There is a new study that has emerged about the possible link between consuming erythritol and heart disease. (Note emphasis on the word “possible”). Erythritol is a popular sugar-free substitute that is zero calorie and zero carbs making it popular in the keto diet. It’s also labeled as Lakanto, which is an erythritol sweetener with a little monk fruit added to boost the sweetness to 100% as sweet as sugar. Many of our culinary students use it in their raw desserts to offer keto-friendly desserts to their clientele.
Recently, there have also been some old studies resurfacing regarding heavy metals present in chocolate and Himalayan pink salt that I’ve received some questions about.
When you come across these articles, the first thing I suggest is:
➡️ Don’t just read the headline, read the actual study that should be linked in the article. News headlines are created to grab your attention and are always exaggerated with the worst-case scenario.
➡️ Once you dive into the study, look at who is funding or sponsoring it. You will find that some of the time, it’s a competitor of that food, product, or ingredient that is funding the study which makes the information biased. If the sponsor or investor is neutral to the product or ingredient, then it’s a good idea to look into it further.
➡️ Read the full study and determine, how the study was done, who were the participants, what were their underlying conditions and how much of this product/ingredient are they consuming.
➡️ Once you have all this information, discernment is easier.
The recent erythritol study was conducted on males between 60 to 70 years old with pre-existing heart conditions. When they studied a second group of healthy individuals, they gave them 30g of erythritol a day in a beverage (most likely a zero-sugar pop from what I’m guessing). 30 grams of erythritol equals one pint of keto ice cream! (Is that normal to eat one pint of keto ice cream a day? Who is eating that much keto ice cream?)
Why was this study not conducted on healthy individuals given an average amount of sugar substitute in a food vehicle with healthy nutrients such as a raw dessert? Remember erythritol is widely used in sodas and energy drinks marketed as zero sugar.
If you’re concerned about using erythritol, the best substitute is xylitol which is also a sugar alcohol, low glycemic, and very similar in texture and color. Xylitol is 100% sweet as sugar, making a great 1:1 replacement for sugar with a glycemic index of only 7 compared to 60 to 70 GI for regular sugar.
I was also asked about recent articles concerning certain chocolate brands and pink Himalayan salt containing high amounts of heavy metals. Heavy metals are introduced via manufacturing and processing and are everywhere, not just in foods. We are exposed to heavy metals daily in the air, our water, commercial products, medications, etc.
Am I concerned about these findings? No, not at all! If you are taking measures to protect yourself, they should not pose any threat. Our bodies are also designed to detox naturally and we should be doing our part to ensure we are strong and healthy enough to take these on! Honestly, I’m more concerned about the cell tower and high-voltage power lines across the street from my house!
So, what can we do to protect ourselves from these ongoing toxins and pollutants that we are exposed to every day?
✔️ Eat less processed foods and more living, hydrating plant-based whole foods. I know it’s an easy answer, but it’s true. If we are eating more living foods we are feeding our cells the antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and nutrients our bodies need to combat these toxins.
✔️ Consciously source your ingredients from a high-quality supplier. Check out my organic ingredient sourcing list here.
✔️ Drink high-quality filtered water to stay hydrated. Filtering our water with a good filtration system will remove most heavy metals and fluoride. Drinking water and keeping hydrated will assist your organs in removing daily toxins. Check out my favorite water filtration system I have here.
✔️ Exercise and sweat consistently. Do you have a consistent workout routine? Sweating also removes toxins; you don’t need to only exercise, infrared saunas are also a wonderful tool to support detoxification.
✔️ There are so many powerful foods that support heavy metal detoxification such as chlorella and cilantro, wild blueberries, spirulina, probiotics, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, lemon, dulse, and barley grass juice powder. Check out my heavy metal detox smoothie recipe here I drank every day while doing laser tattoo removal.
✔️ Health is just not about food. It’s important to have a routine to combat stress, have a positive attitude, practice gratification, and have as much balance as possible in your life.
I hope you find this information helpful and remember we need to live our lives the best we can with all the information overload happening in this digital age.
