SUGAR AND ITS SUBSTITUTES (ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS)

SUGAR AND ITS SUBSTITUTES (ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS) 
by Dietitian Sonam Balasaria

In my previous blog, I have shared good and basic information about sugar & its form, and also focused on,
how it is not important to include in our diet, but simultaneously, I got many messages asking, "we want to include SUGAR in our diet", what is the best available options? How can we satisfy our sweet cravings but at the same time, also be healthy.
So, now in this blog, I will share some information about healthy -
"Sugar Substitutes and available Artificial Sweeteners" .

Sugar substitutes are compounds, either natural or artificial, that provide you with the sweetness of sugar with very less to almost NO calories, hence its easily adjusted in the diet. Natural sugar substitutes include fruits and vegetable derivatives such as Erythritol, Xylitol, Sorbitol, Stevia etc. 
Artificial sweeteners are available much more in numbers and are widely available in the market. Some majorly used artificial sweeteners are Sucralose, Saccharin, Aspartame etc. You must have seen them at regular shops. 

Sugar and its substitutes along with these artificial sweeteners are mostly used by Diabetic people, dieters, calories conscious group, people who are trying to lose weight, or by someone who consumes large amount of  sugar and not able to reduce or cut down the sugar intake, so they usually switch from table sugar to these artificial forms.

All of us know some names of these artificial sweeteners available in the market, but we hardly know the difference between each one.



1) ASPARTAME:
Popular Brand name: EQUAL 
Aspartame is a common low-calorie sugar substitute. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. So compared to a cube of table sugar, you will need this in a very small amount to make your food sweet. 
It has a negligible impact of blood sugar levels. Hence it is preferred by dieters and calories conscious group. 
There are some controversies on the consumption of high dosage of aspartame, can lead to major diseases, but despite the controversies, nothing conclusive has ever been proved. 
FDA ( Food & Drug Administration) has cleared Aspartame safe to consume. 


2) SUCRALOSE:
Popular Brand name: SPLENDA 
Sucralose is a zero-calorie sugar substitute. Sucralose is preferred over Aspartame as the intensity of sweetness is similar to a cube of table sugar. Sucralose is most popular among the diabetic group, followed by dieters. 
Sucralose has also been declared safe to consume by the FDA. 

However minor side effects like headache, stomach disposers like gas, bloating, upset stomach and so on are being experienced when consumed in very high dosage. The reason is that Sucralose adversely affects the healthy bacteria that live inside the stomach, thus disrupting digestion.
Sucralose is also very popular in the processed food industry and used in thousands of products like soft drinks, juices, sauces, syrups, desserts, etc. 

3) SACCHARIN:
Popular Brand name: Sweet N low, & Sweet Twin. 
It is also a very popular zero-calorie sweetener, and its also diabetic - friendly. Saccharin is also several times sweeter than table sugar, but it does not cause any impact on the blood sugar levels and insulin levels when consumed. 

4) ERYTHRITOL:
Erythritol falls under the category of Sugar alcohol, ( nothing to relate with alcoholic beverages). It tastes almost exactly like table sugar, making it an easy switch. Our body does not have enzymes to break down erythritol, so most of it is absorbed directly into the bloodstream and excreted in the urine unchanged. They naturally occur in many fruits like pears, watermelons, guavas etc. and certain vegetables too. It scores more than Table sugar because, it does not raise blood sugar levels, insulin, cholesterol etc when consumed in artificial form.  
 It is considered safe for human consumption, except for minor consequences like gas, bloating, the upset stomach has been reported if already having digestive issues. 
Erythritol is safe to consume in high doses. 

5) STEVIA :
Popular Brand name : ZEVIC. 
Stevia is derived from the extract of the stevia leaf. It a completely natural form of sugar. It provides zero calories, while it also carries the tag of “Herbal” & “Natural”. You can also grow a stevia plant at your home and use Stevia leaf as per your taste. 
Human studies have shown that stevia is not associated with any adverse health effects. It has also shown improvement in, to lower blood sugar levels, insulin levels and bad cholesterol levels when used in the long run. It also helps in fighting Type II diabetes. 
Stevia is available in powder as well as liquid form. The only drawback that has been reported in the use of stevia is, it leaves a 'Bitter-after taste'. 

6) XYLITOL:
Xylitol is also sugar alcohol ( nothing to do with alcoholic beverages) Its sweetness is similar to sugar. It is extracted from corn or birch wood and found in many fruits and vegetables. 
Xylitol is associated with multiple health benefits. It increases the body’s absorption of calcium. This is good not only for teeth but for bone density as well. Eating too much of Xylitol can cause digestive issues like gas, bloating etc. Banana has a high amount of xylitol. 

Now you may be thinking, which one to use & is it safe to use these artificial sweeteners? 

Sweeteners like Sucralose and stevia are largely considered safe and they have been declared SAFE to USE from the FDA. 
However, these sweeteners have insufficient research when it comes to their specific effects on different populations, like a completely safe drug isn't same for everyone. Artificial sweeteners are not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, kids, etc.
But for diabetics, health-conscious people, dieters especially those with a sweet tooth can replace with these artificial sweeteners and satisfy their cravings. 

Finally, Moderation is the key to a healthy lifestyle. 
No matter what kind of food, Natural or Artificial, always use them judiciously. 

Spread Sweetness with a smile 😊



Know more.

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Comments

  1. Unknown10 February 2020 at 19:52

    Thank you, very helpful article. Cleared a lot of confusions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown15 June 2020 at 21:07

    Saving grace for me!! 😛
    But great article!! Very informative!! Thank you so much!! 😃😃👍

    ReplyDelete

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