myself some months later without any serious sugar rush, which was pretty nice. As you said, suddenly and completely cutting it all off would be too difficult for me, so to make limitations and replacements through a period of time worked best for me.
@wordforger A bunch of artificial sweeteners are sweeter, so you use less, but it can completely throw off the texture of baked goods. There are specific sweeteners formulated for baking but if you're just looking for something to use instead of sugar in tea or coffee there are sweetener tablets that come in a little dispenser. 1 tab = 1 teaspoon. My personal hack is to use half sugar, half sucralose by volume in baking. So it still kind of holds up because of the sugar but it's slightly fewer calories.
@@wordforger The problem with taste is that it's relative, I taste vodka as bitter, all of it, even the best "tasteless" stuff because I'm a super taster (which is scientifically defined as >x taste buds/ tongue area, I don't recall the numbers off the top of my head) and dislike the taste of any alcohol, including in extracts. There are also no tasters (
@@wordforgerThere are, but it comes with cons. They are often highly processed, many people can't tolerate them very well (diarreah, stomachaches, etc.), they often have a weird aftertaste and you obciously need to replace the mass of the sugar that is now nissing in the recipe. Some of them give a weird texture in the food. Plus your body produces insulin to counter the sugar - but there is none, so you get hungry and crave more and eat more. So in the end it is really not good. Wouldn't it be better to eat in moderation? In a lot of countries outside the US sugar is used in lower amounts in recipes and it tastes great. It's all about what you're used to. Oh and often these artificial sweeteners kind of temper with your taste buds, like aroma - you get such a strong taste from them that natural sweet things don't taste good anymore. Pesto Basilico is often made with aroma (when bought in supermarkets) and after eating that for a while you won't find the real thing good enough anymore. It just tastes like "less" or "nothing" because you're so used to the overpowering taste of aroma. Kond of like your hearing gets worse if you hear way too loud music all the time. You won't hwar the fine undertones anymore.
I wish more people understood that over eating anything is bad and everything needs a balance. I love that Ann takes topics and not only explains everything, she puts more than one reference and always just tells people moderation is key and you can't replace healthy foods with hacks. This episode abd her gluten episode are my favourite for food science and health I think. I love the conversation in the comments, though it's now getting too much so no more comments please.
Yeah, the real secret to "healthy eating" is to eat a balance of macro and micronutrients, balance out super processed foods with things like fresh fruits and vegetables, and get exercise. The thing is, eating a rounded diet is hard so people are eager to find ways to cheat the system. Like, yeah if you go on a fad diet, you might lose weight while you're on it, but once you stop you'll gain all that weight back.
reminds me of that king of the hill episode where the town bans trans fats, so bill is eating cookies that don't contain trans fats, but he's eating more of them because he thinks they're better, but he gains like 20 pounds.
@@vepri9421 The link between health and privilege is undeniable, unfortunately. We just have to try and do our best with what we have access to, can afford, and have time to prepare.
Well but that’s not a good enough answer for people who want some magic food that they can just add to their diet and suddenly be healthy. Plus people like absolutes, not being asked to think. 🤷🏼♀️
I've been diabetic for about 4-5 years and in that time no dietician or GP has explained sugar and GI as well as Ann just did. You know not all sugars are as bad for you, but this is just the best explanation of how the GI works! A lot more patience and the visuals really help! I hope other diabetics come across this video. As usual Ann you're an absolute gift 💙
Also remember fat can delay release of sugars. This is why I hate the "chocolate bar" solution to low blood sugar that used to be in vogue on TV and movies.
Many doctors I find don't think we can understand medical explanations. I'm a huge biology nut, but doctors always think I googled my symptoms because I have limited, but basic understanding of my own body. Like, no dude, I'm just not a dummy and I listened in biology class and did a lot of extracurricular biology activities. Now please take me seriously and explain what's up with my flesh prison so I can stop being confused and worried.
I have Fructose Malabsorbtion, so all these "low glycemic" foods are actually poison for me. My body is like "NO. THAT IS NOT FOOD. WE REFUSE." and it basically goes bad in my gut and gets flushed out. It is not pleasant. And I am so sick of the health kick that's putting agave in everything! IT HAS MORE FRUCTOSE IN IT THAN HFCS. CMON.
In my personal experience, Agave (and the other alternatives) started (marketed) as a white sugar replacement for vegans who didn't want processed sugar (which involved animal products on occasion). Interesting to see how these alternatives have been blown up to be marketed as a 'healthier' alternative.
wait what? To my knowledge sugar processing doesn't contain any animal products. It's all mechanical (crushing the cane) or chemical (bleaching the sugar solution, clarifying).
@@romxxii Bone char is used in the filtering process of sugar from sugar cane to help make it white. Some companies don't use it, some do. It can be difficult to find sugar from different companies in some areas and back in the day it could be quite hard to find information on whether or not a particular company used bone char. So vegans looked for alternative sweeteners. As far as I know, white sugar is not actually bleached.
Imagine a world where all nutrition advice is this well-reasoned and explained. So many have benefited in so many ways from spreading nutrition misinformation. Thanks for your great advice Ann!
I think a lot of the "healthy" hype comes from the fact that agave is used in a lot of vegan recipes (as a substitute for honey). People often confuse vegan with healthy, and that's not always necessarily the case.
i think that's exactly it! you'll notice, a lot of the "health" stuff comes from hippie and wealthy people mistaking vegan for healthy, or any dietary thing, really. the whole gluten free thing...also, the vast majority of agave use is and always has been in tequila lol, def not healthy...
I really don’t understand how agave is vegan, because of the demand farmers now harvest wild agave and harvest agave plan before bloom thus destroying the sustenance local bat population needs. How is that vegan?
@@elif6908 because it doesn't directly come from animals. A lot of vegans are very short sighted tbh. It happens a lot, look at a lot of staples of certain vegans, they can get extremely unethical unless it's grown locally to you in sustainable ways.
@@elif6908 That's an excellent point. That seems a constant struggle for vegans, because how our food is produced can have a variety of negative effects on wildlife even if not literally derived from an animal.
You can tell these Tiktok influencers have no idea what they're talking about when they just randomly throw nutritional terminology without any concrete explanation as to how and why things function. Thank you so much, Ann. I learnt a lot from this video. Keep up with the excellent content.
This is something I really hate. Not just around this topic, but every field ever. These are those students in school who understand nothing and just memorise everything in order to gain marks. How are you supposed to apply your knowledge if you don't understand it? I hate those kinds of videos in which they just tell us what to do without explaining why it is happening. For example, I saw the top rated video on Rubik's cube tutorial. It just told me the steps without telling me why does it work. If you don't understand why does it work, then how are you supposed to use the logic in any other type? You will again have to watch a video based on how to solve a 4 by 4 or a 5 by 5 or even a 2 by 2 cube. Moreover you are memorising the formula and nothing else. So, just in case you forget the formula, you will not be able to use your common sense to solve it. My cousin knew how to solve the 2 by 2 cube. It has a different formula to it. But once when we jumbled it and asked him to solve it, he couldn't and said that he had forgotten the formula. By that time, I had already figured out the logic behind solving the Rubik's cube. So, despite not knowing the steps for a 2 by 2, I could solve it. This is why you should really understand your things and not just memorise them. What is the point in learning ten different things when you can just learn and understand one thing and use your brain for the rest? You will be wasting a whole part of your brain if you just mug up. We have been given a brain for a reason, so use it. Another example, a video listed a few ways to keep your intimate areas clean. Well, now you know certain ways. But another video explained the reason behind it. Well, now you know it, understand it and would probably be able to apply it many other topics.
I'd really be interested in Anne doing a breakdown of other sugar alternatives, such as stevia, monks fruit, or eurythratol, sweeteners that are often recommended to diabetics etc.
@@platannapipidae9621 monks fruit and eurythratol all supposed to be similar to Stevia, but it would still be interesting someone like Anne conduct an experiment like this with them. Side bar if you don’t like the aftertaste of stevia, monks fruit and eurythratol have very little aftertaste (especially monk’s fruit).
she likely can't understand the chemical processing in stevia, and the implications of that. stevia is a plant based sweetner but sugar cane is also a plant sweetner, why is it the devil? that's my concern.
Ann is SUCH a good science communicator, shes always so good at breaking down complicated concepts and ideas into something thats easy to understand, i always appreciate her explanations!
That is really true but also on other hand these folks are really stupid and or delusional who get caught up in these hypes and cant read studies. Or sometimes actually deliberately overcomplicate the explanation surrounding a product or a topic. If you can't explain the topic to someone as if they are five you are either bullshitting or have not delved into topic enough to grasp it yourself.
As a type-2 diabetic, this explained more about how sugar works to me than the 3 hours of classes I had to take at my local medical center. Thanks, Ann!
To be a bit more fair to them, the class time focused on the more practical aspects of being newly diagnosed. Like making sure you know how your meter works, what your target sugar count should be, some strategies to manage spikes and drops, that sort of thing. And a bit of general guidelines on cooking. So I'd say they chose things that were more immediately useful than the demonstration shown here.
Yeah that is scientifically wrong and also stupid. You CAN make healthy desserts, I do it every day. Also whats healthy depends on the person. Peanuts are not healthy if you're allergic...
@@LynnHermione agreed. I make my mom healthy deserts all the time that fit into her diabetic diet and don’t peak her sugars. They’re not traditional, like cakes and things, but they’re sweet and tasty and make her happy
You can make a healthy DESSERT recipe. Place 1/4 cup chopped strawberries in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt. Gently stir until the strawberries are mixed in. Lightly sprinkle with some shaved dark chocolate. Enjoy. But as someone else mentioned, there are no DESERTS you can eat that would be healthy.
Watching people talk about agave and switching their views to the complete opposite instead of moderation was just wild. People really don't know what they're talking about sometimes and I'm sure I'm 100% guilty of the same.
@@Nocturne22right 😅 like when that clip was shown I was like 😬 this isn't conveying the point you think it is, chugging anything like that is never the "right" solution to things
In an engagement/attention based information economy, extreme viewpoints tend to flow to the top, even if they're wrong. With nutrition, there is a new fad every year, but the actual evidence based dietary guidelines and recommendations haven't really changed over decades. Why are we getting so much nutrition related chronic illness if the existing guidelines are probably correct? Well... It's because nobody actually follows them.
The fact that Ann ran this scientific experiment herself and with her own blood glucose readings as a variable demonstrates her commitment to quality content. Keep up the good work! ❤️ - From a fellow Melburnian
Not to mention that the glucose monitoring device ain’t cheap! It’s also great to see someone who does experiments & actually applies the correct scientific method
I'm a type 1 diabetic and when I met with my nutritionist I told her I had switched from sugar to agave nectar she explained to me that it really wasn't the healthy alternative everyone is convinced that it is.
Also t1d here, I never made switches apart from diet fizzy drinks! But man its wild people were saying honey doesnt spike your bgs.. its exactly what I have when i'm low. I feel like a t1d tiktok needs to be started to debunk this rubbish
Well now you know. But this whole thing could have been avoided if you look for first citations. Don't go based off what health line or vice says. Look for the first citations, the actual Studies. Trust me it's worth reading them because going off he said she said isn't reliable
@@blackbeast9268 i'm not American, but also I never believe in any claims 'normal' people make re blood glucose levels at all. Because its all legit lies. People with a working pancreas legit wouldn't be able to verify these claims, just buy it on the premise that its healthy because of these claims. Frustrates me to no end. Same with people who say porridge keeps you fuller for longer and 'stablises your bgs.' My ass, one of the absolute worst things I could eat is porridge and cereal, unless I gave a load of insulin beforehand, and probs corrections after. I'm definitely not the person who needs to be told, but the general populace does need to be careful
As a Canadian, I can confirm: You should replace sugar with Maple Syrup in lots of things. Not because it's healthier, but because it's delicious. Try sweetening Whipped Cream with it sometime...
I had never had real maple syrup until I moved to Ohio (USA) as an adult. I was put off by its wateriness at first, but I came to love it. I even like drinking my black tea with maple sugar now. My mom puts maple syrup in her (plain) yogurt and kefir, which I thought weird at first, but she made a convert outta me. I gotta say, it's good stuff.
13:36 I honestly laughed when I saw your handwritten "Natural" label be placed directly over the existing "100% natural" label on the original sugar packet
idk if that was intentional or not but it certainly gave me a laugh as well. Reminds me of when my sugar bags used to say "only x calories per serving"
This is seriously one of the best channels on YT, and I'm not overexaggerating. The lengths you went to in order research different claims and ingredients, test those claims in various objectively identifiable ways, and then educate us on what's happening throughout with helpful visuals..... I'm blown away. I was glued to the screen the whole time. Fantastic job, Ann!
This is why I watch a food scientist and not an "influencer" for food knowledge. Thank you for all you do Ann! Making the world smarter 1 video at a time :)
I saw one of these "food influencers" awhile ago - the video was basically framed as quick tips on what you should and should not get... There was so little science-based education in the video, ultimately, it felt like fear mongering for views. this branches into watching other influencers too - you really start to notice when someone is regurgitating words that sound educated, and when someone is facilitating high-quality education.
You know, I grew up being told that honey was basically sugar that was refined by bees rather than people. So it's crazy to see people acting like it's a super healthy "alternative" Honestly I think people need to remember that calories aren't the enemy: they're needed to live. EDIT: for clarity honey is literally just a shit tonne of glucose and sucrose, the former is which is the molecule broken down for use in cellular respiration - aka the chemical process that keeps people alive. Are there other things in it? Yes. But it's still gloopy sugar and not a substitute for a balanced diet. "Natural" and "processed" are nowadays little more than buzzwords meant to prey on health worries in order to separate your cash from your bank account. If there's anything you should be angry about, it's predatory advertising exploiting people's genuine worries. And even moreso when "wellness" claims are used to push fruits and veggies into higher price brackets, making them less accessible for people on limited incomes.
