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Added sugar is the worst ingredient in the modern diet, it is addictive but has no nutritional value, it causes inflammation in the body and leads to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases. Choose the best sugar substitute (safe sweeteners) to maximize your health.

With the advent of the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines, people have become aware in recent years of the health risks of sugar and excessive carbohydrates, and that low-carb diets are effective in avoiding excessive sugar intake. And more and more food manufacturers and marketers are beginning to increase the use of sugar substitutes.

But not all sugar substitutes are healthy. Some natural sweeteners, such as stevia (stevia extract) and erythritol, are safer compared to artificial sweeteners.

What is Added Sugar? What Hazards to Health?

Sweet foods are probably the most irresistible temptation for people around the world, and this taste preference is innate. Sweetness can boost the brain, relieve stress and make people addicted.

Sugar is found in many natural foods. Most vegetables and fruits contain natural sweeteners, and we can get enough of them from these foods.

But added sugars are an entirely different story; they are sugary carbohydrates added to foods and beverages during the manufacturing process. Added sugars have no nutritional value and provide only “empty calories”. Added sugars can be found in almost all processed foods that can be found in supermarkets.

The primary role of sugar in food processing is to produce sweetness and improve taste, and some foods also rely on it to improve texture or extend shelf life.

Added Sugar Has Many Health Risks

• It interferes with the levels of hormones in the body that regulate hunger and satiety.
• Causes excessive calorie intake
• Can cause chronic inflammation
• Disrupts metabolism and leads to insulin resistance
• Increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer
• Accelerates the aging of body cells
• Causes various skin diseases
• Excess sugar can lead to fatigue and emotional instability

Other harmful results include decreased cognitive ability in the brain, fatty liver, kidney damage, dental problems, and more. Even worse, sugar is addictive; it prompts the brain to produce dopamine, which produces pleasure and therefore often leads to overeating.

In short, added sugar is very unhealthy. But how can we be healthy without completely giving up the satisfaction that dessert gives us? Sugar substitutes may be able to help you with these issues.

Types of Sweeteners

There are three types of sugar substitutes (sweeteners): natural sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and synthetic sweeteners (or artificial sweeteners)

Natural Sweeteners Include:

• Stevia
• Inulin
• Lo Han Fructose
• Allulose
• Tagatose

Sugar Alcohols Include:

• Erythritol
• Xylitol
• Maltitol

Synthetic (artificial) Sweeteners Include:

• Sucralose
• Aspartame
• Saccharin

Of the three sweeteners, erythritol and stevia are the most common sugar substitutes in low-carb ketogenic diets, and they do not cause blood sugar fluctuations or insulin surges. While erythritol has a slightly strange sweetness, its sweetness is corrected when used with stevia.

When you buy any kind of sweetener, be sure to check the ingredients on the package and beware of sugar substitutes that raise blood sugar, such as maltodextrin, glucose, and polydextrose.

But even healthy, zero-calorie, no-carb sweeteners are not completely safe. The underlying reason is still that sweetness induces the brain to increase cravings for sweets, which can lead to excessive calorie intake and weight gain.

In other words, no matter which sweetener you use, it will make you crave sweets forever and have no resistance to them.

If you want to lose weight or improve your health, it is recommended that you eat a few bites of sweets containing healthy sugar substitutes now and then, and never eat them as a daily snack.

Especially in the early stages of a ketogenic diet, you may have a particular craving for sweets, which is one of the symptoms of keto flu. If you can manage this craving, the sugar cravings will gradually decrease or even disappear as your body adjusts to the new way of eating.

How to Choose Sugar Substitute (Sweetener)?

When choosing a sweetener, the first things we should consider are:

1. It has no effect or positive effect on insulin levels, blood glucose levels, and other biomarkers (e.g. cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure)
2. It is safe to use at reasonable doses and does not cause side effects.
3. It can be exposed to high temperatures without becoming bitter or degrading to monosaccharides.
4. it contains no hidden carbohydrates and is virtually free of calories and net carbohydrates.
5. All marketing claims are backed by authoritative research.

These points have the most direct impact on our health and, more easily determined, on blood sugar (glycemic index GI).

The Best Sugar Substitutes (Sweeteners)

Stevia, erythritol, allulose, and sucralose are superior to other sugar substitutes in terms of GI, net carbohydrates, and calories combined, followed by rosmarinic acid and inulin.

Stevia

It is a natural sweetener derived from the herb stevia, which contains very few carbohydrates and calories.

Studies have shown that stevia can lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar and insulin levels in diabetics and healthy subjects, and fight inflammation.

This triple effect (on inflammation, blood sugar regulation, and blood pressure) makes stevia particularly suitable for the treatment of patients suffering from obesity, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and diabetes.

