INTEGRIS Health: Stress (Not) About Sweeteners

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Stress (Not) About Sweeteners

Pink, Blue or Yellow?
Calorie-wise: saccharine, nutrasweet, sunnett, and splenda have NO (significant) calories. In contrast, table sugar, honey, molasses, pancake syrup, jelly and other sweet fillers made from simple sugars provide ~16 calories per teaspoon. Only 16 calories? Yes. If you only add a teaspoon of sugar here and there—it doesn’t matter whether you use the “real” thing or an artificial substitute. Unfortunately, one teaspoon isn’t very much. Remember that 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon and two tablespoon = one ounce…..which means that ONE OUNCE of “real” sugar = 100 calories. OUCH! That’s an extra MILE on the treadmill or 10 additional minutes on the Stairmaster just for squeezing 1/8th of a cup of maple syrup on your waffle. In the end, using artificially sweetened products can be a real “break” for those who want to keep their calories on a budget!

What about Safety?

Relax. The Food and Drug Administration regulates calorie-free sweeteners in the United States.
Each sweetener has to be rigorously tested before it can be used. Saccharine is the oldest sweetener on the market. Although saccharine is safe, it does have a funny aftertaste compared to the newer sweeteners. NutraSweet (aspartame) has less of an aftertaste, but can’t be used in baking since it loses its sweetness if overheated. Sunnett (asulfame-potassium, or Ace-K) is heat stable and can be used in baking and cooking. Splenda (sucralose) is the newest popular sweetener. Splenda is not affected by heat and has almost no aftertaste.

Will sweeteners make me fat? Skinny?
Nope. Non-calorie sweeteners taste sweet without calories. That’s all there is to it. Eating them will NOT “make” you eat more just because you fooled your taste buds. That’s not to say that you won’t be tempted to eat for other reasons…..like smell, proximity, taste or pleasure. In the end, using (or not using) Equal or Splenda, or Sweet ‘N Low has nothing to do with weight loss UNLESS you are consuming fewer calories than you burn. Some people prefer using “real” sugar in small enough quantities to keep total calories in check. For others, it’s easier keep within their “calorie budget” if they know they can opt for a diet Coke or sugar-free dessert to save a few calories with sacrificing sweet taste.

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