We have to be more vigilant about the sugars that are in our caloric intake. Especially if we have to eat out and those places have more sugars in their 'balanced' mix of protein/carb foods than we imagine.
Ann deserves WAY more credit for everything she does. She explains everything in a way that is so easy to understand and gives you solutions to these things. The queen of youtube IMO
NO! NO! NO! Many people say I am sick in the head. NOOOO!!!! I don't believe them. But there are so many people commenting this stuff on my videos, that I have 1% doubt. So I have to ask you right now: Do you think I am sick in the head? Thanks for helping, my dear kc
We have to learn how to communicate lay language to the general public as part of our dietitian program so every dietitian has to be able to explain things simply like Ann
@@mish_elle1450 ive been fortunate learning a lot in college and always compliment a dietrician i meet as my body improves from my illnesses. Every time they simplify it i wait until they're finished and compliment them for communicating it like that and encourage to keep it up. I also tend to say "i know i undersrand what you're saying but im unsure tom will get it!" I feel like another important aspect is to never bellitle the person you're educating
@@fy8798 Indeed. Lack of accessibility creates a vacuum that’s filled with credulity (Like the ‘God of the Gaps’ phenomenon, where people fill in knowledge they don’t have with any old rubbish that claims to be simple and at the same time magically super effective.). It’s such a shame. But thankfully Ms. Reardon is helping to chip away at the charlatans’ credibility!
Honestly, I absolutely love coconut sugar because of the flavour. A lot of our local southeast asian desserts use palm sugar syrup as its sweetener, and it gives an earthy - almost savoury - flavour you wouldn't get with sugar alone. I love it in my milk tea. But I wouldn't try to lie to myself that it's any healthier than other sugar..
Same here. I prefer the flavour of coconut sugar, but that's the only reason why I use it in my desserts, not because of an illusion that it's healthier. It has a nice, subtle sweetness that also works super well in savoury dishes that call for a small amount of sugar :)
It's the only sugar I buy any more because it's delicious, but... yeah... it's still sugar. And my dentist still has something to say about me drinking it in tea. 😅 The hype's all very "magical foreign food".
@@Hawxrthia I remember being told that in some parts of the US, sugarcane sugar is advertised as "healthier" than corn syrup. Sugarcane sugar was the only sugar I knew for most of my life, so this was really fascinating to learn about lol
@@internetexplorer6304 Hey Karen, maybe people would feel less need to "exotify" other cultures if everything Western wasn't continuously demonized by the same people whining about the former.
The only advantage of these alternative sweeteners is the fact, that they have a unique taste of their own. That can help to reduce the overall amount you use. Love this Video!
If I'd had Ann as a chemistry/biology teacher, I would definitely have gotten much better grades in those topics. This was so educational and so easy to understand!
This is probably the only dessert making channel who teaches to eat fruits and vegetables. Thank you for your efforts Ann. I have been following you for the past few years and loving everything about this channel from tips and tricks to now debunking the foods we eat. Much love from India. ❤️♥️
I'd love to see Ann do a video on substitutes like monk fruit, allulose, stevia etc. my doc has me on a restricted carb diet, and I've had to switch over to these in addition to cutting out things like bread and rice.
I'd like to see this too! I actually really like monk fuit as a sugar substitute and from what I have seen it is good as a low calory sugar alternative, but I doubt it has any benefits beyond just being low calorie/not actually being sugar. But I'm no expert, I just googled a bit, lol. I'd like for an actual expert to explain it to me.
"Health" influencers: You CAN'T have this, avoid it at ALL costs, it is the DEVIL! But I LOVE this, it's AMAZING for you, it's all RAW and NATURAL and.. Ann: Calm down. Have a banana.
It's also super important to note that what is "healthy" is different for everyone. Some folks (like those with diabetes) can benefit from low GI foods, while other people have a hard time processing certain sugar variants (IBS and fructose). Not to mention alcohol sugars can cause a lot of indigestion and diarrhea for some people. For some with intestinal issues (UC, stoma) high fiber is not helpful, while a lot of people benefit from higher fiber. Everyone has different needs and bodies process things differently. Proteins and fats aren't always processed well. Also "health" looks different for everyone, if it's even possible by the dominant health industry standards. sincerely, a disabled person with a food allergy
Can't get past how consistently great Anne's content is - and annoyed that there are so few checks and balances on misinformation from 'influencers' who don't have the first clue about the advice they give. I almost never comment on YT but hope this supports you with the algorithm.
Thank you for addressing one of my pet bugbears: ‘healthier’ sugar/sugar alternatives. I’m old enough to remember when raw sugar was thought to be a better option than normal sugar since it was less processed. As though the crystals being larger made a difference!
Came here expecting a "mythbusters" kind of video experimenting with silly recipes, but got a whole scientific review paper on sugars instead! I learned so much and really enjoyed your friendly yet pragmatic way of explaining and putting things into perspective
Another thing to consider is the environmental impact. I live in Switzerland, most of our sugar is locally produced via sugar beet. I do not know how differently agave or coconut is ecology-wise, but the fact is, that's not something we could produce here, and importation impact is a factor to consider when you want to use a product daily, along with health and economical impact. Edit: To clarify, I'm not saying a sugar production is better than the others overall. Also, I'm not implying that you can "eat more" of such or such sugar. Just to clarify. :p
In Australia we have only just started (say in the last couple of years) making sugar from beetroot/sugar beets. Not that it's available in most supermarkets here.
That's definitely something to consider, yeah. I'm from England and a lot of the fields around here grow sugar beet, and there's a sugar factory close by. I think the carbon footprint of other sugars would be a hell of a lot worse. Not to mention I hear agave farming has quite a few sustainability issues, as well as having a big effect on bat populations. Not sure about the others, but I can't imagine coconut sugar is coming from anywhere local.
The increased demand for agave is certainly wreaking havoc in its home range. It only blooms once before it dies, and should be harvested at that time to yield the most nectar. But high demand means farmers are harvesting before bloom to meet it, removing an important food source for local bats. And it's such a slow-growing plant, not nearly as renewable as things like beets! I like using local honey to support keepers in my area, among other things.
In my country we produce sugar cane in order to get sugar (alcohol too), but there's some problems with it. Like, they have to burn the sugar cane before cutting so it's easier and this smoke is not only bad for the environment but for the locals because of small particles from the sugar cane
@@luriello02 we produce sugar cane here in Florida too. Down in the Everglades. Burning is an issue for them as well. Burning sugar cane releases formaldehyde into the air. That’s a known carcinogen.
I was so excited when I saw the Manuka Honey on the table! I'm a entomologist/microbiologist and the antimicrobial effective of honey is a research interest of mine - so glad you spoke about it properly!
I'd love a breakdown of the more "legit" alternative sweeteners (stevia, monkfruit options like Lakanto, etc.) as a follow up video. Not necessarily as a "healthy recipe" focus but because there's a lot of health conditions that cause folks to need to use them and it'd be cool to have a thorough breakdown.
Stevia can barely substitute in tea or coffee. My friends tried backing with Stevia (it was for a science fair) and the cake turned out extremely bitter and with a weird taste. Yes, they marked it as "it will taste weird only at the beginning" but I wouldn't recommend it at all.
@@202cardline In what way does your body "light itself on fire"? An allergy sort of way or more a diabetes kind of way? That would determine what alternatives would work and which maybe wouldn't. If it's in a "spontaneous combustion" kind of way please see your trusted 18th century surgeon.
As someone who has both gastroparesis and type 1 diabetes, this is the first time I've ever fully understood the glycemic index and how your body breaks down sugars and starches. Thank you ❤️
Well...not exactly "fully", just in an easily digestible format. Also while she does explain the science I have to point out that as for her "test" that a sampling of one person in their late forties isn't exactly what I'd call a comprehensive total.
Fellow dietitian here. Thank you so much Ann for making an informative, helpful and evidence-based video on this subject! And the fact that your videos have such a wide reach makes me that much happier😊 Please keep doing what you're doing!
The amount of times I've come across a "no added sugar" baking recipe only for it to contain honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar or similar is ridiculous. They claim it's "natural" so it doesn't count but everyone seems to forget regular table sugar is also technically "natural" because it comes from sugar cane which is a plant! At the end of the day, it is all sugar and should be consumed in moderation within the context of a balanced diet.
I've had a soda that was straight up 100% cane sugar lol. Drank 3 of em. Terrible for me? Yes Tasted good? Also Yes Moderation is key, unfortunately sometimes that key gets lost 🙃 [this is a lighthearted comment]
Pure honey is definitely anti-bacterial: ancient Egyptian nobles used to smear it on their wounds to keep them from becoming infected. But, of course, this video is absolutely correct that *eating* honey won't magically impart anti-bacterial protection to you. It acts more like a barrier to bacteria than anything else, and that's only before it begins to be digested. Coating yourself entirely in honey might keep bacteria from getting to you, but that may be somewhat impractical and problematic...
@@emmabarnard6012 I'm no scientist but I don't think that's got to do with the antibacterial properties but with the pollen. I'm really too dumb to know the difference but I'm sure there is one.
Yeah, it's more like if you're stranded somewhere without access to medicine or a first aid kit and get a small cut, a bit of honey on your cut after cleaning it might be better than nothing.
While I am not the healthiest person ever, I always favour the advice of food scientists and actual dieticians who want to help educate the populace and not someone trying to sell products or advice. People have become so scared of food they'll take any information with a grain of salt regardless of how baseless or misinformed it may be. Ann, you're amazing. Please keep up the good work!
An actual scientist running actual experiments with actual subjects and experimental vs. control comparisons and explaining the biology, chemistry & mechanism of action. ✨ As a person from allied sciences myself, she has my utmost respect in making food science accessible to a layman. 🤍 Never stop, ma'am. 🌼
@@HackerActivist you want a food scientist to tell you to get vaccinated? Are you not aware that the vaccines are not their area? Listen to scientists that are actually specialized in that area and get vaccinated
I love Ann’s debunking videos (although they are all great). She is not condescending and genuinely wants you both to succeed and be safe. She not only tells you why it does not work, but the tricks used to make it looks like it works in many cases and how to actually do it to make it work.
As a Biologist, I must say that I loved your explanation of the sugar using lego bricks! Amazingly simple and easy to understand! I hope you do not mind if I steal this technique to use with my students. ;D
yeah with the honey being an antibacterial, what the influencers don't seem to realize is that it's really meant as more of a topical antibacterial than an interior one. I used to smear honey on my acne and it would take care of it overnight, it's really amazing for that. It's not really going to do much for your insides as far as that goes though.
If you have mild pollen allergies and buy local, organic honey, it can provide enough low levels of those pollens to help your immune system stop flipping out when encountering them in the wild.
and infuencers only seem to care about manuka honey, which is expensive cuz its only from australia. But local honey is better for allergies and stuff. Influencer's don't care about the effect they have on local businesses either because as a honey seller, i'm asked regularly about manuka honey and dismissed when i don't have it.
@@silverstarfinder most local beekeepers probably don't have the funds to certify as organic since bees will travel up to 2 miles, and most farms aren't that big so they can't guarantee the honey is organic either
Oh those can get very interesting... I'd love for her to explain the laxative effects of xylitol (and it'll kill your dog). I would also love for her to explain the "Cry wolf effect" sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners can have on your pancreas when consumed in high quantities over long periods... Like drinking multiple diet sodas over several years.
Yes please, Xylit is very popular in germany and they say it is not only healthy but also cant attack your teeth like normal sugar... i would love to hear about all the other natural and artifical sweeteners of "sugar free" products
Thank you for making this easier to understand Ann! I'm in marketing/business, so I can absolutely tell you it's advertised to make you buy less of one thing instead of buying less as a whole. In the consumer market, it's all about making money. Well, you can't make money if you tell people to stop eating fats, sugars, and sodium. You CAN make money by telling people to stop buying FOODS high in sugars, so they can make low sugar, low fat, low sodium, etc. As Ann can probably tell everyone, the whole "Good For You/ Better For You" market is a crock of crap. The glucose-free foods are much higher in fats. The low sodium/low sugar foods are typically high in fats and cholesterol. The low fat foods are typically high in sodium or sugar. You can't really sacrifice one without compensating for another. Eat what you want, but do so in moderation, and stop spending so much money on these BS diets! They don't work!
I knew about glucose, sucrose etc from school and university but in 3 minutes Anne did a better job of explaining it and making it easy to understand. Also I think she deserves a sponsorship from the company who created the patch she used in her arm because she complimented it and ate 40 grams of almost pure simple sugars to educate.
I would say dexcom, but looking at the CGM I just hooked up and the one she’s using… they aren’t the same. Why can’t my dexcom just be tapped by my phone? Instead, it sends a signal to my phone to sound an alarm if my number starts changing too fast
Thank you SO MUCH for doing this! As a healthcare professional, the claims you debunked drive me CRAZY! I have a friend who is "allergic" to sugar but will eat honey. There just aren't enough eyerolls for that conversation! Anyone who has taken any biology courses knows everything you've said is absolute truth, and that the "health" claims touted by all these influencers is just bunk. THANK YOU!!!
