We are happy to share another awesome guest post this week, The Skinny on Sugar Substitutes, by Jessi Rosey.  Thank you for providing this great article for us Jessi!!  We really enjoyed it and appreciate the time you took for us!!

Sugar substitutes are everywhere these days.  These chemical or plant-based components are used in place of sugar to sweeten or enhance food and drinks.  They are also popularly known as artificial sweeteners or non-caloric sweeteners.  For instance, you may use a tabletop sweetener to sweeten a glass of iced tea or use it as an ingredient to bake cakes or add in drinks.

Several sugar substitutes available in the market are many times sweeter than sugar.  Therefore, you would need to add in a very minuscule amount of it to receive the same level of sweetness that you get from sugar.  As a sugar substitute, these ingredients are marketed as low in calories — some have nil calories.

The Food and Drug Administration [FDA] regulates sugar substitutes as food additives.  That means, the FDA critically looks into scientific evidence to ensure that sugar substitutes are safe for consumption before it can be used in drinks or foods.

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THE SKINNY ON SUGAR SUBSTITUTES

 

What You Need To Know About Sugar Substitutes

If you’re looking to sweeten or enhance the flavor of food without adding sugar calories, using sugar substitutes can be ideal.  For one, they do not contribute to dental problems such as tooth decay.  Besides, they also prevent a spike in blood sugar levels.  All these factors are important if you have type II diabetes and are aiming to control the amount of sugar you are consuming.

On the other hand, sugar substitutes are also suitable if you are looking to control the amount of calories in your diet.  So while these can help you control the amount of sugar you consume, it’s best to have them as little as possible and rather focus on smart and healthy food choices.

Approved Sugar Sweeteners By The FDA

According to the FDA, the following are sugar substitutes approved to be used as food additives in the United States.

 

Acesulfame K

This is a no calorie sugar substitute.  It is known to be 200 times sweeter than sugar.  It’s also known as acesulfame potassium or Ace-K and is typically used in combination with other sugar substitutes.  You can find Acesulfame K as a tabletop sweetener and in a wide range of processed foods and drinks.  Some medicines and oral hygiene products such as mouthwash and toothpaste also include this substance.  Since it does not lose its sweet taste even at high temperatures, it can be used in cooking and baking.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there is no evidence that Acesulfame K causes serious health problems and is therefore approved for use in the United States by the FDA.

 

Saccharin

First discovered in 1879, this low-calorie sugar substitute is known to be 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar, based on how it’s prepared.  Several processed foods and drinks contain this ingredient and is also used in chewing gum, canned fruit and soft drinks.  Some medicines and vitamins also include saccharin in their list of ingredients.

Approved by the FDA as a food additive, there has been extensive research on this sugar substitute regarding its safety and has been found to be completely safe.

 

Stevia

This is a plant-based sugar substitute that contains absolutely no calories.  Stevia is derived from a South American plant known as Stevia rebaudiana, wherein only specific parts of the plant are sweet.  To prepare this sugar substitute, highly purified extracts from the plant leaves known as steviol glycosides are used.  It is 200 to 400 times sweeter than sugar and is increasingly used in several processed foods and drinks.  You can also find Stevia as a tabletop sweetener and can be used as a substitute for sugar when baking.  The FDA has labeled steviol glycosides – Generally Recognized As Safe [GRAS].  That means, based on scientific evidence from qualified experts, the sugar substitute is safe for use in foods and beverages.

 

Sucralose

This is a no calorie sugar substitute which is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar.  It is widely popular and commonly found in processed foods and drinks.  It is also seen in nutritional supplements, vitamins and medicines and is popularly used as a tabletop sweetener.

More than 100 studies show the safety of sucralose.  Hence, it has been approved by the FDA.  Besides, the National Cancer Institute also states that there is no evidence to prove that sucralose or any other sugar substitutes approved for use can cause cancer or grave health issues.

 

Sugar alcohols

Unlike their name, these substitutes do not contain sugar nor are they alcohol-based.  In fact, they are naturally occurring carbohydrates found in specific fruits and can also be created or manufactured.  Sugar alcohols are also popularly known as polyols.  Common sugar alcohols found in food include:

• Xylitol
• Sorbitol
• Mannitol
• Maltitol
• Lactitol 
• Isomalt
• Erythritol

Typically, the body does not completely absorb sugar alcohols.  And so, they do not impact blood sugar levels as well.  The FDA labels sugar alcohols as GRAS, and so they are safe to consume.  However, since they are not completely absorbed by the body, having large amounts of sugar alcohols can result in diarrhea and bloating.  And hence they must be consumed in moderation.

 

Conclusion

Over the decades, much research has been conducted regarding the safety of sugar substitutes.  Research findings the conclusion that FDA approved sugar substitutes are safe to consume in moderation.  Besides, GRAS sugar substitutes are also regarded as safe.  However, there has been much debate on the use of sugar substitutes and so, some people still find them controversial.  Hence, if you have any concerns, you may want to speak to a medical professional or a health expert to understand how sugar substitutes can be added as part of your healthy diet.

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