QuestionCan you please tell me what you think to be the best sugar substitute? My sister has just joined Weight Watchers and they cautioned her about problems resulting from Splenda.
They are recommending Xylitrol (may be spelled wrong).
Do you know anything about it?
I am an RN and have read about many but there always seems to be cautions about all of them.
I want to start using one for calorie reduction. I don't have any medical conditions that warrant their use except being slightly overweight. Also I want it to taste just like sugar, haha.
Thank you very much.
AnswerRena,
You may or may not be aware that Weight Watchers sells its own brand of sugar substitute. Based on that, and the fact that I've never heard of any adverse effects reported from Splenda, I don't think your sister should avoid Splenda.
So here is the rundown:
Splenda-So far apparently extremely safe; hasn't been on the market as long as some other sweeteners. Heat stable, can be used in cooking/baking.
Pink Packets: Saccharine. Causes bladder cancer in rats who eat massive amounts from birth, no association with cancer in people. Shouldn't be used during pregnancy.
Blue Packets: Aspartame. NOT heat stable-it decay if heated, and the sweet will turn to bitter. Aspartame is very safe, unless you have a condition that would compromise the blood-brain barrier, including any kind of systemic inflammation, meningitis, etc, you're a nurse so you can finish that list yourself!
Stevia: This is a 'natural' sweetener, and by natural, I mean not regulated by the FDA. People will tell you that because it's plant derived and organic, it can't be dangerous, but considering poison ivy and poisonous mushrooms, I'm not so sure. It's been around for a while, though, so if it were terribly dangerous, then it probably would have made the news by now.
Sugar alcohols: xylitrol, erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol, etc etc etc. There are two things to remember about these. One, THEY HAVE CALORIES. The caloric content is the same as pure sugar, but these are all poorly absorbed from the digestive tract, so the majority of those calories are wasted. But not all! Second point-sugars are passing to the large intestine unabsorbed... so flatulence and diarrhea are the result. However, sugar alchols are fantastic for giving texture in baking, and they make possible many different kinds of sugar free chocolates and candies.
If your interest is cutting calories, then you should also remember that all packet sweeteners contain 3 calories each. They all contain between a half gram and .999 grams of carbohydrate, which is conveniently rounded down to zero for a label of zero calories-but that's not true. If you really want a good calorie-free sweetener, the best option is liquid. The only ones that I've found are liquid saccharine, which tends to be highly concentrated and sold in dropper bottles, and liquid Splenda, sold as flavored coffee syrups (Torani and Da Vinci).
If flavor is your issue, sugar alcohols taste best, followed by Splenda. Some say you can get better sugar flavor by mixing different types of sweetener together. At any rate, if you regularly use sweeteners, you do get used to the taste fairly quickly-as long as you don't keep switching back and forth between sugar and the sweetener!
Good luck!
Melissa
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