I agree…. To your body, essentially sugar is sugar. But that’s common sense and education that USED TO BE TAUGHT… now kids in school aren’t taught that any more but being kept busing useless repetitive tasks that DONT make them use their brains
Yes, and no… I’m sensitive to sugar- I’m not going to die or anything, but if I over do, my reactions range from headaches and mood swings on the low end to hives and swollen ear canals on high end depending on how much I overindulge. I have spent a good chunk of my life figuring out how my body reacts to things, and at least for me, the type of sugar does matter. - despite their high sugar content, I’ve never had a reaction to fruit or dairy. ( overindulgence in either comes with its own problems, but that’s off topic) - high fructose corn syrup or some artificial sugars like Splenda tend to cause reactions much faster than normal sugar - I tend to react better to raw sugar or honey, but will still react after a certain point Basically, the simpler or more refined a sugar is, the faster I react to it. I always assumed that it had to do with how quickly it got into my bloodstream. But then again, maybe my body is just weird.
@@maryhughes1087 That’s so much guess work just to eat something. I’m glad you have some ways of dealing with it and you can have some things in moderation before it hits you. I also wonder if there are reactions to things that are used to process the sweeteners too, not just the food itself. But I also met two people allergic to apples so nothing is that weird. The human body is strange.
@@merriquelynn I'm very allergic to apples and it's not actually that weird at all. Read up on cross-allergies/cross-reactions. Basically your immune system is confusing a food for something else. In the case of apples, it's usually caused by an allergy to birch tree pollen, since they both share a smiliar protein makeup. That's why many people with food allergies like this can eat processed or cooked foods without issue, because it breaks down and alters the protein chains, enabling your immune system to correctly identify that it's nothing harmful. Give me a raw apple and I swell up like crazy. Give me some baked apple or apple pie and I'm perfectly fine. :)
@@HamEggsButteredToast I'm ~~mildly allergic~~ to nuts if they haven't been processed. Ugh. Makes my tongue hurt like heck! I can have almond milk though, never had a problem with that. I was so relieved when I found out about Oral Allergy Syndrome. For years I had been dismissed as a picky eater, bc who can be allergic to something sometimes but not all the time?? I honestly felt like I was going crazy :/
The bit with the Legos was such a wonderful way to demystify things and show chemical make up. Also, many thanks to Dave for another good job on the subtitles!
Thank you so much for this! I love biology and food science and you’ve explained this so beautifully! It’s not about completely cutting “bad” foods out, but it is important to focus on ADDING wonderful fruits, whole grains and veggies!
Let's be real here, the average audience member for this kind of stuff just assumes that a food with an unfamiliar name is automatically "healthier" than what you already know. sugar: the stuff you put in kool-aid and donuts *Agave Nectar* : Exotic! And nectar comes from flowers! flowers are natural! and natural is good!
@@tadbitsketch You'll get that radiant glow you seek, and you won't have to worry about brushing your teeth anymore when your jaw falls off. Add in a little lead, and you'll be so mentally incapacitated, you won't even realise what's happening if it doesn't kill you first!
"Would you eat a food if the ingredients listed a chemical called isoamyl acetate? No? Well, that's the chemical that gives bananas their taste and smell." That's what my chemistry teacher said to show how people are put off by the word "chemical" a lot more than they should be. Your comment reminded me of that. And just in general how difficult it is for the average consumer to find out what is in a food and if it could be boxed in as good or bad.
@@ladyhaha7548 I talked to a professional nutrionist and she said it's much healthier to eat the normal sweet things than to eat the healthy low fat versions bc they lose a lot of nutrients. Eating sweet things isn't automatically unhealthy or something to feel guilty about, as long as you have variety in what you eat you should be okay
Ikr, it doesn’t seem worth it to eat the slightly less sugary food that may taste worse, if ur gonna eat just eat :/ everything is dangerous in large amounts so just watch how much
00:00 Intro 00:24 Agave nectar section begins 01:15 Explanation of glycemic index (GI) 03:09 Agave nectar vs straight sugar 03:25 Explanation of glucose and fructose 05:59 Explanation of sucrose 06:45 How consumption of actual food (carbs) affects blood sugar readings 09:40 Starchy foods and GI 10:23 Coconut sugar 13:42 Sponsor: KiwiCo 14:41 Manuka honey 16:48 Maple syrup 18:10 Thoughts on straight sugar and general dietary health
I feel like every type 1 diabetics need this in nutrition education, especially in dealing with low blood sugar incidents. Also, I only now realized our CGMs are detecting the one type of sugar, I always thought gluc/fruc/sucrose would read the same in the end. So awesome to learn, the legos really helped to visualize.
You gotta respect Ann Reardon. She knows that if she made a "healthy dessert recipe" video it would probably pull in a lot of views but she won't do it because the idea is wrongheaded and silly. Props.
Here's a Healthy Dessert:Fruit, if you want something healthy yet sweet just eat fruit, maybe add in some Yogurt. But that won't really be considered a dessert so of course she's not going to do it.
@@lucyla9947 she literally says to just eat fruit if you want a healthy dessert at 17:45. So she essentially did make a video to say that. It’s the take home message: the only healthy alternative to sugar is sugar found in fruits and starchy foods.
I feel so justified. I've always been that stick in the mud whenever a new "healthy" sugar fad rolls around. I'm like the Dad in the Incredibles shouting "Sugar is Sugar!" instead of "Math is Math!"
@@ipodhty that's actually a complex question, the answer is essentially the body processes chemicals all slightly differently some are just easier to use. They may all achieve the same result but not all in the same time frame.
Thank you Ann. I love your fact based, no nonsense, but very approachable videos. We do need to limit, sugar, salt and bad fats, plus get off the couch and go for a walk or other exercise on a regular basis. There is just no way around that. And while cakes/cookies etc are special (occasional) treats I love to bake and I also love your cake videos!
I took a nutrition class in college and I was rather confused by the sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc and how the body processes it. This was a great way of explaining it Ann! I love how you demystify nutrition and make it fun too.
My dad has diabetes and if his sugar gets really low, he has these glucose tablets he takes to boost it quickly. I didn't understand why that worked until watching this video! Glucose can be absorbed immediately into the bloodstream and doesn't need to be broken down. Thank you for educating us, Ann!
I just wanted to let you know Ann that TH-camr Tom Scott included you in his newsletter this week of "interesting things I've found on the internet". I'm so happy he did and hopes it sends lots of new viewers your way, as I've been watching for a while and your channel is awesome! It's helped me be more skeptical of things I see online, understand food and food science better, given me better baking techniques (still the only member of my family to have set real chocolate as I followed your instructions and no one else believes me about tempering) and allowed me to give a super birthday present to my sister (your cookbook!). Just wanted to say I really love the channel and look forward to all the videos to come!
Not sure if this will reach you but I am a fan of yours. I have studied to be a pastry chef but the thing I love about this channel is the science behind it all. I loved baking because I call it edible science and i have learned so much from you and this channel. I finally ordered a copy of your book and am excited to go through it
I literally find Ann so comforting to watch. I've struggled with eating disorders off and on for many years and sometimes I still have a lot of anxiety while I'm trying to eat. But if I put on one of Ann's videos, eating becomes so much easier because she has such a calming atmosphere around her and it really decreases my anxiety. I'm so thankful for that
I laughed so hard when i realized she covered the sugars actual "100% natural" label with her own "natural" label I have no idea if that was on purpose or not but so perfect.
As the child of someone with Type1 diabetes, my early education on how all of this sugar business works has been EXTREMELY helpful in navigating dietary trends and broad strokes pronouncements about "good" and "bad" sugars. I really wish this type of education was much more emphasized and really appreciate the detail in this video.
i like it when ann put on the "natural" sticker on the normal sugar at 13:32 and does not recognize (or mention) that on the package it already says "100% natural" :D PS: hey you natural lovers out there do you know what 100% natural too? deadly nightshade, fly agaric and many more.... you should not eat that! (even if it is 100% natural)
Cancer is natural, your body is a processor, anything you ever eat WILL be processed. Cooking is processing. I'd argue chewing your damn food is processing it. Uranium is natural. Lots of deadly things are natural. Processing food can make it better for you, and processing food is literally necessary for your body to live.
Fly Agaric is an amazing food though! Here in Eastern Europe, its not super uncommon to eat. Parboiled, strained and then prepped. The knack is leaving enough toxin in to cause a slight giddiness after. Its a nice autumn social meal If you're curious what it tastes like. Think Steak and Mushroom, but earthier maybe.
As a Type 1 Diabetic, I’ve been trying to educate people about this for years. Sugar is sugar is sugar. So many people tried to get me to use agave nectar in my food, but a quick look at it showed that it was pure fructose (or close to it). When you have T1D, you want to avoid all simple carbohydrates, so none of them are any good. Bring on the aspartame! Let me tell you that the continuous glucose monitor was the most revolutionary device ever invented for diabetics! I love my Dexcom, which is similar to the device you wore except it actively sends data to my phone - no need to tell the app to check the device. The active data transmission allows it to alert me when I’m asleep if my blood glucose level drops dangerously low. It has saved me on a number of occasions!
Exactly because sugar is not any healthier no matter what. It should strictly be consumed in moderation, especially real sugars. I also wonder about sugar substitutes as well, especially monkfruit sugar, stevia, and aspartame. Are they any better than the listed type of sugar?
@@levyconnors9435 sweeteners that have zero calories are far better for diabetics than anything with calories. While artificial sweeteners may cause insulin spikes in healthy people, causing increased hunger and leading to more weight gain, in a T1D, there’s no possible way food can cause an insulin spike. Artificial sweeteners are perfect for diabetics. There are no proven negative side effects in any of the artificial sweeteners, either, unless you’re allergic to them.
@@DaveTexas Yeah most substitute sweeteners are definitely said to be the healthiest alternative for calorie intake. The whole reason why I ask about this is that my Mom has TD2, and she tested high and she claimed it was bc of the low calorie sweetener she consumed. But I want to say it could be from the other foods she is eating.
I’d be interested to hear Ann’s breakdown on some of the other sugar substitutes: alcohol sugars, Stevia, Nutrasweet, Splenda, Monkfruit, etc. some like monkfruit and stevia I assume are some level of fructose, but both of those are marketed as super concentrated and only needed small amounts, and all the 1-1 baking versions I’ve seen seem to be cut with alcohol sugars. I really liked how she broke down the science on the ones in the video. Very interesting to see how it compared to the hype.
stevia comes from a plant or something apparently it can cause indigestion or something? idk i think it tastes better than sugar but i may be the odd case here apparently, the daily "recommended" amount of stevia that you can safely consume is 4 mg per kg (in your body) so if you weight 55 kg or so, it would be around 200 mg sounds pretty low to me so maybe it is dangerous. ha
My six year old daughter drew the model and made the LEGO pieces to educate her friends about sugar. Her teacher was impressed. Her classmates… I’m not so sure. 🤣🤣
Me too! Good on your daughter and good you for having her know of such a blessed soul. Ann is the kind of parent I pray I can be. She is a ray of hope for the newest generation of cooking adventurers. Perhaps her classmates will learn the wisdom your daughter is already apart of. After all a lifetime of good habits starts young if I remember correctly.
Just you wait until she animates molecular models to demonstrate the Krebs Cycle of the metabolism of carbohydrates in the liver. Just talking about it with my doctor made her eyes glaze over
In her next presentation, she introduced yeast to the glucose and made alcohol. The teacher confiscated it for being 'inappropriate for the classroom.' For the rest of the day the teacher seemed super friendly and none of the students could put their finger on why.
Im glad you brought up agave, I'd like to add that the farming practices and unethicalities of agave harvesting make it well worth not eating, if not for your glycemic index for the workers and environment that suffer as a result of its consumption
I LOVE this video and your no nonsense approach to food and nutrition overall. These “healthy” recipes that keep coming around, year after year, are so inaccessible unless you’re making good money and living in a place that has access to these exotic ingredients. Thanks for making this!
I think that is part of a certain 'lifestyle' by which people want to feel or appear like an elite. Food for these people is like a status symbol and promoting expensive foods as healthy boosts their egos - because now they belong to an exclusive club of people who can afford their sexy, healthy, inspiring (insert other stupid adjectives here) lifestyle
Additionally when these ‘exotic’ foods become popular in western countries that drives the price up, which is problematic for certain foods like quinoa which was once a staple food in the Andes. Similarly, this can also trigger over farming certain foods, like with agave.
Once had a guest of one of my roommates tell me off for eating flexitarian, so everything in moderation, while he was vegan. He was staying at the house for a week and had coconut everything from coconut yoghurt to coconut butter and so on. I got rather angry since I was eating as regional as I could, well except for chocolate 😄, and his shopping for the week did not include one product that had been produced in a 50km radius
Dear Ann, I 've known for a long time that all of those items were similar health-wise, but never had a chance to properly learn the difference between glucose, fructose, etc. (and I know there are many more). Thank you soo much for your excellent descriptions via animation. Your hard and meticulous work always pays off (for us at least)! 👏🏻👏🏻
This was excellent, my kids have a condition where they need to take straight glucose when they're ill and this has helped me understand why their doctors say they can't just have cake or fruit juice instead of the prescribed stuff. I'm saving this to show them when they're older!
Desserts are an indulgence and you can't make sweet desserts that much healthier! I've been waiting to hear that, your channel is literally the best, thank you for all the effort!
Basically if you want a healthy dessert just eat some godaamn fruit! And not even all the fruits are that healthy, mangoes are pretty carb based and way too sugary
@@nicywicy it has different meanings. here when they said " i vibe with" it means they *like* her. it also means *mood* so when someone say "you ruined the vibes" it means you ruined the *mood* . when someone say "come vibe with us" it's like saying come *chill* with us. so it really depends on the context of the sentence.
@@LynnHermione She didn't say that. She said the things she makes on this channel are treats and are not meant to be 'good for you' or healthy. That's just true.