From the point of view of health improvement, stevia is the best choice among all sweeteners. Commercially available stevia products are available in liquid and powder form.

Generally speaking, the liquid form of stevia is purer, and it is made by mixing the original powdered stevia extract with ease.

The powdered form of stevia needs to be watched for the addition of other carbohydrate ingredients that increase blood sugar levels (such as glucose and maltodextrin).

It should be noted that stevia is 200-300 times sweeter than sucrose, so it needs to be used in reduced amounts.

Erythritol

Erythritol is found naturally in some vegetables and fruits, usually extracted from corn. It has even lower caloric and carbohydrate content than stevia.

Some recent studies have found that erythritol has no effect on blood sugar or insulin and cannot be metabolized by harmful oral bacteria, which makes it a good sugar substitute for preventing oral diseases.

Erythritol also acts as an antioxidant and may improve vascular function in people with type 2 diabetes. These benefits may help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Erythritol has a small molecular weight and is mostly absorbed by the small intestine and excreted in the urine, so it does not usually cause digestive problems that can occur with other sugar alcohols.

Erythritol is often used in baking and cooking. It is important to note that it does not melt as easily as sucrose, so it can leave foods with a slightly gritty feel, and it is best to powder it before use or just buy erythritol powder.

Sucralose

If you’re not familiar with sucralose, you’ve probably heard of Splenda, a synthetic sweetener with a GI of 0-80. what does this mean? Sucralose is usually available in pure form (liquid or powder) and in its pure state, it has a glycemic index of 0. It is not actually absorbed by the body and is completely excreted in the urine and feces.

However, because pure sucralose is 600 times sweeter than ordinary sucrose, it is inconvenient to use, so its powder form Splenda is usually mixed with maltodextrin and glucose to neutralize the sweetness, so the GI of Splenda is about 80.

Unlike other sweeteners, sucralose is not suitable for baking and cooking. Recent studies have found that it becomes unstable and produces harmful compounds under high-temperature conditions. So if you want to use sucralose, remember not to heat it.
Most people use it in beverages, oatmeal, yogurt, and other cold foods.

Inulin

It is a fructan, formed by the polymerization of fructose molecules, mostly contained in the cells of plants of the Asteraceae and Erythrinaceae families, usually extracted from the roots of the chrysanthemum.

Inulin slows down the digestive process, including the digestion of carbohydrates, and this slows down the conversion of sugar, thus maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. It also increases satiety, lengthens the time between meals, and makes it easier to follow a ketogenic or low-carb diet and light fasting.

A 2015 study suggests that prolonged use of inulin may be beneficial for people with prodromal diabetes, where it can act as a potential blood stabilizer. It also boosts the immune system and has a preventive effect against cancer, especially bowel cancer.

Inulin aids digestion by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract, especially bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. It can help with bowel movements and relieve constipation, which is a frequent adverse reaction at the beginning of a ketogenic diet. Inulin also helps the body to better absorb nutrients from food, especially calcium, thus strengthening the skeletal system.

Stay Away From Unhealthy Sweeteners

While there are many sugar substitutes in low-carb diets, there are some that are rich in carbohydrates and high on the glycemic index and are best avoided whenever possible.

• Maltodextrin: This highly processed sweetener is produced from starchy plants such as rice, corn, or wheat and contains the same amount of calories and carbohydrates as regular sucrose.
• Honey: Good quality honey contains antioxidants and nutrients, making it a better choice than refined sugar. However, it is still high in calories and carbohydrates and is not suitable for ketogenic or low-carb diets.
• Coconut Sugar: Made from coconut sap, although coconut sugar is absorbed more slowly than regular sugar, it is high in fructose and does not control blood sugar or insulin levels.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup contains high amounts of micronutrients such as zinc per serving, but also contains high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates.
• Agave Syrup: It contains 85% fructose, which reduces the body’s sensitivity to insulin and leads to metabolic syndrome, making it difficult for the body to regulate blood sugar levels.

Conclusion

If you need a sugar substitute on a ketogenic or low-carb diet, the best choice is stevia, erythritol, followed by sucralose, but one needs to be careful with its powdered added sugar, Splenda.

Although many sweeteners have been widely used and proven safe, one still needs to be careful to identify the glycemic index, calorie, and carbohydrate content of the various sugar substitutes.

Therefore, for optimal weight loss and better health, it is best to stick to a ketogenic or low-carb diet. If you crave sweets, you don’t have to suppress yourself too much, you can eat lighter flavors occasionally to satisfy small cravings for sweets, which may be more helpful in the long run to stick to a low-carb diet.