Nutrition

Sweets for the Sweet - Reduced Calorie Sweeteners

For those with diabetes, it's important to know which artificial sweeteners are the safest. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved reduced calorie sweeteners which include sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol, erythritol, isomalt, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates) and tagatose. These products result in a lower blood glucose response after eating than sugar, and contain half the calories (2 calories per gram vs. 4 calories per gram). Moderate amounts of these sweeteners are approved for consumption during pregnancy. You can subtract half the sugar alcohol grams from the total carbohydrate grams on the food labels. However, keep in mind that excess intake of sugar alcohols may cause abdominal discomfort, elevated blood glucose, and weight gain since sugar alcohols do have calories.

Five non-nutritive sweeteners approved by the FDA include: aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet), saccharin (Sweet ‘n Low), acesulfame-K (Sunett), sucralose (Splenda) and neotame (no calories).

Zsweet, a blend of erythritol and natural flavors from fruits vegetables, has no calories and tastes, looks, and measures (1 c per 1 c) like sugar without the aftertaste. It can be used in hot or cold cereal, liquids, and browns like sugar. It is suggested to reduce by half the sugar in recipes when using this product. It has no artificial components. Zsweet Ô is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.

Stevia is native to South America and has been used medicinally for centuries in Paraguay . Stevia is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar and has no calories. You can use it as you would sugar. Some studies have shown it may help control your blood glucose, blood pressure, and reduce your risk for tooth decay. Stevia is composed of stevioside and rebaudioside. Stevia is not approved by the FDA, due to concerns of safety if used in large amounts. It is not approved as a food additive and has not been determined to be GRAS by the FDA, because there is no acceptable daily intake. Since it is a free-growing plant, it will be difficult to patent.

Stevia is sold as a white or green powder, in liquid form, and as a powdered leaf. None of these forms are standardized. It can also be purchased from a garden center as a small plant. Liquid stevia can be easily added to beverages (hot or cold) or to sauces as a sweetener. It does not deteriorate when cooked. A few leaves from the plant form may be added to hot, brewing tea.

When using stevia for baking, remember that it doesn't have all the qualities of sugar (browning or adding texture and bulk). You will need to add bulk to the food, for example, applesauce, yogurt, low fat/fat free sour cream, or ground seeds (flaxseeds).

For more information, please go to your local library or bookstore or to the Center for Science in the Public Interest web site www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/additives_stevia.html

References:

American Diabetes Association. (January 2006). Clinical Practice Recommendations, Diabetes Care , 29, Supplement 1 .

Smith, J. (August 2006). Stevia-A New Player in the Artificial Sweetener Game, Diabetes Health .

Zsweet: http://www.zsweet.com/eng/htmls/zsweet_about_zsweet.html