Really engaging, better than my science teachers, and without feeling patronising! I did love Ann's exasperation as she reached maple syrup and knew she would just be repeating herself
I LOVE how when she placed the "natural" paper on the bagged sugar, she inadvertently covered up a claim of "100% natural" on the original packaging - a great irony that proved her point very well.
Usually white sugar is made of sugar beets (or sugar cane which is refined to make it white). The pulp, which is a waste product from the beets, is fermented to help store it and cows enjoy eating it.
That claims that "coconut sugar is VERY natural" as opposed to what? Are coconuts somehow more natural than beet or cane? HOW? Is beetroot made in secret SBU labs? Is borsch synthetic juice your bubbe fed you to turn you into a cyborg? XD
Agave is also really environmentally unfriendly-- agave plants take a very long time to grow and we are currently harvesting at far above their replacement rate
Yeah I had a bartender tell me that he has started buying bottles of tequila as an investment because its probably going to become rarer. Especially because it's only made with blue agave
Ye, that's the reason I hate it being touted as the vegan alternative to honey. Like bruh, if you want honey so bad, just eat honey. That one's actually *less* harmful to animals.
Maple syrup is much more eco-friendly, because you only tap the trees, you don't cut them down, and for me it's locally produced. I even produce my own every spring from my enormous maple tree in my backyard. If your type of sugar travels thousands of km to get to you, it's not good for the planet. Also who produce/harvest it, the conditions they work in, how much they are paid, etc. is to consider. Maple syrup is still mainly family run businesses, with no human exploitation. But cane sugar/agave/coconut sugar, you have to make sure to buy a fair trade certified one if you don't want to contribute to human exploitation, etc. Not sure about deforestation from those type of production, but maple trees grow in forests, not plantations, so it does not contribute to deforestation, quite the opposite, maple syrup producers protect our forests against over-exploitation from the wood industry, at least here in Quebec (which is the #1 producer of maple syrup in the world).
The legos were such a helpful way for me to understand! I get worried about diet fads and I don't understand a lot of the claims made around healthy eating, so I really appreciate this explanation! I am definitely going to focus on vegetables coming up :)
Every time I see someone praise an alternative ingredient as "organic" or "natural" and therefore "so much better", I can't help remembering a Pratchett quote: “It contained herbs and all natural ingredients. But belladonna was an herb, and arsenic was natural.”
Just remember that when you chomp down on an apple containing malic acid, and with those little cyanide packets in the middle... 😆
eating just 2 berries of belladonna can kill . i remember learning about it in a documentary about the poison garden in london
11:11 just came up, thought about complaining in the comments, looked back at the screen and saw your comment. It's lovely coincidences like these that give me life~
@@petermirtitsch1235 lmao I will only refer to Apple seeds as cyanide packets from now on. Thank you. 🤣
Omg, that same one cane in my mind when she was saying that normal sugar can also be called raw and 'natural'
Everyone on the internet: “you must do this, it IS healthier. Can’t explain it just is”
Ann Reardon: “let me explain everything to you so that you easily understand it even if you don’t get science”
Flashbacks to those “DO THIS BEFORE YOU SLEEP!!” ads
@@TheHydrakeHydra 'do this before you sleep and lose half your body weight in less than a month with our secret formula!'
@@datgaydangernoodle1315 DOCTORS ARE SHOCKED!!
@@TheHydrakeHydra "tried and tested with our group of Nobel Prize winning scientists!"
@@TheHydrakeHydra 9/10 dentists recommend!!
oh wait, those are toothpaste ads.
Ann finally did the impossible that she’s been striving for for months: she made a debunking video without making half a dozen messes in her kitchen.
Just a bloodstream mess eating a bowl of sugar 😆
Only took her eating a bowl of straight sugar, eh? Let's not forget stabbing herself in the arm to get those glucose levels
HTB: FINALLY! A WORTHY ENEMY!
Don't forget: she also did it without making her poor husband eat anything abominable!
THE MICROWAVE WAS SAVED 🙌🏻 🤩
The best eating advice I've heard is "eat balanced meals in moderation." No bans on any food unless it's medically contraindicated (ex. allergies), and no suggestions to substitute anything.
True, but maple and honey are still healthier than other sugars if you must eat sugar.
@@ferdtheterd3897 Not really. You haven't watched the whole video, have you?
@@maurice2572 The information in this video is wrong, trust me I lost 120lbs in a year or two. Maple syrop is gods water compared to high fructose syrop. Also im canadian I know maple syrop ive used many liters of pure maple syrop in just the past few months, and ive actually gotten fitter
@@ferdtheterd3897 your evidence is anecdotal. losing weight doesn't equal health. in some cases with how some people fanatically go about losing weight without proper research it can actually be actively harmful to the body.
@@vegetablea9611 Okay you want better proof, I also gained 30lbs of muscle in a matter of a few months and I can do 20 pullups in a row, I know what im talking about and maple syrop is better than anything labelled "corn" in 99% of cases
Not only did Ann debunked the claims, but also she educated us about the topic even better! I'm coming out of this video knowing the difference between glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose. Thank you so much!!!
Not to mention introducing us to critical thinking skills. Which i think is more essential than any specific topic
If you are over the age of 13 there's no excuse to not know the difference between those sugars. What have you been doing in school?
@@beabea5985 you can’t expect all schools teach the same things? i for one have never learned any of this in school and clearly a lot of other people haven’t either
@@beabea5985 you know not everyone went to the same school that you did? Like maybe another country, maybe focus on another topics, or maybe they went to school 50 years ago. Or had horrible teacher.
@@beabea5985 there are different curriculums my guy
Ann: "I wanna put a glucose monitor into someones arm and feed them pure sugar"
Dave: *nervous sweating*
I wonder if putting the sugar in tea would have achieved the same result less painfully?
@@sarasamaletdin4574 likely, but the point in consuming it on it's own was to rule out anything else possibly affecting the results.
@@sarasamaletdin4574 It would have. But Ann is smart enough to know that it’s better to rule out everything in these kind of experiments.
@@BbGun-lw5vi smart enough? Uhm, yeah hun everyone that went to 10th Grade knows you have to eliminate all outside interference
@@BigMastah79 Yes, most people are smart enough. Including Ann. Although unfortunately even though many people know better but often still don't do it.
"the things I do for you". Literally. Ann deserves an award for all the times she's cleaned out her microwave/pans and tested ridiculous recipes that she knows can't possibly work. I feel like this time takes it to a new level though, considering she's stuck a glucose monitor into her arm and is eating a bunch of sugar just so we can see what it does to her body.
Idk, she goes "the things I do for you" while eating sugar... Meanwhile think of all the things she's subjected her poor husband to in these vids, lol
@@christian3255 Lol the one video she was like "Poor Dave. Don't worry. I'll make him a real cheesecake later"
Lol I actually checked if this was sponsored by Freestyle Libre when I saw that but no, Ann is just going the extra mile for us yet again. What a star!!!!
@@christian3255 dave deserves an award for all the times he's eaten that stuff as well lol
@@prairielily08 CGMs are fantastic! I absolutely love mine. It started screaming at me at work, letting me know my number was dropping, fast. My sister, who I work with, looks at me, “Don’t ignore it. There’s cake in the fridge.” My sis is not one to ignore. As I have learned (she chased me away from doing dishes a few nights!)
man i love hearing about all the food science without even a MENTION of "This will absolutely make you fat" or "This will help you lose weight." it's nice to learn about food in a way that isn't transparently terrified of gaining a single pound. it's almost like the process of gaining and losing weight is a lot more complicated than "these foods do it" and "these foods don't."
It's actually not, it's even the opposite actually. When you really boil it down, gaining and losing weight is just numbers, calories, nothing else. Burn more than you lose, eat more than you lose. Nothing else matters.
@@DeepgoatI'm actually baffled that you could watch this and other food science videos and come to that conclusion. Food is complicated, there's all sorts of vitamins and things your body needs that aren't counted by a calorie. It can be dangerous to base your diet entirely on calorie count, because then you could end up "succeeding," but severely deficient in something. Not to mention that calories don't really give you a good picture of how your body, specifically, will digest any given food (as ann points out in this video, the iron in a steak is better absorbed than the iron in coconut sugar. calories, or even the literal number of how much iron it contains, wouldn't tell you that). A healthy diet is important, but it is much, much more complex than "burn more than you eat."
@@Deepgoatbesides which, my initial comment was just pointing that a food in and of itself will not make you gain or lose weight. It depends on, again, your specific body's metabolism and such, and the context in which you eat it. A slice of cake every now and then isn't inherently going to make you fat, and eating 60 pears in a day won't make you thin. Moderation is more important than the idea that some foods are just "evil" and others are "miracle food."
@@Sky-vj5fg Nah not really it's all about calories when you talk about food. Typically people's metabolic rates don't different SO DRAMATICALLY that one person is just becoming jiggly puff off the same diet that someone is losing weight on. If you're just talking about "losing weight", go no further, all you need to know is calories in and out. Health is a different story.
@@DeepgoatI'm not going to argue this with someone who refers to other human beings as "jiggly-puff." Dehumanizing people ain't cool.
As a chemist, I cringe so hard at the influencers' so-called "scientific justification" of their reason to pick a sugar of choice to the point it became so unbearable that honestly i felt a secondhand embarassment. No hate to those who have personal taste preferences, but if you try to justify healthier option with science at least do your research. Awesome video as always, Ann ✨
As I watched the video, my one thought was "And this is why you don't get your health advice from unlicensed attractive people on social media." And at the absolute least, pay attention to if the person gives sources to scientific studies. If they never quote any or give a shorthand explanation such as "It has a lower glycemic index than sugar" and the person never brings up any downsides to a product, press X to doubt.
As Ann said, you can't replace one sweetner with another and expect zero detriments. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
It's very clear with a lot of these people that they don't understand a lot of the vocab and jargon they are using. If you asked a lot of them to explain what an enzyme was and what it does I think they'd struggle to tell you but they are happy to endorse a product because it apparently contains a lot of them.
@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley the irony is they're so fixated on "it's natural so it's good" that they ignore the simple fact that it's artificial sweeteners that ARE more healthy. They have negligible calories. Diet coke is a butt of all jokes but it actually has almost no calories while sugary sweet drinks are absolutely about the worst thing possible for a diet...
Seriously, someone once told me that brown sugar is healthier than white sugar. And I'm thinking but it's sugar...
@@KasumiRINA certainly , but i think the main issue is that all sugars ( natural and artificial) have benefits and downsides. Saying that one is oh so much healthier than another because of XYZ perpetuates misinformation which can be even more harmful.
Your statement about artificial sweeteners is not wrong but also skips over the fact that while ,yes, artificial sweeteners have no calories, they can be processed differently by the body and have other long-term effects. Hundreds of studies are being conducted on every type of sweetener every year with no true conclusive evidence that one is better or more healthy than another simply because there are far more factors than the sweetner at play.
I love that Ann debunks things like this without resorting to making people feel stupid for believing it in the first place. Ann understands how people come to hold their mistaken beliefs, and just straightens out the actual observable facts with very little judgement. I LOVE that she included a clip of the blond guy (no idea, sorry!) later correcting himself about agave nectar - showing that the people in the clips she uses aren't there to be the "villains" of the piece, they're an example of how many of us confidently hold incorrect beliefs. It should be normalised and admired for someone to change their mind when presented with new information - that's how learning works!
It's espcially nice when she doesn't treat people who believe in life-hacks like they are stupid either. It's so easy to fall for those kinds of things, lifehacks are designed that way, and she just explains how they don't work. I'm not one who knows food science (nor am I knowledgable on "healthy" foods, so I probably would listen to all the hyper about sugar alternatives without understanding and I think she understands that too. She's just an all around amazing youtuber (probably an amazing person too but I only really know her on youtube so that's why I said that)
But there's a difference between holding an incorrect belief because you don't know better vs. shouting out your incorrect belief to everyone while making money even though it is contradicted by actual observable facts (meaning that you never tried to actually proof your belief).
These influencers do match the 2nd version quite well.
Blond guy is Thomas DeLauer.
@@renem.5852 That’s true too. A lot of these youtubers hype “ natural alternatives” for money.
@@renem.5852 That's very true! There's innocent ignorance, and then there's deliberate lying. I don't know any of the influencers shown here, so I don't know what their angle is. It was good to see an example of one of them reversing their position, but whether that was genuine, or because they found a different product to shill is another question!
It’s more about portion rather than the poison. When I was losing weight I was still eating chocolate and cake and burgers, but at much smaller portions and less frequently. Completely cutting off daily consumption of sugary goods is a non starter for many people, but cutting back to maybe two Oreos a day is doable (plus it vastly improves the experience eating it).
Likewise with vegetables, I found that finding the right vegetable to snack on to replace all the sugary stuff I was eating when I wanted to snack was crucial. From baby carrots to green sweet pea pods to brocolli, it was great!
I agree! I decided to try cutting sweets and such for only on Saturdays, and in order to get through the rest of the week I bought a lot of mandarin and sparkling water to trick my brain whenever I had a sugar rush. Then after two weeks of doing that, I cut down the mandarins and used other fruits and vegetables, then went from sparkling to regular water, and I found myself some months later without any serious sugar rush, which was pretty nice. As you said, suddenly and completely cutting it all off would be too difficult for me, so to make limitations and replacements through a period of time worked best for me.
I'm really just wondering if there's a sugar alternate that tastes sweeter so I need less of it.
@wordforger A bunch of artificial sweeteners are sweeter, so you use less, but it can completely throw off the texture of baked goods. There are specific sweeteners formulated for baking but if you're just looking for something to use instead of sugar in tea or coffee there are sweetener tablets that come in a little dispenser. 1 tab = 1 teaspoon. My personal hack is to use half sugar, half sucralose by volume in baking. So it still kind of holds up because of the sugar but it's slightly fewer calories.
