Sweetness is one of the five basic tastes, which also include salty, bitter, sour and umami.
The desire for sweetness spans people of all ages, ethnicities and cultures. In fact, seeking out sweet foods has helped humans nutritionally throughout history to take in more calories and nutrients, while steering clear of what might be poisonous or harmful.
Fast forward to the present time where the food supply is saturated with foods highly processed with added sugars, which are fueling obesity, diabetes and other health problems.
A problem with sugar is that it simply provides calories, without any other nutritional value. Part of a healthy diet is keeping these empty calories to a minimum.
The American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than 100 calories (6 teaspoons) per day from sugar.
Men, who often need more energy, should consume no more than 150 calories (9 teaspoons) per day from sugar.
While this might seem reasonable, or even generous, most Americans are taking in about 20 teaspoons of sugar each day.
When it comes to alternative sweeteners, we’re all quite familiar with the different colored packets — pink, blue and yellow are stocked in most restaurants, coffee shops and diners. These zero-calorie sweeteners have been around for decades providing a sugar-free source of sweetness. While they are still widely consumed, more recent studies have raised serious questions about whether zero-calorie sweeteners are actually any better than sugar or if they provide their own set of problems.
A wide selection of seemingly healthier, more natural sweeteners have hit the supermarket shelves. These sweeteners appear to provide an alternative for those who want a more natural sugar void of lab-made ingredients, but choosing one among the many options can be mind-boggling.
Here are some to consider:
Coconut sugar
Coconut sugar is a light brown to reddish sugar that is made from a sap from the flower of the coconut palm tree. Although it is not a superfood, coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar option with a lower glycemic index level compared to table sugar or honey, meaning that it causes less of a spike in blood sugar levels.
It contains a type of fiber called inulin, which slows the body’s absorption of this sugar and likely explains its lower glycemic level.
Sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols, like xylitol and sorbitol, contain carbohydrates and, therefore, are not a calorie-free sugar substitute. They contain similar characteristics as both sugar and alcohol, but do not contain the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.Sugar alcohols are naturally found in many fruits and vegetables and are used commercially as a lower-calorie sweetener in products like chewing gum, desserts, syrups, and jelly.
Monk fruit extract
Monk fruit is a green gourd that looks like a melon and grows is Southeast Asia. Monk fruit sweetener comes from its extract and is 150 to 200 times sweeter than sugar, but contains no calories.
Monk fruit extract is available in the form of a liquid, granule or powder. This low-glycemic sweeteners gets its sweetness from a unique antioxidant called mogrosides.
Stevia
The sugar substitute stevia or stevia leaf extract, comes from the South American stevia plant. Stevia leaf extract contains steviol glycosides, which provide a sweet taste with no calories.
Stevia has been branded and is available in most supermarkets and health food stores, often in a green-colored packet. It is commonly used as a sweetener in many natural foods products like chocolates, beverages and yogurt.
These alternative sweeteners are believed to be safe substitutes to sugar, but have less of an impact on blood sugar levels in the body.
Other products like honey, agave, brown sugar, maple syrup, and molasses are also used in place of sugar, but are not low in calories. While agave is a lower glycemic sweetener similar to sugar alcohols, the other full-calorie sweeteners have a glycemic index level closer to sucrose, indicating that they have a greater impact on blood sugar levels.
While there is probably not one best sweetener, there certainly are many to choose from so you can still get your sweet kick, but with fewer empty calories.
LeeAnn Weintraub, a registered dietitian, provides nutrition counseling and consulting to individuals, families and businesses. She can be reached at RD@halfacup.com.
