Tip of the week: Making sense of sugar substitutes
Artificial sweeteners; Sugar alcohols; Sugar alcohols
Artificial sweeteners. So many substitutes for sugar are showing up in supermarkets that the choice can be “overwhelming.” If you’re diabetic, you’ve probably tried zero-calorie synthetic sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal), and saccharin (Sweet’N Low). They don’t aid weight loss, though, because they trigger food cravings.
Sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols occur naturally in fruit, but they’re also manufactured and “can be easily identified on ingredient labels by the ‘ol’ endings”: maltitol, sorbitol, etc. Calorie-free erythritol is sold for home use as ZSweet and Zero, and tastes like sugar in sweetened drinks and baked goods.
Natural sweeteners. Many common choices—honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar—aren’t good for diabetics, but they reduce the highs and lows sugar can cause. Monk fruit is a very sweet no-calorie option.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Source: The Baltimore Sun
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Foreigners in Spain facing a 100% tax on homes as the country battles a housing crisis
Under the Radar The goal is to provide 'more housing, better regulation and greater aid,' said Spain's prime minister
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Sudoku hard: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Codeword: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published