@@wordforger The problem with taste is that it's relative, I taste vodka as bitter, all of it, even the best "tasteless" stuff because I'm a super taster (which is scientifically defined as >x taste buds/ tongue area, I don't recall the numbers off the top of my head) and dislike the taste of any alcohol, including in extracts. There are also no tasters (
@@wordforgerThere are, but it comes with cons. They are often highly processed, many people can't tolerate them very well (diarreah, stomachaches, etc.), they often have a weird aftertaste and you obciously need to replace the mass of the sugar that is now nissing in the recipe. Some of them give a weird texture in the food. Plus your body produces insulin to counter the sugar - but there is none, so you get hungry and crave more and eat more. So in the end it is really not good.
Wouldn't it be better to eat in moderation? In a lot of countries outside the US sugar is used in lower amounts in recipes and it tastes great. It's all about what you're used to.
Oh and often these artificial sweeteners kind of temper with your taste buds, like aroma - you get such a strong taste from them that natural sweet things don't taste good anymore. Pesto Basilico is often made with aroma (when bought in supermarkets) and after eating that for a while you won't find the real thing good enough anymore. It just tastes like "less" or "nothing" because you're so used to the overpowering taste of aroma. Kond of like your hearing gets worse if you hear way too loud music all the time. You won't hwar the fine undertones anymore.
Please make this a series. I feel like everyone on the Internet is lying to us it feels nice to have someone unbiased and focused on the truth
MLM marketers do the same
She already does :p
Or do you mean specifically healthy stuff?
@@BigMastah79 specifically healthy stuff
She has and you’re right; you have to be careful about who you trust online
Next one could focus on artificial sweetners like sucralose.
I wish more people understood that over eating anything is bad and everything needs a balance. I love that Ann takes topics and not only explains everything, she puts more than one reference and always just tells people moderation is key and you can't replace healthy foods with hacks. This episode abd her gluten episode are my favourite for food science and health I think.
I love the conversation in the comments, though it's now getting too much so no more comments please.
Yeah, the real secret to "healthy eating" is to eat a balance of macro and micronutrients, balance out super processed foods with things like fresh fruits and vegetables, and get exercise. The thing is, eating a rounded diet is hard so people are eager to find ways to cheat the system. Like, yeah if you go on a fad diet, you might lose weight while you're on it, but once you stop you'll gain all that weight back.
reminds me of that king of the hill episode where the town bans trans fats, so bill is eating cookies that don't contain trans fats, but he's eating more of them because he thinks they're better, but he gains like 20 pounds.
@@vepri9421 The link between health and privilege is undeniable, unfortunately. We just have to try and do our best with what we have access to, can afford, and have time to prepare.
Yes you can over eat salad and be unhealthy
Well but that’s not a good enough answer for people who want some magic food that they can just add to their diet and suddenly be healthy. Plus people like absolutes, not being asked to think. 🤷🏼♀️
I've been diabetic for about 4-5 years and in that time no dietician or GP has explained sugar and GI as well as Ann just did. You know not all sugars are as bad for you, but this is just the best explanation of how the GI works! A lot more patience and the visuals really help! I hope other diabetics come across this video. As usual Ann you're an absolute gift 💙
Also remember fat can delay release of sugars. This is why I hate the "chocolate bar" solution to low blood sugar that used to be in vogue on TV and movies.
Many doctors I find don't think we can understand medical explanations. I'm a huge biology nut, but doctors always think I googled my symptoms because I have limited, but basic understanding of my own body. Like, no dude, I'm just not a dummy and I listened in biology class and did a lot of extracurricular biology activities. Now please take me seriously and explain what's up with my flesh prison so I can stop being confused and worried.
@@unerochebleue extremely true! I want to know stuff, just give me the info doc
I have Fructose Malabsorbtion, so all these "low glycemic" foods are actually poison for me. My body is like "NO. THAT IS NOT FOOD. WE REFUSE." and it basically goes bad in my gut and gets flushed out. It is not pleasant. And I am so sick of the health kick that's putting agave in everything! IT HAS MORE FRUCTOSE IN IT THAN HFCS. CMON.
I’m also a diabetic and I agree, she explained it really well!
In my personal experience, Agave (and the other alternatives) started (marketed) as a white sugar replacement for vegans who didn't want processed sugar (which involved animal products on occasion). Interesting to see how these alternatives have been blown up to be marketed as a 'healthier' alternative.
wait what? To my knowledge sugar processing doesn't contain any animal products. It's all mechanical (crushing the cane) or chemical (bleaching the sugar solution, clarifying).
@@romxxii In America bone char is often used to process white sugar.
@@boogerhaze93 then just buy brown sugar
@@romxxii Bone char is used in the filtering process of sugar from sugar cane to help make it white. Some companies don't use it, some do. It can be difficult to find sugar from different companies in some areas and back in the day it could be quite hard to find information on whether or not a particular company used bone char. So vegans looked for alternative sweeteners.
As far as I know, white sugar is not actually bleached.
@@rowan3682 have you read the last comment I wrote where you can just use brown sugar?
Imagine a world where all nutrition advice is this well-reasoned and explained. So many have benefited in so many ways from spreading nutrition misinformation. Thanks for your great advice Ann!
I think a lot of the "healthy" hype comes from the fact that agave is used in a lot of vegan recipes (as a substitute for honey). People often confuse vegan with healthy, and that's not always necessarily the case.
i think that's exactly it! you'll notice, a lot of the "health" stuff comes from hippie and wealthy people mistaking vegan for healthy, or any dietary thing, really. the whole gluten free thing...also, the vast majority of agave use is and always has been in tequila lol, def not healthy...
I really don’t understand how agave is vegan, because of the demand farmers now harvest wild agave and harvest agave plan before bloom thus destroying the sustenance local bat population needs. How is that vegan?
@@shadycatz85 okay now I'm convinced. I'll tell my family it's a health food, lol.
@@elif6908 because it doesn't directly come from animals. A lot of vegans are very short sighted tbh.
It happens a lot, look at a lot of staples of certain vegans, they can get extremely unethical unless it's grown locally to you in sustainable ways.
@@elif6908 That's an excellent point. That seems a constant struggle for vegans, because how our food is produced can have a variety of negative effects on wildlife even if not literally derived from an animal.
You can tell these Tiktok influencers have no idea what they're talking about when they just randomly throw nutritional terminology without any concrete explanation as to how and why things function. Thank you so much, Ann. I learnt a lot from this video. Keep up with the excellent content.
lol "raw enzymes"
unlike the bad well-done enzymes
Thats what influencers do....they find the buzzwords that will get more views and sell.more stuff
Exactlyyyy
This is something I really hate. Not just around this topic, but every field ever. These are those students in school who understand nothing and just memorise everything in order to gain marks. How are you supposed to apply your knowledge if you don't understand it? I hate those kinds of videos in which they just tell us what to do without explaining why it is happening. For example, I saw the top rated video on Rubik's cube tutorial. It just told me the steps without telling me why does it work. If you don't understand why does it work, then how are you supposed to use the logic in any other type? You will again have to watch a video based on how to solve a 4 by 4 or a 5 by 5 or even a 2 by 2 cube. Moreover you are memorising the formula and nothing else. So, just in case you forget the formula, you will not be able to use your common sense to solve it. My cousin knew how to solve the 2 by 2 cube. It has a different formula to it. But once when we jumbled it and asked him to solve it, he couldn't and said that he had forgotten the formula. By that time, I had already figured out the logic behind solving the Rubik's cube. So, despite not knowing the steps for a 2 by 2, I could solve it. This is why you should really understand your things and not just memorise them. What is the point in learning ten different things when you can just learn and understand one thing and use your brain for the rest? You will be wasting a whole part of your brain if you just mug up. We have been given a brain for a reason, so use it. Another example, a video listed a few ways to keep your intimate areas clean. Well, now you know certain ways. But another video explained the reason behind it. Well, now you know it, understand it and would probably be able to apply it many other topics.
TikTok, Instagram, etc, it’s all about pretty people using buzz words to get attention. It’s the most base form of marketing.
I'd really be interested in Anne doing a breakdown of other sugar alternatives, such as stevia, monks fruit, or eurythratol, sweeteners that are often recommended to diabetics etc.
This!!
I think she already has
i don't know about other ones, but, if i remember correctly, stevia doesn't participate in metabolism. but it's not that sweet and tastes gross.
@@platannapipidae9621 monks fruit and eurythratol all supposed to be similar to Stevia, but it would still be interesting someone like Anne conduct an experiment like this with them.
Side bar if you don’t like the aftertaste of stevia, monks fruit and eurythratol have very little aftertaste (especially monk’s fruit).
she likely can't understand the chemical processing in stevia, and the implications of that.
stevia is a plant based sweetner
but sugar cane is also a plant sweetner, why is it the devil?
that's my concern.
Ann is SUCH a good science communicator, shes always so good at breaking down complicated concepts and ideas into something thats easy to understand, i always appreciate her explanations!
Love your icon and name/handle! :D
That is really true but also on other hand these folks are really stupid and or delusional who get caught up in these hypes and cant read studies. Or sometimes actually deliberately overcomplicate the explanation surrounding a product or a topic. If you can't explain the topic to someone as if they are five you are either bullshitting or have not delved into topic enough to grasp it yourself.
Super inspiring 2 me, she speaks my language
Yes! The visual aids were amazing. She had Lego bricks and diagrams of organs. It was awesome!
I've said it elsewhere, but Ann would make an excellent teacher.
As a type-2 diabetic, this explained more about how sugar works to me than the 3 hours of classes I had to take at my local medical center. Thanks, Ann!
You should share this video with them!
Send it to them! Maybe they can use it for future classes
As a type 2 as well, this was super informative! I never had any nutritionist or dietician break it down for me like this before!
To be a bit more fair to them, the class time focused on the more practical aspects of being newly diagnosed. Like making sure you know how your meter works, what your target sugar count should be, some strategies to manage spikes and drops, that sort of thing. And a bit of general guidelines on cooking. So I'd say they chose things that were more immediately useful than the demonstration shown here.
"ANNE CAN YOU DO A HEALTHY DESERT RECIPE???"
Ann: no.
Damn, straight up said it like it is. Respect. Also, that was hilarious.
There are no healthy deserts. They're all too dry to be healthy
Yeah that is scientifically wrong and also stupid. You CAN make healthy desserts, I do it every day. Also whats healthy depends on the person. Peanuts are not healthy if you're allergic...
@@LynnHermione agreed. I make my mom healthy deserts all the time that fit into her diabetic diet and don’t peak her sugars. They’re not traditional, like cakes and things, but they’re sweet and tasty and make her happy
@@LynnHermione So what the Food Scientist said is wrong and stupid because you disagree with her statement. Aight
You can make a healthy DESSERT recipe. Place 1/4 cup chopped strawberries in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt. Gently stir until the strawberries are mixed in. Lightly sprinkle with some shaved dark chocolate. Enjoy.
But as someone else mentioned, there are no DESERTS you can eat that would be healthy.
Watching people talk about agave and switching their views to the complete opposite instead of moderation was just wild. People really don't know what they're talking about sometimes and I'm sure I'm 100% guilty of the same.
The fitness guy just squeezing the agave into his mouth - YIKES.
@@Nocturne22right 😅 like when that clip was shown I was like 😬 this isn't conveying the point you think it is, chugging anything like that is never the "right" solution to things
In an engagement/attention based information economy, extreme viewpoints tend to flow to the top, even if they're wrong. With nutrition, there is a new fad every year, but the actual evidence based dietary guidelines and recommendations haven't really changed over decades.
Why are we getting so much nutrition related chronic illness if the existing guidelines are probably correct? Well... It's because nobody actually follows them.
Unlike them, you admit it
Then he pushed keto when that was the buzz word. He’d say anything to make a dollar. He has NO integrity
The fact that Ann ran this scientific experiment herself and with her own blood glucose readings as a variable demonstrates her commitment to quality content. Keep up the good work! ❤️ - From a fellow Melburnian
Not to mention that the glucose monitoring device ain’t cheap! It’s also great to see someone who does experiments & actually applies the correct scientific method
@@Tamacoleo my dad has one of those. And yes.not cheap. (He's diabetic)
@@Tamacoleo The device is actually not that expensive. The test strips are, though. Not too expensive for her purposes (I'm type 1 diabetic)
I'm a type 1 diabetic and when I met with my nutritionist I told her I had switched from sugar to agave nectar she explained to me that it really wasn't the healthy alternative everyone is convinced that it is.
Also t1d here, I never made switches apart from diet fizzy drinks! But man its wild people were saying honey doesnt spike your bgs.. its exactly what I have when i'm low. I feel like a t1d tiktok needs to be started to debunk this rubbish
Well now you know. But this whole thing could have been avoided if you look for first citations. Don't go based off what health line or vice says. Look for the first citations, the actual Studies. Trust me it's worth reading them because going off he said she said isn't reliable
@@blackbeast9268 i'm not American, but also I never believe in any claims 'normal' people make re blood glucose levels at all. Because its all legit lies. People with a working pancreas legit wouldn't be able to verify these claims, just buy it on the premise that its healthy because of these claims. Frustrates me to no end. Same with people who say porridge keeps you fuller for longer and 'stablises your bgs.' My ass, one of the absolute worst things I could eat is porridge and cereal, unless I gave a load of insulin beforehand, and probs corrections after. I'm definitely not the person who needs to be told, but the general populace does need to be careful
I can recommend looking into sugar alcoholes as an alternative.
@@CruelDominion
From what I read it does, but slowly.
