Key Takeaways

Sugar Substitute #ProTips

1. Avoid processed foods: Many packaged, processed foods, especially snacks and sweets labeled “keto” are likely to contain sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners. Even though these foods might have lower added sugar than their sugary counterparts, remember that they’re still processed foods that are not as healthy as eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.
2. Recipe substitution: If you want to replace sugar in your recipes, stick to those sweeteners that are heat stable such as Sucralose (Splenda), monk fruit, or Allulose. Remember that some substitutes, especially in large quantities, can cause bloating and stomach upset, so go slowly, test your recipes and find the substitute that works best for you.

In this post, we’re going to focus on two newer sweeteners, monk fruit and Allulose, and their affect on metabolic health. 

Monk Fruit

This sweetener, which also goes by the name of luo han guo in China has been used for centuries as a treatment for the common cold and as a digestive aid. It was named after monks in Southern China that grew the fruit over eight centuries ago.  The monk fruit sweetener found in the grocery store today is derived from the juice of the small round fruit. The sweetener by itself has zero calories and is 150-200 times sweeter than table sugar. Some describe monk fruit as having a fruity taste.  

Monk fruit was deemed to be generally recognized as safe (or GRAS in FDA terms) in 2010, and to date, there are no known side effects. Given that it's a naturally occurring sweetener, in its pure form, most tasters say that it doesn’t have a chemical aftertaste.

If you decide to use monk fruit as a sweetener in your beverage or as a substitute for sugar in a recipe, make sure you read the nutritional label. Some distributors of monk fruit powder will combine their product with other artificial sweeteners such as erythritol or even with maltodextrin, a processed form of carbohydrate, that can spike your blood sugar. 

Monk fruit can be used in cooking and baking. It has no known side effects. 

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