In addition, FDA considers three plant- or fruit-based high-intensity sweeteners to be generally recognized as safe for use as sweeteners in the United States: stevia, luo han guo (also known as Swingle fruit or monk fruit extract), and thaumatin.
Stevia and monk fruit are both naturally derived from plants and some people feel they have a flavor very similar to regular sugar. The FDA says these sweeteners are “generally regarded as safe,” which means they are safe to use for their intended purpose.
Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet 'N Low), and aspartame (Equal) top the list of replacements to avoid. Sugar alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol should also be eaten minimally as they can wreak havoc on your digestion.
If the goal is to have little or no effect on blood sugar and insulin, erythritol, monk fruit, and stevia are great choices."
CLEVELAND – New research from Cleveland Clinic found a commonly used artificial sweetener is associated with an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. The sweetener is called erythritol.
Coconut sugar has a lower GI than regular sugar, while stevia has a GI of 0, making it a great option for people with diabetes. Coconut sugar contains calories, while stevia is virtually calorie-free.
Sugar is better for you than artificial sweeteners. Or even better yet — no added sugar. That's your absolute best bet. “Really, both sugar and artificial sweeteners are a problem for your health,” says functional medicine specialist Melissa Young, MD.
Though widely available throughout the world, in 1991 stevia was banned in the U.S. due to early studies that suggested the sweetener may cause cancer.
While both Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke contain the same sweeteners (a blend of aspartame and acesulfame-potassium or Ace-K) and contain zero calories, Coca-Cola Zero uses a different flavour base and delivers the great taste of Coca-Cola with zero sugar.
Good substitutes for sugar in coffee include natural sweeteners like honey, stevia, and maple syrup. Sugar alternatives can be used the same way you would table sugar in your recipes at home. It's a sweetener in your favorite cupcakes but can also add texture, color, and flavor, including in your coffee.
Creamer: If you're looking for a sugar-free way to make your coffee less bitter, add a small amount of coffee creamer made from milk, almond milk, or another alternative milk. Creamer makes coffee milder and smoother, naturally reducing bitter notes for a sweeter taste that's not too sweet.
Acceptable Daily Intake: 5 milligrams for each kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound person, 340 milligrams a day would be safe.
PURE MAPLE SYRUP
It's easy on the liver because of its low glycemic index score, and also has the potential to reduce inflammation in the body. We all know about inflammation and its harmful effects on the body and this bonus makes pure maple syrup one of my top picks as a sugar substitute.
Using stevia can reduce calories in foods and drinks, but it may also have some adverse effects. Possible side effects include nausea, bloating, low blood pressure, and hormone disruption.
Natural honey is often considered a better option than processed stevia. Not only is honey good for blood-sugar levels, it has many other potential benefits. These benefits include soothing coughs, and it could even reduce the effects of seasonal allergies, although these claims require more research.
Because of its molasses content, brown sugar does contain certain minerals, most notably calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium (white sugar contains none of these). But since these minerals are present in only minuscule amounts, there is no real health benefit to using brown sugar.
Generally, there's no advantage to substituting honey for sugar in a diabetes eating plan. Both honey and sugar will affect your blood sugar level. Honey is sweeter than granulated sugar, so you might use a smaller amount of honey for sugar in some recipes.
Allulose is a favorable natural sweetener because it has a remarkably similar flavor to sugar, without any funky after taste. It's also about 70% as sweet as table sugar, so serves as a pretty simple sugar substitute, that you can trade spoon for spoon, while tapering your sweet tooth.
The study also identified three artificial sweeteners that appear to be the most problematic. Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) was linked to a higher risk of stroke, while acesulfame potassium (Sunnett, Sweet One) and sucralose (Splenda) were associated with higher coronary artery disease risk.
Acesulfame potassium
The NutriNet-Santé cohort study reported that adults who consumed acesulfame-K had 1.13 times the risk of cancer overall as those who did not consume acesulfame-K (4).