Dr. Mark Hyman tells Carol that all sweeteners, whether honey, stevia, or artificial, trigger the same addiction response. The real problem is hidden sugar in everyday foods like ketchup and yogurt. He recommends treating sugar as an occasional indulgence, not a dietary staple.
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So the next question is from Carol, and let's listen to what Carol has to say.
So, Carol, here's the thing. This is a really common question I get, which is, if I can't use sugar, can I use blank? Can I use honey? Can I use stevia, Can I use artificial sweeteners, can I use agave, can I use whatever, monk, nut, fruit, lotus, whatever? You know, it's like this is a clear sign about how your body is in a relationship with sugar, which means it's addicted. So if you need sweet to get by, it means you're addicted to sugar. And it doesn't matter what it is. If it's agave, if it's lotus bean fruit, you know, sugar, if it's, you know, raw cane sugar, if it's maple syrup, if it's honey, it's all the same. There are slight differences, but they really are pretty irrelevant when it comes to what's going on in your body and how it affects you. So sugar is sugar, sugar. And so the question is, you know, how much are you having? Is it a condiment? Or is like, you know, is it like most Americans where you have a pound a day of sugar and flour? That's not good. So if you don't have sugar in your life as a regular thing, and you want to put a little honey or sugar in your tea or coffee, that's okay, right? It's not the sugar that you put in your food, it's the sugar that corporations put in your food that really drives the problem. So I really encourage you to not just think about the little bit you're putting in. But what is all the hidden sugar? It's in ketchup, it's in salad dressing, it's in yogurt, it's in everything. It's in, you know, soy milk. I mean, it's just everywhere. So things that are. You think are healthy are often not. So I would. The way I think about it is once you've kind of healed your body and you're stable, the sugar is more of, like, a recreational treat. It's not a main course, It's a recreational treat. You maybe want a glass of wine, but you're not going to have a bottle of wine every night. So don't fool yourself by justifying eating different kinds of sugar, thinking they're healthier than one another. They're all the same sugar, sugar, sugar, and just realize it's a recreational drug and you'll be fine. Well, that's all the time we have for today. If you like this video, be sure to share with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. And if you have any questions, you can tweet them to me or send your video submissions to Dr.hyman.com and maybe next week I'll make a house call to you. Thanks for watching.