As a Canadian, I can confirm:
You should replace sugar with Maple Syrup in lots of things. Not because it's healthier, but because it's delicious.
Try sweetening Whipped Cream with it sometime...
Yes! I love putting it in things just for the delicious taste.
I had never had real maple syrup until I moved to Ohio (USA) as an adult. I was put off by its wateriness at first, but I came to love it. I even like drinking my black tea with maple sugar now.
My mom puts maple syrup in her (plain) yogurt and kefir, which I thought weird at first, but she made a convert outta me. I gotta say, it's good stuff.
Male syrup is so gross to me for some reason
As a Vermonter, I 100% agree.
@@dallasmales5520 I think "male syrup" is something a little different
13:36 I honestly laughed when I saw your handwritten "Natural" label be placed directly over the existing "100% natural" label on the original sugar packet
idk if that was intentional or not but it certainly gave me a laugh as well. Reminds me of when my sugar bags used to say "only x calories per serving"
Absolutely appreciate that she refused to even pretend there were healthy recipes.
*You mean sweetener or desserts?
Wdym? There are plenty of healthy recipes out there.
Just chop some fruits and put them in a bowl and there you go healthy recipe
@@akahanachan6160 is that a recipe or just chopping some fruit lol
@@Nocturne22 idk it's your opinion
This is seriously one of the best channels on YT, and I'm not overexaggerating. The lengths you went to in order research different claims and ingredients, test those claims in various objectively identifiable ways, and then educate us on what's happening throughout with helpful visuals..... I'm blown away. I was glued to the screen the whole time. Fantastic job, Ann!
She would be an excellent teacher.
I wish she was my science teacher. I’d honestly learn so much. From the calm tone, to the visuals and then the facts. Love it
It really isn't.
This is why I watch a food scientist and not an "influencer" for food knowledge. Thank you for all you do Ann! Making the world smarter 1 video at a time :)
I saw one of these "food influencers" awhile ago - the video was basically framed as quick tips on what you should and should not get...
There was so little science-based education in the video, ultimately, it felt like fear mongering for views.
this branches into watching other influencers too - you really start to notice when someone is regurgitating words that sound educated, and when someone is facilitating high-quality education.
You know, I grew up being told that honey was basically sugar that was refined by bees rather than people. So it's crazy to see people acting like it's a super healthy "alternative"
Honestly I think people need to remember that calories aren't the enemy: they're needed to live.
EDIT: for clarity honey is literally just a shit tonne of glucose and sucrose, the former is which is the molecule broken down for use in cellular respiration - aka the chemical process that keeps people alive. Are there other things in it? Yes. But it's still gloopy sugar and not a substitute for a balanced diet.
"Natural" and "processed" are nowadays little more than buzzwords meant to prey on health worries in order to separate your cash from your bank account. If there's anything you should be angry about, it's predatory advertising exploiting people's genuine worries. And even moreso when "wellness" claims are used to push fruits and veggies into higher price brackets, making them less accessible for people on limited incomes.
They are the enemy when your dinner consists of 3000 calories of chicken wings from zaxbys
We have to be more vigilant about the sugars that are in our caloric intake. Especially if we have to eat out and those places have more sugars in their 'balanced' mix of protein/carb foods than we imagine.
@@Falcodrin
Well now I know what I'm having for dinner tonight. Ty.
obviously bee spit adds a little something to the sugar syrup that our mechanical processes don't, but it's bee spit, not magic dust.
@@hhiippiittyy there's legit a meal from Zaxby's you can get over 2000 calories just sitting on the menu
Ann deserves WAY more credit for everything she does. She explains everything in a way that is so easy to understand and gives you solutions to these things. The queen of youtube IMO
I agree she's great, but it's not like her channel is that small ;) She does get rewarded.
NO! NO! NO! Many people say I am sick in the head. NOOOO!!!! I don't believe them. But there are so many people commenting this stuff on my videos, that I have 1% doubt. So I have to ask you right now: Do you think I am sick in the head? Thanks for helping, my dear kc
@@riotgrrrl8807 She should be bigger.
This lady should win a science communication award. Brilliant.
We have to learn how to communicate lay language to the general public as part of our dietitian program so every dietitian has to be able to explain things simply like Ann
@@mish_elle1450 ive been fortunate learning a lot in college and always compliment a dietrician i meet as my body improves from my illnesses.
Every time they simplify it i wait until they're finished and compliment them for communicating it like that and encourage to keep it up. I also tend to say "i know i undersrand what you're saying but im unsure tom will get it!" I feel like another important aspect is to never bellitle the person you're educating
Id love to see Ann and the food science babe do a collab!
My teachers did a worse job than she does, and she's not even talking in my native language :/ That's really sad.
@@fy8798 Indeed. Lack of accessibility creates a vacuum that’s filled with credulity (Like the ‘God of the Gaps’ phenomenon, where people fill in knowledge they don’t have with any old rubbish that claims to be simple and at the same time magically super effective.). It’s such a shame. But thankfully Ms. Reardon is helping to chip away at the charlatans’ credibility!
Honestly, I absolutely love coconut sugar because of the flavour. A lot of our local southeast asian desserts use palm sugar syrup as its sweetener, and it gives an earthy - almost savoury - flavour you wouldn't get with sugar alone. I love it in my milk tea. But I wouldn't try to lie to myself that it's any healthier than other sugar..
Same here. I prefer the flavour of coconut sugar, but that's the only reason why I use it in my desserts, not because of an illusion that it's healthier. It has a nice, subtle sweetness that also works super well in savoury dishes that call for a small amount of sugar :)
It's the only sugar I buy any more because it's delicious, but... yeah... it's still sugar. And my dentist still has something to say about me drinking it in tea. 😅 The hype's all very "magical foreign food".
My mom likes buying cane sugar cause it’s “healthier” lol. I dont know how to tell her it’s as healthy as other sugars
@@Hawxrthia I remember being told that in some parts of the US, sugarcane sugar is advertised as "healthier" than corn syrup. Sugarcane sugar was the only sugar I knew for most of my life, so this was really fascinating to learn about lol
@@internetexplorer6304 Hey Karen, maybe people would feel less need to "exotify" other cultures if everything Western wasn't continuously demonized by the same people whining about the former.
The only advantage of these alternative sweeteners is the fact, that they have a unique taste of their own. That can help to reduce the overall amount you use. Love this Video!
If I'd had Ann as a chemistry/biology teacher, I would definitely have gotten much better grades in those topics. This was so educational and so easy to understand!
Correct
This is probably the only dessert making channel who teaches to eat fruits and vegetables. Thank you for your efforts Ann. I have been following you for the past few years and loving everything about this channel from tips and tricks to now debunking the foods we eat. Much love from India. ❤️♥️
When Ann said, "I'm not going to eat 20 grams of pure sugar," how many of you thought she was about to say, "So let's make Dave do it."?
✋
🤣 it was nice of Ann to give Dave a week off, lol!
No Dave appearance was definitely a plot twist!
I'd love to see Ann do a video on substitutes like monk fruit, allulose, stevia etc. my doc has me on a restricted carb diet, and I've had to switch over to these in addition to cutting out things like bread and rice.
omg, you POOR THING. I'd die.
I'd like to see this too! I actually really like monk fuit as a sugar substitute and from what I have seen it is good as a low calory sugar alternative, but I doubt it has any benefits beyond just being low calorie/not actually being sugar.
But I'm no expert, I just googled a bit, lol. I'd like for an actual expert to explain it to me.
isn't there a beef jerky alternative made out of monk fruit?
"Health" influencers: You CAN'T have this, avoid it at ALL costs, it is the DEVIL! But I LOVE this, it's AMAZING for you, it's all RAW and NATURAL and..
Ann: Calm down. Have a banana.
"Sugar is THE DEVIL" is so melodramatic honestly. Food influencers should spend more time on research
Watch as influencers now try to spread lies about bananas
i heard that last bit in her accent unconsciously haha
😂😂
😂😂😂😂
It's also super important to note that what is "healthy" is different for everyone. Some folks (like those with diabetes) can benefit from low GI foods, while other people have a hard time processing certain sugar variants (IBS and fructose). Not to mention alcohol sugars can cause a lot of indigestion and diarrhea for some people. For some with intestinal issues (UC, stoma) high fiber is not helpful, while a lot of people benefit from higher fiber. Everyone has different needs and bodies process things differently. Proteins and fats aren't always processed well. Also "health" looks different for everyone, if it's even possible by the dominant health industry standards.
sincerely, a disabled person with a food allergy
Very good comment!!
YES. This is such an important thing that gets overlooked all the time.
Ugh, I can't eat garlic, and people argue with me!
exactly!
Thank you. Good points.
Can't get past how consistently great Anne's content is - and annoyed that there are so few checks and balances on misinformation from 'influencers' who don't have the first clue about the advice they give. I almost never comment on YT but hope this supports you with the algorithm.
Thank you for addressing one of my pet bugbears: ‘healthier’ sugar/sugar alternatives. I’m old enough to remember when raw sugar was thought to be a better option than normal sugar since it was less processed. As though the crystals being larger made a difference!
I just think raw sugar tastes better. It’s not any healthier
I'd say that healthy sugar is kind of like snake oil, but actual snake oil seems relatively harmless in comparison.
Bugbears... Do you play dnd?
As someone with a liver disorder, this explanation of fructose is better than my doctor's, and explains a lot.
Came here expecting a "mythbusters" kind of video experimenting with silly recipes, but got a whole scientific review paper on sugars instead! I learned so much and really enjoyed your friendly yet pragmatic way of explaining and putting things into perspective
she always bring a scientific review and an experiment.
And she talks about those things in a simple language
She is a treasure.
First time watching Ann then? Welcome, she's not like those others. You get fact here, not fiction.
Another thing to consider is the environmental impact. I live in Switzerland, most of our sugar is locally produced via sugar beet. I do not know how differently agave or coconut is ecology-wise, but the fact is, that's not something we could produce here, and importation impact is a factor to consider when you want to use a product daily, along with health and economical impact.
Edit: To clarify, I'm not saying a sugar production is better than the others overall. Also, I'm not implying that you can "eat more" of such or such sugar. Just to clarify. :p
In Australia we have only just started (say in the last couple of years) making sugar from beetroot/sugar beets. Not that it's available in most supermarkets here.
That's definitely something to consider, yeah. I'm from England and a lot of the fields around here grow sugar beet, and there's a sugar factory close by. I think the carbon footprint of other sugars would be a hell of a lot worse. Not to mention I hear agave farming has quite a few sustainability issues, as well as having a big effect on bat populations. Not sure about the others, but I can't imagine coconut sugar is coming from anywhere local.
The increased demand for agave is certainly wreaking havoc in its home range. It only blooms once before it dies, and should be harvested at that time to yield the most nectar. But high demand means farmers are harvesting before bloom to meet it, removing an important food source for local bats. And it's such a slow-growing plant, not nearly as renewable as things like beets! I like using local honey to support keepers in my area, among other things.
In my country we produce sugar cane in order to get sugar (alcohol too), but there's some problems with it. Like, they have to burn the sugar cane before cutting so it's easier and this smoke is not only bad for the environment but for the locals because of small particles from the sugar cane
@@luriello02 we produce sugar cane here in Florida too. Down in the Everglades. Burning is an issue for them as well.
Burning sugar cane releases formaldehyde into the air. That’s a known carcinogen.
I was so excited when I saw the Manuka Honey on the table! I'm a entomologist/microbiologist and the antimicrobial effective of honey is a research interest of mine - so glad you spoke about it properly!
Honey is crazy. The fact that if sealed properly it will NEVER expire is just wild
These videos are the best. It is so important to educate people with the right information
Hi Vincenzo. U are everywhere nowadays
As an Italian it warms my heart seeing you liking the best food scientist on TH-cam
I love your recipes Vincenzo! Especially your mother in laws amaretti!!!!
Hi Vincenzo! Love your Cacio e Pepe recipe!
Oh wow, even Vincenzo's watching the Queen 😃
I'd love a breakdown of the more "legit" alternative sweeteners (stevia, monkfruit options like Lakanto, etc.) as a follow up video. Not necessarily as a "healthy recipe" focus but because there's a lot of health conditions that cause folks to need to use them and it'd be cool to have a thorough breakdown.
Yeah, I can't have sugar because my body lights itself on fire. Sugar free things work for me, but I couldn't tell you why.
I'd like this too. I use stevia in place of sugar when I can, but I have no idea if it's really helping anything.
I'd like to see Monkfruit also.
Stevia can barely substitute in tea or coffee. My friends tried backing with Stevia (it was for a science fair) and the cake turned out extremely bitter and with a weird taste. Yes, they marked it as "it will taste weird only at the beginning" but I wouldn't recommend it at all.
@@202cardline In what way does your body "light itself on fire"? An allergy sort of way or more a diabetes kind of way?
That would determine what alternatives would work and which maybe wouldn't.
If it's in a "spontaneous combustion" kind of way please see your trusted 18th century surgeon.
As someone who has both gastroparesis and type 1 diabetes, this is the first time I've ever fully understood the glycemic index and how your body breaks down sugars and starches. Thank you ❤️
Well, “fully” in air quotes.
Well...not exactly "fully", just in an easily digestible format. Also while she does explain the science I have to point out that as for her "test" that a sampling of one person in their late forties isn't exactly what I'd call a comprehensive total.
Fellow dietitian here. Thank you so much Ann for making an informative, helpful and evidence-based video on this subject! And the fact that your videos have such a wide reach makes me that much happier😊 Please keep doing what you're doing!
