An article for practitioners of Chinese medicine:

Chinese medicine talks a lot about the benefits and disadvantages of sweet taste for the digestive system.

There is no doubt that in the West we have moved far away from natural sweet tastes (honey, sweet potatoes, etc.) and have overdone our sugar consumption, but sugar substitutes are also not good for the digestive system (and quite a few studies have been done on this).

For an explanation of natural and unnatural sweets and an understanding of which sweet foods can be eaten without harming our digestive system, I interviewed Dina Keenan, a naturopath with a lot of experience in treating digestive problems.

Do you see a difference between sugar and sugar substitutes in terms of their effect on digestion?

Dina: What they both have in common is that they both affect the digestive system. When it comes to sugar, it's actually refined sugar, natural sugar that has undergone a refining process that is not natural and adapted to our bodies.

If you consume it in low doses when there are no underlying digestive problems, the body can cope, but when you consume it in large quantities regularly from a very young age, as is consumed in the Western world, it also damages the digestive system. Sugar substitutes, especially the artificial ones, are worse, because the body does not know how to recognize them and they disrupt mechanisms of hunger and satiety, of fat breakdown, and more.

What does it mean that the body cannot recognize them?

Dina: Our system does not recognize these sweeteners biologically. We do not have digestive enzymes, gastric juices or intestinal bacteria that recognize these substances that can digest, absorb, break down and remove them from the body. Even according to the manufacturers and the health system, they are considered healthier because they are 'not absorbed', so where exactly do they 'go'?? Material that does not break down remains and leaves sediment. Many studies have already found evidence that artificial sweeteners are promoters of the development of polyps in the digestive system.

An example that anyone can try - if women put artificial sweeteners (sucrose for example) outside, insects will not come to them. On the other hand, if women put honey/silan/fruit outside, insects will come. When the system does not recognize the foods, inflammation may begin, damaging the intestinal lining and damaging the good bacteria.

Damage to intestinal bacteria can cause many disorders and significant imbalances in our health.

In addition to the health of the digestive system being compromised, we will also see many allergies, absorption problems, sleep problems or attention and concentration problems. Therefore, anyone who already suffers from chronic digestive problems such as colitis/Crohn's/Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Gastrointestinal tumors - it is better not to consume artificial sweeteners because the artificial sweeteners will not allow him to restore his digestive system. If we clean the house with artificial cleaning products all day, at the end of the day our hand will be burned or it will have cuts or irritation. I think the same thing happens to the intestinal wall.

If a person with a digestive problem is looking for something sweet to eat – what healthy alternatives do you recommend?

Dina: First of all, I think it's important to avoid refined sugar and artificial sweeteners. You can eat selene, carob honey, stevia leaves in small quantities (I don't recommend stevia drops), coconut sugar (it has a low glycemic value and our body recognizes it), sweet potato or pumpkin, ground oatmeal cookies with selene, Quaker porridge with a little carob honey/selene/banana, sugar-free banana cake, sugar-free apple cake, a slice of bread with tahini, and if necessary, you can add selene to the flour (you can add 2 tablespoons of selene to a small jar of tahini and get halva), fruit - depending on the state of the digestive system. Baked fruit is also possible.

Honey is also possible if you eat it if it has not been pasteurized.

You can eat a cube of dark chocolate unless you have a reflux problem, and if you do have reflux, you can make homemade chocolate from carob powder.

Molasses is also a possible sweetener. Molasses is a syrup that is secreted during the sugar production process. It is a good sweetener that is full of nutrients.

Many thanks to Dina Keenan for the detailed answers, I hope you are as wise as I am.

To join a quiet WhatsApp group for Chinese medicine practitioners with information on treating digestive problems, click here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KaELEaty18M50is5nJgLck

And if you want to learn more about treating digestive problems, join For upcoming training