Sweeteners and Low-Carb (with chart)
The world of sweeteners can be very intimidating. Ever read the ingredients list and wondered what exactly some of them were? Maybe you’ve seen various sweetener options and wondered which one were good or bad, or how to know if they are right for you.
In this post, I will go over my history of eating a low-carb (or keto) diet, and give you my research of 18 different sweeteners. You take the information and go from there!
My Low-Carb History
I first needed to be low-carb during my pregnancies. With no history of diabetes, I had a lot of learning to do when I developed gestational diabetes. While there are many medications I could have accepted, I wanted to control my blood sugar with my diet. Each pregnancy this got harder, as I had to consume so few carbs I was essentially on the keto diet. I learned a lot, and I share that with you here.
Since my pregnancies my blood sugars have always returned to the ‘good’ zone, but I choose to live a low-carb lifestyle simply because I think it’s good for me.
Keep in mind, there are so many decision points when it comes to feeding yourself or your family. I avoid things like artificial sweeteners and expensive sugar replacers. If you don’t avoid those things (or maybe you disagree with something I do choose to use), that’s ok! Please don’t take offense if our opinions differ.
Let’s Define Some Terms
Sugar-Free
The term ‘sugar-free’ can mean so many different things! The word “sugar” itself can mean ‘cane sugar,’ in which case to be sugar free means no cane sugar. But, “sugar” can also mean something sweet, usually containing carbohydrates. This would include honey, maple syrup, sucrose, fructose, etc. In this case, sugar free would mean no high-carb sweeteners. This is probably the most used definition. But, always check your source and see what they define as “sugar-free” before assuming their product or recipe is safe for you.
Often, grocery stores sell products under the “sugar free” label which are sweetened with artificial sweeteners. If you prefer to avoid these, always read the ingredients of “suagr free” labeled items!
No Sugar Added
This term usually means no cane sugar has been added. It may be sweetened with other things like brown rice syrup, tapioca syrup, honey, etc. This label usually has no bearing on carbohydrate content or blood sugar impact. “No sugar added” is a helpful tool if what you want to avoid is cane sugar rather than carbohydrates. I cook in a ‘no sugar added’ way because while I do use honey, maple syrup, etc, I don’t use cane sugar (at least, rarely).
Different Types of Sweeteners
If we take out sugar, there are a plethora of other options to attain a sweet taste. These can include allulose, brown rice syrup, coconut sugar, dates, erythritol, honey, maltitol, mannitol, maple syrup, molasses, monkfruit, sorbitol, stevia, tapioca fiber syrup, tapioca syrup, xylitol, and yacon syrup.
I made a comparison chart of the above-mentioned 17 sweeteners and also added sugar itself (sugarcane). This chart goes over each sweetener’s serving size, calories, net carbs, glycemic index (GI), as well as any notes about each one (nutrition, downfalls, etc).
(To get the chart, you do have to ‘subscribe.’ This is to keep the chart off of the main internet, available for any robots and AI to use. Feel free to subscribe, get the chart, then unsubscribe again if you don’t want the monthly emails.)
This sweetener comparison chart is incredibly helpful in determining what you choose to sweeten your food/drinks with!
As you can see, most sweeteners do contain carbs. Many natural ones (like maple syrup and honey) have a very high carb content! If what matters to you is a natural sweetener, they will be a great option. If you need to stick to low-carb, though, they are off the table.
Sugar alcohols account for sweetening a lot of store-bought low-carb food (especially “healthy” versions without artificial sweeteners). Many people are just fine with this option, but in my research I concluded I’d like to stay away from them. It seems erythritol is the best of the bunch, so I have actually used that sparingly and in moderation. My personal favorite is stevia for low-carb cooking.
Stevia
I am not real thrilled with the store-bought stevia options. Most are mixed with other sweeteners which I want to avoid, so I only buy the pure stevia ones. They come as a powder or liquid “extract.” The trouble is, they are highly processed. Stevia production companies isolate the sweet part of the leaf, and extract only that one component.
I think a much healthier version would be to use the whole leaf. Hence, I choose to grow stevia myself. I have dried and ground the leaves for a powdered sweetener, and this does work but has downfalls. The fibrous part of the leaf doesn’t grind real well and ends up being detectable in your finished dish. This doesn’t stop me from using it, but it does lend a gritty texture. And, home-ground stevia is not as sweet as store bought (because it doesn’t have just the sweetest part isolated), so the amount used needs to be adjusted and played with. Though it’s still far sweeter than sugar.
I’ve also made stevia extract using stevia leaves and vodka. This works well, but again isn’t quite as sweet as the store-bought liquid stevia drops. Some recipes you really don’t want a liquid sweetener so it’s not ideal for those.
For some things I simply pick a leaf (or grab a dried one) and use it as single-serve. Like tea or coffee. If it is a hot item, the sweetness will steep out of the leaf and you can pick out the leaf later or simply eat it. (Or let you kiddo eat it!)
Reasons to be Low-Carb
My purpose is not to convince you to eat few carbs. Different bodies work better on different diets, and I totally understand that. I choose to not eat a high-carb diet. Sometimes I eat a very low carb diet. Most of the time I’m somewhere in the middle.
If you want to dig deeper into this topic, here are some easy reading articles to educate you. I won’t give you all the scholarly studies and publications, because they can be pretty intense to read. These articles and blog posts give you the info, and if you want to go to the technical stuff feel free to click on their sources.
Keto for Beginners
https://draxe.com/nutrition/guide-to-keto-diet-for-beginners/
https://www.ruled.me/guide-keto-diet/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/what-is-ketosis/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/beta-hydroxybutyrate/
Weight Loss
https://www.ruled.me/keto-weight-loss/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/keto-diet-for-weight-loss/
Diabetes & Insulin Resistance
https://www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-diabetes/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/keto-diet-and-diabetes/
https://www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-insulin-resistance/
Cholesterol
https://www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-cholesterol/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/keto-diet-and-cholesterol/
Mental Health & Brain Function
https://www.ruled.me/3-reasons-keto-better-for-brain/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-treat-depression-anxiety-schizophrenia/
The Ketogenic Diet and Cancer
https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-cancer-interpreting-research/
https://draxe.com/health/plant-based-diet-vs-keto-diet-for-cancer/
Epilepsy
The ultra low-carb diet, keto, was created for folks struggling with seizures. This doesn’t apply to me personally, but it’s a fascinating topic!
https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-epilepsy/
https://draxe.com/health/epilepsy/
Blood Pressure
https://www.ruled.me/can-low-carb-diet-lower-blood-pressure/
Women, Fertility, & Menopause
https://draxe.com/nutrition/keto-diet-women/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/7-ways-a-keto-diet-is-perfect-for-menopause/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/keto-alkaline-diet/
https://draxe.com/health/keto-diet-for-pcos/