6.Sugar-free Diets Are the Healthiest

6.无糖饮食最健康

OK, so we eat too much sugar. And artificial sweeteners or other forms of the sweet stuff, like raw sugar, aren't any better than plain old table sugar. So maybe the answer is simply to cut all sugar out of our diets. Perhaps. But that is a complicated plan. Technically¹, if you were able to eliminate all sugar from your diet -- meaning eating solely² foods where no sugar was added during its creation or afterward³ -- that might be the healthiest option. But if your suggested "sugar-free" diet means eating foods labeled "sugar-free," then that won't fly.

好吧，我们吃太多糖了。而且人造甜味剂或者其他种类的糖，比如原糖，都不比普通的蔗糖。也许最简单地答案就是戒食所有含糖食物。但这也说不定。因为要做到无糖饮食也很复杂。从技术层面来说，如果你能够做到消除你饮食中所有的糖——这意味着只吃在生产过程中或之后不添加任何糖的食物——这样可以称为最健康的选择。但是如果你的“无糖”饮食只是吃一些标签着“无糖”字样的食品，那么就不会有任何效果。

Foods that boast of being "sugar-free" typically really aren't. That's because while the sugar has been yanked, it's been replaced with an artificial sweetener. That sweetener could be the pleasant-sounding honey or agave nectar; chemical-sounding sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol; or noncaloric sweeteners like saccharin⁴ (brand-name "Sweet'N Low") and sucralose ("Splenda"). Unfortunately, many of these alternative sweeteners are still high in carbohydrates⁵ and/or calories. And sugar alcohols are famous for causing stomachaches and diarrhea if they're ingested in large quantities. Experts say the wisest strategy is to eat unprocessed foods, adding as little sugar as possible.

那些自称是“无糖”的产品通常言过其实。这是因为当糖被提取掉，取而代之的就是人造甜味剂。甜味剂可能是迷人的蜂蜜或龙舌兰花蜜；产生化学反应的糖醇，比如山梨糖醇、甘露醇和木糖醇；或者无热量的甜味剂，比如糖精（品名：低脂糖）和三氯蔗糖（蔗糖素）。不幸地是，许多可使用的甜味剂都含大量的碳水化合物或热量。众所周知，过量摄入糖醇会导致胃痛和腹泻。专家称最明智的做法就是吃未加工的食物，尽可能不加糖。