Sweet alternatives for staying slim
If you're concerned about gaining too much weight, one way to tackle the situation is to eat better and be more active.
Here’s a Canadian growth statistic that’s not good news – the growing number of children and adults who are obese.
Now, 15% of adults as well as children are defined as obese. The number of overweight adults tips the scales at 33%, with up to 37% of children aged 2 to 11 considered overweight. Not a healthy trend indeed as obesity is linked to greater health risks, including heart disease and type-2 diabetes – even in children!
If you're concerned about anyone in your family gaining too much weight, one way to tackle the situation is to adopt a healthier lifestyle – encourage everyone in your family to eat better and be more active.
Reducing the sugar in your diet can go a long way toward reducing calories. Sugar alternatives can offer a smart, low calorie option. A wide range of foods and beverages are now made with sugar substitutes. In fact, no calorie sweeteners like sucralose can even be used in cooking and baking – a great way to make the foods you love with less sugar and calories.
The different types of sugar substitutes
When you’re looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, remember that not all alternative sweeteners are the same. Here’s the lowdown on some of the most popular:
Sucralose
Sucralose
Sucralose, approved in Canada in 1991, is 600 times as sweet as sugar. Because sucralose is made from sugar, it tastes like sugar, but it's not sugar and has no unpleasant aftertaste. Marketed under the name SPLENDA® Brand, the product is the top selling no calorie sweetener today. You can use SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetner virtually anywhere sugar is used, even in cooking and baking where you just substitute it cup for cup with white sugar. All the Atkins diet products use sucralose, plus it's suitable for people with diabetes because it allows them to bake their favourite foods and still control their sugar intake.
Saccharin
Saccharin
The oldest artificial sweetener is saccharin. Best known as the brand Sweet 'N Low®, it's about 300 to 700 times as sweet as sugar and is widely used to sweeten many commercial foods and beverages. However some say it has a bitter aftertaste, especially when a food sweetened with saccharin is heated.
Aspartame
Aspartame, as found in NutraSweet® and Equal® brands, is about 200 times as sweet as sugar. It has often been the subject of controversy since it was approved in Canada in 1981 but is considered safe for the general population. Aspartame is not safe for people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder, who can't metabolize phenylalanine, a component of aspartame. Products made with aspartame must carry a PKU warning on the label.
Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame K)
Acesulfame Potassium, or Acesulfame K as it's often called, is also a sugar substitute. Sold under the brand name Sunett™, it is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame K is generally considered safe, and popular in food production because the taste doesn’t break down when heated. However, because it is primarily used in combination with other sweeteners for commercial production, of things such as soft drinks, frozen deserts and oral care products, Acesulfame K is not widely availabale and so is a less likely option for those looking for an everyday sugar substitute.
Acesulfame Potassium, or Acesulfame K as it's often called, is also a sugar substitute. Sold under the brand name Sunett™, it is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame K is generally considered safe, and popular in food production because the taste doesn’t break down when heated. However, because it is primarily used in combination with other sweeteners for commercial production, of things such as soft drinks, frozen deserts and oral care products, Acesulfame K is not widely availabale and so is a less likely option for those looking for an everyday sugar substitute.
More sweet alternatives
Sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols, such as lactitol, mannitol and sorbitol, occur naturally in foods and come from plant products such as fruits and berries. Sugar alcohols are often used in sugar-free gums because they don’t cause tooth decay. Unlike sugar substitutes that provide sweetness without calories, sugar alcohols are absorbed by the body and do contribute calories to the diet. The most common side effects are bloating and diarrhea when sugar alcohols are eaten in excessive amounts.
Stevia
Stevia is a natural sugar substitute, derived from a South American shrub whose leaves are estimated to be 300 times sweeter than cane sugar or sucrose. Because it is not absorbed through the digestive tract, Stevia doesn’t add extra calories. But Stevia comes with its fair share of controversy. Although a popular sweetener in Japan and other countries, in North America and Europe there are still questions about its safety and acceptability as an ingredient or as a sweetener. Just recently, Health Canada's Natural Health Product Directorate published guidelines that recommended daily intake limits, and require product warnings that Stevia- containing products are not for pregnant women, children or those who have low blood pressure. And for now, you’ll find Stevia in health food stores, available only as a dietary supplement.
Stevia is a natural sugar substitute, derived from a South American shrub whose leaves are estimated to be 300 times sweeter than cane sugar or sucrose. Because it is not absorbed through the digestive tract, Stevia doesn’t add extra calories. But Stevia comes with its fair share of controversy. Although a popular sweetener in Japan and other countries, in North America and Europe there are still questions about its safety and acceptability as an ingredient or as a sweetener. Just recently, Health Canada's Natural Health Product Directorate published guidelines that recommended daily intake limits, and require product warnings that Stevia- containing products are not for pregnant women, children or those who have low blood pressure. And for now, you’ll find Stevia in health food stores, available only as a dietary supplement.
Making sweet choices for your good health
For a lifetime of good health for you and your family, increased exercise and cutting calories helps. Making desserts, homemade cookies and muffins, for example, with a low-calorie sweetener like SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener instead of sugar is a good first step, especially since there are only 96 calories in a cup of SPLENDA® Granular vs. 770 calories in a cup of sugar. Just be sure to read the label of any products containing sugar substitutes especially if they include warnings.
For a lifetime of good health for you and your family, increased exercise and cutting calories helps. Making desserts, homemade cookies and muffins, for example, with a low-calorie sweetener like SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener instead of sugar is a good first step, especially since there are only 96 calories in a cup of SPLENDA® Granular vs. 770 calories in a cup of sugar. Just be sure to read the label of any products containing sugar substitutes especially if they include warnings.
For a wide variety of delicious, low-calorie baking ideas, visit www.splenda.ca.
Source(s):
© McNeil Consumer Healthcare, division of Johnson & Johnson Inc. 2006
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