Sugar substitutes can be beneficial for people with diabetes as they offer added sweetness while controlling your carbohydrate intake and blood sugar levels. Read on to learn about the best sweeteners for diabetes.
What are sweeteners?
Sweeteners are a substitute for sugar that provide a sweet taste to foods, but have virtually no calories. There are a number of sweeteners available, all made from different compounds.
What are the best sweeteners for people with diabetes?
Aspartame, cyclamate, steviol glycosides and sucralose are all excellent sweetener choices for people with diabetes. Below are specific details about each of these.
NOTE: The ‘sweetness index’ rates the sweetness of a substance in relation to table sugar, which has a sweetness rating of 1. The sweetness index of all other substances is measured relative to this number.
Aspartame
Brand Names: Equal, Nutrasweet
Forms and Uses:
- Packets, tablets or granulated form
- Added to drinks, yogurts, cereals, low-calorie desserts and chewing gum
Sweetness Index: 180
Cyclamate
Brand Names: Sucaryl®, Sugar Twin®, Sweet ‘n Low®
Forms and Uses:
- Available in packets, tablets, liquid and granulated form
- Added to baked goods, soft drinks and salad dressings
Sweetness Index: 40
Steviol glycosides
Brand Names: Stevia®, Truvia®, Krisda®, PureVia®
Forms and Uses:
- Available in packets or liquid form
- Added to drinks, breakfast cereals, yogurt, gum, baked goods and snack foods
Sweetness Index: 300
Sucralose
Brand Names: Splenda®
Forms and Uses:
- Available in packets or granulated form
- Added to packaged foods and beverages
Sweetness Index: 600
Do sweeteners have any nutritional value?
There are two types of sweeteners. Nutritive sweeteners include sugar and honey, and provide the body with energy in the form of carbohydrates. Non-nutritive sweeteners, which we’re addressing in this article, are zero- or low-calorie alternatives to nutritive sweeteners. As such, they have no nutritional value.
What are the benefits of sweeteners?
Besides being calorie-free, one of the biggest benefits of sweeteners is that they have a very low glycemic index and have no effect on your blood sugar. This means that they do not cause blood sugar levels to spike in the same way that sugar does.
Sweeteners are not completely harmless, though. If eaten in excess, they can cause upset stomach and migraine headaches. As well, because artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar (see sweetness index above), consuming too much sweetener may leave your brain and your body craving sweet foods, which could be disruptive to your diabetes diet.
Nonetheless, whichever one you choose, sweeteners provide a calorie-free and tasty alternative to sugar.
