The reasons why people decide to give up sugar or find a substitute for it can be anything from health problems, being overweight, to simply wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Sweeteners are used as a substitute for sugar, to sweeten drinks and foods, including those specially made for diabetics, as well as medicines and dental care products.
Modern science offers a great chance to indulge in sweets without fear of ruining your teeth and gaining extra weight. You just need to replace sugar with natural or artificial sweeteners.
Let's find out what is the difference between them and whether sweeteners are dangerous. The question often arises as to whether all sweeteners are bad, or some more than others.
Artificial or synthetic sweeteners contain chemically created substances. They have zero calories, but at the same time have a rich taste, hundreds of times greater than sugar.
Here are the most popular artificial sweeteners:
Saccharin [E954]
Aspartame [E-951]
Acesulfame potassium [E-950]
Neotame [E-961]
Sucralose [E-955]
In addition to a non-decreasing, and in some even a gradually increasing BMI (body mass index), metabolic disorders and reduced immunity, the regular use of artificial sweeteners is practically a guarantee of:
– intolerance or decreased tolerance to glucose;
– development of immunity or resistance to insulin;
– depletion of pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin, and the occurrence of type 2 prediabetes;
– accumulation of visceral fat;
– increased risk of cardiovascular disease and fatty liver.
Moreover, the replacement of sugar with artificial sweeteners negatively affects the cognitive functions of the brain and causes unquenchable thirst.
In conclusion, I can say that you should not treat artificial sweeteners as useful or safe nutritional supplements, much less consider them as a means to help you lose weight. Yes, sugar substitutes can be useful if you follow the rules for their use, which are compiled by the American Diabetes Association and are recommended for observance not only for diabetics, but also for people with a healthy pancreas:
1. Use per day no more than:
saccharin – 5 mg / 1 kg of body weight;
aspartame – 40 mg / 1 kg of body weight;
sucralose – 16 mg / 1 kg of body weight.
2. Use drinks, foods or sweets with sweeteners not daily, but after 1-2 days, but even less frequently and as a motivational reward.
3. Drink beverages with artificial sweeteners only before or after meals – before or after 15-20 minutes.
When we talk about natural sweeteners, we are referring to products derived directly from plants, not from laboratory compounds. This should be stated because all products come from nature, even if they have been modified afterwards.
- Stevia is considered the most popular and safest natural sweetener. It contains no calories and does not raise blood glucose levels. Stevia can be consumed by people with diabetes and those who are on a diet. It not only replaces sugar, but also has beneficial properties: it has a beneficial effect on the digestive and immune systems, reduces the risk of caries and protects tooth enamel, and prevents cardiovascular diseases.
- Monk Fruit is an herbaceous vine grown in China, Thailand and Taiwan for its sweet fruit. It also produces a natural sweetener that is many times sweeter than white sugar but contains virtually no calories. Monk fruit is sweet in taste and eaten fresh and dried in the regions where it is grown. Due to the fact that it is poorly stored after ripening, it is very rarely transported to other countries, so the monk fruit is processed locally. To do this, the fruits are peeled, the bones are removed from the pulp and the juice is squeezed out, which is subsequently evaporated and purified from third-party compounds: in this way, an extract is obtained – a sugar substitute that looks like ordinary sugar.
Unlike sugar, it does not cause spikes in insulin when consumed, which is very important, for example, for diabetics who need to constantly monitor their glucose and insulin levels.
Monk fruit extract can be used in the same dishes that use white sugar: shakes, pastries, jellies, ice cream, waffles and more. The difference lies in the slight difference in taste and of course the lack of calories in the extract – this is a great dietary product for those who want to avoid excess sugar.
Maltitol is a sugar substitute made from potato or corn starch. Also, maltitol can be made from glucose syrup with a high content of maltose. The final product can be either in the form of a powder or in the form of a syrup.
It provides products with a sweet taste, while having a lower calorie content than glucose and fructose. Maltitol has little effect on blood sugar, so it is great for diabetics. Thanks to maltitol, they now have the opportunity to eat almost any sweets, including chocolate. In addition, maltitol, unlike sugar, does not contribute to the development of caries.
In the United States, maltitol is recognized as a safe substance, but foods high in E965 also contain warnings of a potential laxative effect when consuming more than 100 grams of maltitol per day.
- Inulin is a natural soluble fiber from chicory roots that is low in calories and does not affect blood glucose levels. It has only a slightly sweet taste, but it perfectly replaces granulated sugar in volume, providing a great texture for flour products. The most suitable substitute for sugar is Fibruline S30 inulin. This variety of inulin has a high solubility (>30%) in water, which is important for this application. It is also very important that inulin participates in the Maillard reaction even more actively than sugar. Thus, using a combination of maltitol and inulin, you can achieve the correct browning during baking, as well as give the cookies a smell and taste that is in no way inferior to the usual sugar-based products.
- Yacon syrup is a sugar substitute. It is made in South America. The syrup does not contain glucose, so it does not increase blood sugar levels. The syrup is made from the roots of a plant called yacon, which is considered a good source of antioxidants. Yacon syrup is low in calories compared to various sweeteners. It is eaten even by very strict vegans who are categorically against sugar and even honey. Yacon syrup has a rich flavor that is a bit like molasses, caramel, or honey. It can be used to sweeten food or drinks. The syrup is very sweet, so it should be used in small quantities so as not to over-sweeten the food. Diabetics, vegans, and those who want to stop eating sugar can switch to this amazing syrup. Many health food publications consider yacon syrup to be a breakthrough in the world of healthy foods, but more research is still pending in this area.
You may ask: what about other foods like: honey, brown sugar, panela, coconut sugar, fructose, etc.?
All these foods act in our body in the same way as sugar, so if we want to eliminate sugar, they are not suitable.
So… What's the best substitute for sugar?
In any case, making a choice in favor of a quality proven product of whatever origin: natural or synthetic, following the recommended daily allowances, the instructions of specialists and listening to your body, you are able to protect yourself from all possible negative effects of sugar analogues.