The amount of times I've come across a "no added sugar" baking recipe only for it to contain honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar or similar is ridiculous. They claim it's "natural" so it doesn't count but everyone seems to forget regular table sugar is also technically "natural" because it comes from sugar cane which is a plant! At the end of the day, it is all sugar and should be consumed in moderation within the context of a balanced diet.
Cane sugar is awful for you so much better to go with an all natural cold pressed sugarcane juice
@@FrancisR420 Did you learn nothing from this video? It’s ALL sugar, doesn’t matter where it comes from 🤦🏻♀️
I've had a soda that was straight up 100% cane sugar lol. Drank 3 of em.
Terrible for me? Yes
Tasted good? Also Yes
Moderation is key, unfortunately sometimes that key gets lost 🙃
[this is a lighthearted comment]
@@B_27 I'm certain they're going for sarcasm.
@@hakure I'm not. The level of stupidity I have encountered online is astronomical.
Pure honey is definitely anti-bacterial: ancient Egyptian nobles used to smear it on their wounds to keep them from becoming infected. But, of course, this video is absolutely correct that *eating* honey won't magically impart anti-bacterial protection to you. It acts more like a barrier to bacteria than anything else, and that's only before it begins to be digested. Coating yourself entirely in honey might keep bacteria from getting to you, but that may be somewhat impractical and problematic...
Although there is evidence that eating locally produced honey (IE from within a few miles of your home) can help with the symptoms of hayfever.
@@emmabarnard6012 I'm no scientist but I don't think that's got to do with the antibacterial properties but with the pollen. I'm really too dumb to know the difference but I'm sure there is one.
@@emmabarnard6012 What evidence?
@@emmabarnard6012 that's a popular myth. Honey contains flower pollen but generally it's grass and tree pollens that cause hayfever
Yeah, it's more like if you're stranded somewhere without access to medicine or a first aid kit and get a small cut, a bit of honey on your cut after cleaning it might be better than nothing.
While I am not the healthiest person ever, I always favour the advice of food scientists and actual dieticians who want to help educate the populace and not someone trying to sell products or advice. People have become so scared of food they'll take any information with a grain of salt regardless of how baseless or misinformed it may be.
Ann, you're amazing. Please keep up the good work!
I'll take my information with a grain of sugar, thank you very much :P
@@Riker1990 Coconut or Refined? xD
An actual scientist running actual experiments with actual subjects and experimental vs. control comparisons and explaining the biology, chemistry & mechanism of action. ✨ As a person from allied sciences myself, she has my utmost respect in making food science accessible to a layman. 🤍 Never stop, ma'am. 🌼
I'd get vaccinated if she videos on it. Only scientist I trust
If she teaches me biology I prolly would've passed
@@HackerActivist I hope ur joking?¿ there are already good reasons to get the vaccine
@@HackerActivist and if she did a video she'd be getting her sources from somewhere so..
@@HackerActivist you want a food scientist to tell you to get vaccinated? Are you not aware that the vaccines are not their area? Listen to scientists that are actually specialized in that area and get vaccinated
I love Ann’s debunking videos (although they are all great). She is not condescending and genuinely wants you both to succeed and be safe. She not only tells you why it does not work, but the tricks used to make it looks like it works in many cases and how to actually do it to make it work.
As a Biologist, I must say that I loved your explanation of the sugar using lego bricks! Amazingly simple and easy to understand! I hope you do not mind if I steal this technique to use with my students. ;D
Sharing is caring ;)
Suggestion: Please use black lego bricks to represent galactose; that way, lactose comes out lookin' pretty af.
yeah with the honey being an antibacterial, what the influencers don't seem to realize is that it's really meant as more of a topical antibacterial than an interior one. I used to smear honey on my acne and it would take care of it overnight, it's really amazing for that. It's not really going to do much for your insides as far as that goes though.
The only "inside" it helps is sore throats.
If you have mild pollen allergies and buy local, organic honey, it can provide enough low levels of those pollens to help your immune system stop flipping out when encountering them in the wild.
@@silverstarfinder Must be raw/unpasteurized honey too for that to help.
and infuencers only seem to care about manuka honey, which is expensive cuz its only from australia. But local honey is better for allergies and stuff. Influencer's don't care about the effect they have on local businesses either because as a honey seller, i'm asked regularly about manuka honey and dismissed when i don't have it.
@@silverstarfinder most local beekeepers probably don't have the funds to certify as organic since bees will travel up to 2 miles, and most farms aren't that big so they can't guarantee the honey is organic either
Would love to see you repeat this video with the "keto-friendly" sweeteners like Stevia, Erythritol, Allulose, and Monk Fruit
Oh those can get very interesting... I'd love for her to explain the laxative effects of xylitol (and it'll kill your dog). I would also love for her to explain the "Cry wolf effect" sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners can have on your pancreas when consumed in high quantities over long periods... Like drinking multiple diet sodas over several years.
Absolutely!!
@@clueless_cutie maltitol and sorbitol are the ones you need to limit if you have any plans the rest of the day 🤣
No way. All those things taste like poo. I think.
Yes please, Xylit is very popular in germany and they say it is not only healthy but also cant attack your teeth like normal sugar...
i would love to hear about all the other natural and artifical sweeteners of "sugar free" products
Thank you for making this easier to understand Ann! I'm in marketing/business, so I can absolutely tell you it's advertised to make you buy less of one thing instead of buying less as a whole. In the consumer market, it's all about making money. Well, you can't make money if you tell people to stop eating fats, sugars, and sodium. You CAN make money by telling people to stop buying FOODS high in sugars, so they can make low sugar, low fat, low sodium, etc. As Ann can probably tell everyone, the whole "Good For You/ Better For You" market is a crock of crap. The glucose-free foods are much higher in fats. The low sodium/low sugar foods are typically high in fats and cholesterol. The low fat foods are typically high in sodium or sugar. You can't really sacrifice one without compensating for another. Eat what you want, but do so in moderation, and stop spending so much money on these BS diets! They don't work!
I knew about glucose, sucrose etc from school and university but in 3 minutes Anne did a better job of explaining it and making it easy to understand. Also I think she deserves a sponsorship from the company who created the patch she used in her arm because she complimented it and ate 40 grams of almost pure simple sugars to educate.
I would say dexcom, but looking at the CGM I just hooked up and the one she’s using… they aren’t the same. Why can’t my dexcom just be tapped by my phone? Instead, it sends a signal to my phone to sound an alarm if my number starts changing too fast
My colleague who's diabetic has one but I don't remember the name of it either.
Freestyle Libre from Abott
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that Ann was willing to do something she thought be would extremely painful just to better educate us
For once she's sacrificing herself and not Dave
@@megabigblur lmao
Yeah!
i just love how people come to Ann Readon asking her to make a healthy dessert and she's just "EAT A FRUIT!"
Yess 🤣
And vegetables
Yeah because these so called food experts complicate simple things just to act smart and make money
HONESTY!
But, but,
Fruits have sugar
Absolutely love your videos. I am especially fond of the debunking ones and Dave’s reaction to so many of the experiments. He is definitely a keeper.
Thank you SO MUCH for doing this! As a healthcare professional, the claims you debunked drive me CRAZY! I have a friend who is "allergic" to sugar but will eat honey. There just aren't enough eyerolls for that conversation! Anyone who has taken any biology courses knows everything you've said is absolute truth, and that the "health" claims touted by all these influencers is just bunk. THANK YOU!!!
I agree…. To your body, essentially sugar is sugar. But that’s common sense and education that USED TO BE TAUGHT… now kids in school aren’t taught that any more but being kept busing useless repetitive tasks that DONT make them use their brains
Yes, and no… I’m sensitive to sugar- I’m not going to die or anything, but if I over do, my reactions range from headaches and mood swings on the low end to hives and swollen ear canals on high end depending on how much I overindulge.
I have spent a good chunk of my life figuring out how my body reacts to things, and at least for me, the type of sugar does matter.
- despite their high sugar content, I’ve never had a reaction to fruit or dairy. ( overindulgence in either comes with its own problems, but that’s off topic)
- high fructose corn syrup or some artificial sugars like Splenda tend to cause reactions much faster than normal sugar
- I tend to react better to raw sugar or honey, but will still react after a certain point
Basically, the simpler or more refined a sugar is, the faster I react to it. I always assumed that it had to do with how quickly it got into my bloodstream.
But then again, maybe my body is just weird.
@@maryhughes1087 That’s so much guess work just to eat something. I’m glad you have some ways of dealing with it and you can have some things in moderation before it hits you. I also wonder if there are reactions to things that are used to process the sweeteners too, not just the food itself.
But I also met two people allergic to apples so nothing is that weird. The human body is strange.
@@merriquelynn I'm very allergic to apples and it's not actually that weird at all. Read up on cross-allergies/cross-reactions. Basically your immune system is confusing a food for something else. In the case of apples, it's usually caused by an allergy to birch tree pollen, since they both share a smiliar protein makeup.
That's why many people with food allergies like this can eat processed or cooked foods without issue, because it breaks down and alters the protein chains, enabling your immune system to correctly identify that it's nothing harmful. Give me a raw apple and I swell up like crazy. Give me some baked apple or apple pie and I'm perfectly fine. :)
@@HamEggsButteredToast I'm ~~mildly allergic~~ to nuts if they haven't been processed. Ugh. Makes my tongue hurt like heck! I can have almond milk though, never had a problem with that. I was so relieved when I found out about Oral Allergy Syndrome. For years I had been dismissed as a picky eater, bc who can be allergic to something sometimes but not all the time?? I honestly felt like I was going crazy :/
Ann is one of the only creators I trust because she's open honest and incredibly informative. Thank you Ann for always telling us the facts.
Agreed! I always watch other videos with a healthy dose of skepticism except for HTCT!
The bit with the Legos was such a wonderful way to demystify things and show chemical make up.
Also, many thanks to Dave for another good job on the subtitles!
as a fellow needer of subtitles: thanks Dave!
Thank you so much for this! I love biology and food science and you’ve explained this so beautifully! It’s not about completely cutting “bad” foods out, but it is important to focus on ADDING wonderful fruits, whole grains and veggies!
Let's be real here, the average audience member for this kind of stuff just assumes that a food with an unfamiliar name is automatically "healthier" than what you already know.
sugar: the stuff you put in kool-aid and donuts
*Agave Nectar* : Exotic! And nectar comes from flowers! flowers are natural! and natural is good!
All-natural, raw cyanide? Must be healthy for me!
@@andhieyusuf7008 Nom nom radium
@@tadbitsketch You'll get that radiant glow you seek, and you won't have to worry about brushing your teeth anymore when your jaw falls off. Add in a little lead, and you'll be so mentally incapacitated, you won't even realise what's happening if it doesn't kill you first!
It can work the other way, common fear tactic used by anti-vaxxers
"Would you eat a food if the ingredients listed a chemical called isoamyl acetate? No? Well, that's the chemical that gives bananas their taste and smell." That's what my chemistry teacher said to show how people are put off by the word "chemical" a lot more than they should be. Your comment reminded me of that. And just in general how difficult it is for the average consumer to find out what is in a food and if it could be boxed in as good or bad.
i never understand why people want ‘healthy’ sweet things, if i want a cookie i’ll eat a cookie, if i want something healthy i’ll eat an apple
Doctors: 😔
Ikr
Ikr. If you still want to eat sweet things, just eat it. And then, eat healthily and exercise afterwards!!!
@@ladyhaha7548 I talked to a professional nutrionist and she said it's much healthier to eat the normal sweet things than to eat the healthy low fat versions bc they lose a lot of nutrients. Eating sweet things isn't automatically unhealthy or something to feel guilty about, as long as you have variety in what you eat you should be okay
Ikr, it doesn’t seem worth it to eat the slightly less sugary food that may taste worse, if ur gonna eat just eat :/ everything is dangerous in large amounts so just watch how much
00:00 Intro
00:24 Agave nectar section begins
01:15 Explanation of glycemic index (GI)
03:09 Agave nectar vs straight sugar
03:25 Explanation of glucose and fructose
05:59 Explanation of sucrose
06:45 How consumption of actual food (carbs) affects blood sugar readings
09:40 Starchy foods and GI
10:23 Coconut sugar
13:42 Sponsor: KiwiCo
14:41 Manuka honey
16:48 Maple syrup
18:10 Thoughts on straight sugar and general dietary health
Thank you
Thanks! This is really helpful
Ty :)
Thank you, Kashii Chan.
I don't need it but I do appreciate you taking the time to do it for us!!
Have a great Christmas and New Year xx
I feel like every type 1 diabetics need this in nutrition education, especially in dealing with low blood sugar incidents. Also, I only now realized our CGMs are detecting the one type of sugar, I always thought gluc/fruc/sucrose would read the same in the end. So awesome to learn, the legos really helped to visualize.
You gotta respect Ann Reardon. She knows that if she made a "healthy dessert recipe" video it would probably pull in a lot of views but she won't do it because the idea is wrongheaded and silly. Props.
Here's a Healthy Dessert:Fruit, if you want something healthy yet sweet just eat fruit, maybe add in some Yogurt. But that won't really be considered a dessert so of course she's not going to do it.
It's called Integrity. Something that's in woefully short supply these days...
@@lucyla9947 she literally says to just eat fruit if you want a healthy dessert at 17:45. So she essentially did make a video to say that. It’s the take home message: the only healthy alternative to sugar is sugar found in fruits and starchy foods.
I feel so justified. I've always been that stick in the mud whenever a new "healthy" sugar fad rolls around. I'm like the Dad in the Incredibles shouting "Sugar is Sugar!" instead of "Math is Math!"
Lol 😆
SAME. Am diabetic. My body doesn't go "ooh, but this is from fruit!" It goes "ummm, this is sugar."
