After my last blog, I thought something a bit light-hearted was in order and certainly less horrifying. I think I’m still having nightmares about nail salons, but fear not…this blog is filled with a sweetness that will make your teeth cry out “AGH! NO!” And thanks to April being the month containing spring holidays infused with chocolate bunnies, Cadbury Eggs*, and jellybeans, I thought to myself, “Why not! Let’s celebrate with a bit of sugar” (or rather, sugar substitutes). The Scoop on Sugar Substitutes, brought to your reading pleasure by Joy Bauer at PARADE magazine, let’s us all in on the fall of mainstream sugar substitutes (think in colors of blue, pink, and yellow) to their counterparts, natural sugar substitutes. Unlike their chemical brethren (saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose), natural sweeteners such as Erythritol, Stevia, or Agave haven’t been given much mainstream love, but times are changing, and natural sweeteners are becoming commonplace.
The first option you have to the “Big Three” (Bauer) is Erythritol. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that naturally occurs in many of your every day foods. It is 60% to 70% as sweet as table sugar (which means you may have to add more of it to your iced tea or to grandma’s chunky chocolate chip cookies recipe), but the big perk about this sugar substitute is the calorie factor…its calorie free. Oh and unlike its sugar-alcohol cousins sorbitol, maltitol, and xylitol, Erythritol won’t make you feel full of um, well, gas (aka bloated) and it doesn’t work as a natural laxative – thank goodness…
Your second natural sweetener option is Stevia derived from the stevia plant found in South America (and consumed there for centuries as well) and was only recently approved by the FDA to be used in food. Stevia extracts is “300 times sweeter than table sugar” (Bauer) so be weary of how much you put into your baked goods, beverages, and anything else you like to add sugar to. Companies such as PureVia and Truvia “cut their products with erythritol” (Bauer) which helps to decrease the sweetness of pure stevia extract, so I’d seek out their products if you’re interested in stevia as an alternative to any of the big three. You can also find a stevia recipe and conversion chart online – I found this website as an example, but do explore if you’re interested: www.cookingwithstevia.com/
The third option you have to a pink, yellow, or blue packet is Agave (or Xagave, if you want to get all technical). Agave is derived from a plant indigenous to Mexico and is usually sold in syrup or “nectar” form. Agave, unlike its fellow natural sweeteners, is not calorie free and has about 56 calories per tablespoon versus 50 for good old-fashioned cane sugar (Bauer). So what’s the advantage to agave over sugar then? Well, unlike sugar, agave is less likely to cause erratic blood-sugar levels and because it’s sweeter than regular sugar, you should use less of it thereby lowering your calorie count. And if you really want to know, I’ve tried agave myself just for grins, and found out that it tastes great! So check it out if you’d like to add a little agave to your morning cup-o-joe.
One word of caution...before trying anything new with your diet, always make sure to talk to your healthcare professional (aka your doctor). Though they may be natural sweeteners, you may be allergic...better to check and remain safe, than to not check at all. Okay, I've said my peace...
*“Cadbury Eggs” copyrighted by Cadbury plc