@@jaimeevoth4807 I trust a diabetic to know better then anyone, it's your life to get this things straight.
@prajna why? Its just sugar, if its unprocessed it just might have some more vitamins in it. Its not like it makes the sugar less like sugar
@@ipodhty that's actually a complex question, the answer is essentially the body processes chemicals all slightly differently some are just easier to use. They may all achieve the same result but not all in the same time frame.
I wish Ann was my Professor in college. Visuals, diagrams, comparisons, and experiments all applying to the real world. I love your videos!
thank you 😊
@@HowToCookThat That makes me wonder, have you considered becoming a lecturer?
Thank you Ann. I love your fact based, no nonsense, but very approachable videos. We do need to limit, sugar, salt and bad fats, plus get off the couch and go for a walk or other exercise on a regular basis. There is just no way around that. And while cakes/cookies etc are special (occasional) treats I love to bake and I also love your cake videos!
I took a nutrition class in college and I was rather confused by the sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc and how the body processes it. This was a great way of explaining it Ann! I love how you demystify nutrition and make it fun too.
My dad has diabetes and if his sugar gets really low, he has these glucose tablets he takes to boost it quickly. I didn't understand why that worked until watching this video! Glucose can be absorbed immediately into the bloodstream and doesn't need to be broken down. Thank you for educating us, Ann!
I just wanted to let you know Ann that TH-camr Tom Scott included you in his newsletter this week of "interesting things I've found on the internet". I'm so happy he did and hopes it sends lots of new viewers your way, as I've been watching for a while and your channel is awesome! It's helped me be more skeptical of things I see online, understand food and food science better, given me better baking techniques (still the only member of my family to have set real chocolate as I followed your instructions and no one else believes me about tempering) and allowed me to give a super birthday present to my sister (your cookbook!). Just wanted to say I really love the channel and look forward to all the videos to come!
Yet another reason to like Tom Scott?!
Tom Scott knows good youtube
.
Oh I would love if he brought Ann onto the TomScottPlus channel
@@tractorsgobrum Probably a bit hard at the moment as Ann is in Australia but yes, that'd be awesome!
Not sure if this will reach you but I am a fan of yours. I have studied to be a pastry chef but the thing I love about this channel is the science behind it all. I loved baking because I call it edible science and i have learned so much from you and this channel. I finally ordered a copy of your book and am excited to go through it
I literally find Ann so comforting to watch. I've struggled with eating disorders off and on for many years and sometimes I still have a lot of anxiety while I'm trying to eat. But if I put on one of Ann's videos, eating becomes so much easier because she has such a calming atmosphere around her and it really decreases my anxiety. I'm so thankful for that
God will comfort and help you as He has been
I'm really pleased that Ann is able to help you, Charlene!
Take care of yourself.
@@jenniferornduff7835 God is dead
@@raoul5714 Not even in the slightest. He has done SOOO many miracles in my own life. He is VERY real and alive and loves you
@@raoul5714 dont be mean. Let people believe what they want you dont need to respond.
I laughed so hard when i realized she covered the sugars actual "100% natural" label with her own "natural" label I have no idea if that was on purpose or not but so perfect.
XD Thanks
13:33 I didn't even notice
As the child of someone with Type1 diabetes, my early education on how all of this sugar business works has been EXTREMELY helpful in navigating dietary trends and broad strokes pronouncements about "good" and "bad" sugars. I really wish this type of education was much more emphasized and really appreciate the detail in this video.
i like it when ann put on the "natural" sticker on the normal sugar at 13:32 and does not recognize (or mention) that on the package it already says "100% natural" :D
PS: hey you natural lovers out there do you know what 100% natural too? deadly nightshade, fly agaric and many more.... you should not eat that! (even if it is 100% natural)
Cancer is natural, your body is a processor, anything you ever eat WILL be processed. Cooking is processing. I'd argue chewing your damn food is processing it. Uranium is natural. Lots of deadly things are natural. Processing food can make it better for you, and processing food is literally necessary for your body to live.
might be interested in the nightshade and amanitas...
Fly Agaric is an amazing food though! Here in Eastern Europe, its not super uncommon to eat. Parboiled, strained and then prepped. The knack is leaving enough toxin in to cause a slight giddiness after. Its a nice autumn social meal
If you're curious what it tastes like. Think Steak and Mushroom, but earthier maybe.
@Raziel1984 Oh, you so clever! 🥱
As a Type 1 Diabetic, I’ve been trying to educate people about this for years. Sugar is sugar is sugar. So many people tried to get me to use agave nectar in my food, but a quick look at it showed that it was pure fructose (or close to it). When you have T1D, you want to avoid all simple carbohydrates, so none of them are any good. Bring on the aspartame!
Let me tell you that the continuous glucose monitor was the most revolutionary device ever invented for diabetics! I love my Dexcom, which is similar to the device you wore except it actively sends data to my phone - no need to tell the app to check the device. The active data transmission allows it to alert me when I’m asleep if my blood glucose level drops dangerously low. It has saved me on a number of occasions!
Exactly because sugar is not any healthier no matter what. It should strictly be consumed in moderation, especially real sugars.
I also wonder about sugar substitutes as well, especially monkfruit sugar, stevia, and aspartame. Are they any better than the listed type of sugar?
@@levyconnors9435 sweeteners that have zero calories are far better for diabetics than anything with calories. While artificial sweeteners may cause insulin spikes in healthy people, causing increased hunger and leading to more weight gain, in a T1D, there’s no possible way food can cause an insulin spike. Artificial sweeteners are perfect for diabetics. There are no proven negative side effects in any of the artificial sweeteners, either, unless you’re allergic to them.
@@DaveTexas Yeah most substitute sweeteners are definitely said to be the healthiest alternative for calorie intake. The whole reason why I ask about this is that my Mom has TD2, and she tested high and she claimed it was bc of the low calorie sweetener she consumed. But I want to say it could be from the other foods she is eating.
I’d be interested to hear Ann’s breakdown on some of the other sugar substitutes: alcohol sugars, Stevia, Nutrasweet, Splenda, Monkfruit, etc. some like monkfruit and stevia I assume are some level of fructose, but both of those are marketed as super concentrated and only needed small amounts, and all the 1-1 baking versions I’ve seen seem to be cut with alcohol sugars.
I really liked how she broke down the science on the ones in the video. Very interesting to see how it compared to the hype.
Ann Reardon part 2, fake sugar substitutes and how are they for your body??
Nah, stevia doesn't have any fructose.
yes please! and also how to relate to them if you are pre-diabetic...
Me too. Like what do sweetners do? I tried stevia, but it is so bitter
stevia comes from a plant or something
apparently it can cause indigestion or something? idk
i think it tastes better than sugar but i may be the odd case here
apparently, the daily "recommended" amount of stevia that you can safely consume is 4 mg per kg (in your body)
so if you weight 55 kg or so, it would be around 200 mg
sounds pretty low to me so maybe it is dangerous. ha
My six year old daughter drew the model and made the LEGO pieces to educate her friends about sugar. Her teacher was impressed. Her classmates… I’m not so sure. 🤣🤣
I am impressed as well
Me too! Good on your daughter and good you for having her know of such a blessed soul. Ann is the kind of parent I pray I can be. She is a ray of hope for the newest generation of cooking adventurers. Perhaps her classmates will learn the wisdom your daughter is already apart of. After all a lifetime of good habits starts young if I remember correctly.
Probably ruin their perception in sugar
Just you wait until she animates molecular models to demonstrate the Krebs Cycle of the metabolism of carbohydrates in the liver.
Just talking about it with my doctor made her eyes glaze over
In her next presentation, she introduced yeast to the glucose and made alcohol. The teacher confiscated it for being 'inappropriate for the classroom.' For the rest of the day the teacher seemed super friendly and none of the students could put their finger on why.
Im glad you brought up agave, I'd like to add that the farming practices and unethicalities of agave harvesting make it well worth not eating, if not for your glycemic index for the workers and environment that suffer as a result of its consumption
"Can you make a healthy dessert on your channel?"
"No, eat fruit."
This cracked me up. 😂😂😂
We had a dude on television years ago who was spokesperson for the dairy industry.
He's slogan was "Cream and fruit. BEAUT!"
@@cincin4515 this gives me berries and cream vibes
I LOVE this video and your no nonsense approach to food and nutrition overall. These “healthy” recipes that keep coming around, year after year, are so inaccessible unless you’re making good money and living in a place that has access to these exotic ingredients. Thanks for making this!
I think that is part of a certain 'lifestyle' by which people want to feel or appear like an elite. Food for these people is like a status symbol and promoting expensive foods as healthy boosts their egos - because now they belong to an exclusive club of people who can afford their sexy, healthy, inspiring (insert other stupid adjectives here) lifestyle
@@ellerose9164 @ people who shop at whole foods. Lol I can barely afford walmart
Additionally when these ‘exotic’ foods become popular in western countries that drives the price up, which is problematic for certain foods like quinoa which was once a staple food in the Andes. Similarly, this can also trigger over farming certain foods, like with agave.
not just inaccessible but nonsense also.
Once had a guest of one of my roommates tell me off for eating flexitarian, so everything in moderation, while he was vegan. He was staying at the house for a week and had coconut everything from coconut yoghurt to coconut butter and so on. I got rather angry since I was eating as regional as I could, well except for chocolate 😄, and his shopping for the week did not include one product that had been produced in a 50km radius
As a medical doctor, I'm impressed by how far you went to simplify the Glucose Index concept. Kudos Ann💖
Dear Ann, I 've known for a long time that all of those items were similar health-wise, but never had a chance to properly learn the difference between glucose, fructose, etc. (and I know there are many more). Thank you soo much for your excellent descriptions via animation. Your hard and meticulous work always pays off (for us at least)! 👏🏻👏🏻
This was excellent, my kids have a condition where they need to take straight glucose when they're ill and this has helped me understand why their doctors say they can't just have cake or fruit juice instead of the prescribed stuff. I'm saving this to show them when they're older!
I’ll try to remind you
I love how she clicked baited us. She’s using the algorithm to her advantage.
@@sohyangworld1544 There really wasn’t any clickbait… it’s just a really good thumbnail
@@shimmershine6902 tiktok dessert’s 😑
@@sohyangworld1544 …Yeah, shes debunking tiktok desserts. That’s not clickbait. It says “DEBUNKING” in the middle of the screen.
Desserts are an indulgence and you can't make sweet desserts that much healthier! I've been waiting to hear that, your channel is literally the best, thank you for all the effort!
Thank you my thoughts exactly it makes no sense to make a unhealthy treat into a healthy every day item
Basically if you want a healthy dessert just eat some godaamn fruit! And not even all the fruits are that healthy, mangoes are pretty carb based and way too sugary
@@marir.s3620 exactly
Ann is the only food scientist I vibe with. There’s no shame, there’s no blanket claims. This is real science.
what does vibe mean?????
@@nicywicy it has different meanings. here when they said " i vibe with" it means they *like* her. it also means *mood* so when someone say "you ruined the vibes" it means you ruined the *mood* . when someone say "come vibe with us" it's like saying come *chill* with us. so it really depends on the context of the sentence.
Until she said "all desserts are bad". Which is patently untrue
@@LynnHermione She didn't say that. She said the things she makes on this channel are treats and are not meant to be 'good for you' or healthy. That's just true.
I love how you actually placed the big "natural" sticker on the sugar on top of the "100% natural" logo of the sugar.
Really engaging, better than my science teachers, and without feeling patronising! I did love Ann's exasperation as she reached maple syrup and knew she would just be repeating herself
I LOVE how when she placed the "natural" paper on the bagged sugar, she inadvertently covered up a claim of "100% natural" on the original packaging - a great irony that proved her point very well.
Usually white sugar is made of sugar beets (or sugar cane which is refined to make it white). The pulp, which is a waste product from the beets, is fermented to help store it and cows enjoy eating it.
That claims that "coconut sugar is VERY natural" as opposed to what? Are coconuts somehow more natural than beet or cane? HOW? Is beetroot made in secret SBU labs? Is borsch synthetic juice your bubbe fed you to turn you into a cyborg? XD
Agave is also really environmentally unfriendly-- agave plants take a very long time to grow and we are currently harvesting at far above their replacement rate
Yeah I had a bartender tell me that he has started buying bottles of tequila as an investment because its probably going to become rarer. Especially because it's only made with blue agave
Ye, that's the reason I hate it being touted as the vegan alternative to honey.
Like bruh, if you want honey so bad, just eat honey. That one's actually *less* harmful to animals.
Maple syrup is much more eco-friendly, because you only tap the trees, you don't cut them down, and for me it's locally produced. I even produce my own every spring from my enormous maple tree in my backyard. If your type of sugar travels thousands of km to get to you, it's not good for the planet. Also who produce/harvest it, the conditions they work in, how much they are paid, etc. is to consider. Maple syrup is still mainly family run businesses, with no human exploitation. But cane sugar/agave/coconut sugar, you have to make sure to buy a fair trade certified one if you don't want to contribute to human exploitation, etc. Not sure about deforestation from those type of production, but maple trees grow in forests, not plantations, so it does not contribute to deforestation, quite the opposite, maple syrup producers protect our forests against over-exploitation from the wood industry, at least here in Quebec (which is the #1 producer of maple syrup in the world).
@@isabelleblanchet3694 and 20 gr of maple syrup is quite low in kcal for a sweetener. Works great in oatmeal
@@carzxth Should try it in coffee ;) For us Quebecois, maple syrup is part of our culture.
The legos were such a helpful way for me to understand! I get worried about diet fads and I don't understand a lot of the claims made around healthy eating, so I really appreciate this explanation! I am definitely going to focus on vegetables coming up :)