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Using Alternative Sweeteners

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When it comes to low carb baking and sweeteners, there are two main questions to keep in mind. First, is this a “safe” sweetener, as in is it likely to affect my blood sugar or not? Second, is a specific sweetener a good choice for a specific recipe?

In general, erythritol and erythritol blends with monkfruit and stevia generally work well for baking. Erythritol doesn’t brown like sugar, so your baked goods may be done before they reach the same color as traditional baked goods that use sugar. Allulose does not generally bake well especially for cookies and muffins, but it does work well for sauces and ice cream since it does not become gritty when cooled. 

 I hesitate to mention specific brands because manufacturers can change ingredients without notice and each brand can have several product lines; some may be a good option and some are best avoided. Always check ingredients. Reliable brands that I tend to use are Lakanto erythritol blends (not the syrups, chocolate, or baking mixes) and Truvia blends without chicory root fiber in the ingredients. Avoid Truvia brown sugar sub because it contains molasses. Pyure granulated has a slight vanilla taste, and I really enjoy it in my coffee. The package says it is twice as sweet as sugar, so it may not be a great option for baking since you need the bulk called for in the recipe.

Caveats before we get started:

• Different people can react differently to the same sweetener so if you have diabetes or need to keep an eye on blood sugar, you should probably test blood glucose when you introduce a new sweetener. 
• Some people may experience stomach upset after eating foods with certain sweeteners, especially if over consumed. You can use this guide to identify other options that may work well for you.
• Cooling sensation – some people get a menthol-like cooling sensation from certain sweeteners, especially erythritol. Not everyone experiences this. You can minimize the chance of this happening by using a blend of sweeteners, mixing different sweeteners, or using recipes that have sweetener as a lower percentage of the dry ingredient volume (cookies for example tend to have more sweetener while cakes or muffins have less). 

Commercial products often include sweeteners that are inexpensive and often raise blood glucose as much as sugar. If you have any metabolic dysfunction, you may be more sensitive to these sweeteners, many of which are forms of starch (sugar). Even if blood glucose isn’t impacted, these sweeteners can keep fasting insulin levels high which also negatively impacts metabolic health. 

Sweeteners to Avoid:

• Dextrose
• Aspartame
• Saccharin
• Acesulfame Potassium (also known as Ace K)
• Maltodextrin
• Maltitol or Sorbitol
• Inulin/Chicory Root Fiber/fructo-oligosaccharides
• Oligosaccharides
• Isomalto-oligosaccharide (IMO)
• Dextrin
• Sucralose – this is a relatively recent change as I used to use it.
  • Non-FB link to the study
  • Facebook Link

Generally Safe:

• Erythritol
  • In , there were reports linking erythritol to cardiovascular events. You can read more about the report and different experts’ opinions on the validity of the report at these links. I still use erythritol in my baked goods but this will help you make a more informed decision.
  • The study/report
  • Excellent summary positions from the medical community with an emphasis on prominent low carb and nutrition experts.
• Monk Fruit
  • Monk fruit in its pure form is very concentrated. Read ingredients lists carefully as it’s most often sold blended with other sweeteners such as erythritol. 
• Stevia
  • If you don’t use stevia that is 90% steviosides, you may have an unpleasant aftertaste.
  • Too much stevia may be bitter, especially if it isn’t mostly steviosides.
  • People with ragweed allergies may also be affected by stevia as the plants are in the same Asteraceae/Compositae plant family.
• Xylitol (toxic to dogs)
  • BochaSweet, the sweetener, is a variant of xylitol. It is not safe for dogs.
  • Some people, especially those with diabetes, may find that xylitol may affect their blood sugar. Some people recommend counting half of the carbohydrates in xylitol.
• Allulose
  • Unlike the sweeteners included above, allulose is not a natural sweetener. It is generally considered safe. 
• Tagatose

Use in recipes:

In my quest to help home cooks navigate the complex world of sweeteners, one thing is clear: allulose stands out as the most promising rival to table sugar. Often called "the real sugar without the calories" or "the sugar-free sugar," allulose is a game-changer. Below, you'll find the most comprehensive guide to allulose sweeteners and how they compare. [Don't miss the section at the bottom for other sugars that behave like allulose] 

If you've never heard of allulose, you’re not alone. Allulose is a relatively new zero-calorie sweetener on the market that has been getting lots of buzz for its culinary benefits and natural origin. In this guide, we'll take a closer look at it and answer all your questions.

• Is allulose a natural or artificial sweetener?
  Also called D-psicose, allulose belongs to a group of carbohydrates known as rare sugars. As the name suggests, rare sugars exist in nature in tiny amounts. They have a mild sweetness.
  
  Allulose is found in raisins, figs, kiwi, brown sugar, molasses, wheat, and maple syrup, but only in minuscule amounts.
  
  Because these sources contain too little allulose for extraction, store-bought allulose is not derived directly from them. Instead, for large-scale production, it's synthetically made from corn or other fructose sources, such as sugar beets.
  
  The Food and Drug Administration classifies allulose as natural because it exists in nature AND is derived from natural materials. While the FDA acknowledges that some natural ingredients can be "manufactured artificially", here at WhatSugar, we refer to allulose as a synthetic sweetener for clarity. Read more about this HERE and HERE.
  
  Synthetic is not the same as artificial, which refers to sweeteners "not found in nature" [We have an artificial sweetener buying guide HERE]. Allulose derived from corn is not considered artificial as it’s indistinguishable from the allulose found in fruits.
   

• How is allulose made?
  Most store-bought allulose comes from corn, produced in China. The process involves four key steps:
  (1) Starch extraction – Starch is isolated from corn
  (2) Hydrolysis – Enzymes break down starch into glucose
  (3) Isomerization – Glucose is converted into fructose by enzymes
  (4) Epimerization – Enzymes convert fructose into allulose.

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In this guide, you'll see the front of package of zero-calorie allulose products and brands. Because we have so many choices, I sorted them based on their ingredients—from pure allulose to blends. 

TUBANG contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

Before we dive in, it’s important to know that allulose is sold in two forms:

• PURE ALLULOSE is less sweet than sugar, so you need to use more. If a recipe calls for a cup of sugar, you need at least 30% more of allulose to match sugar’s sweetness.

• ALLULOSE BLENDS measure like sugar on a one-to-one ratio—by volume, not weight—offering the convenience of a direct swap. No need for conversion charts or tricky math. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of sugar, you simply use a teaspoon of these sweeteners. One cup of sugar? Swap it for one cup of a 1:1 sugar replacement. ​

Pure allulose has two major drawbacks: it’s expensive and less sweet than sugar. This often frustrates people who wonder, "I have to pay 10x more and still use more than sugar?!" That’s where blends come in.

Because allulose is 30% less sweet than sugar, you’d need about 1/3 more to match sugar’s sweetness. To solve this, manufacturers blend allulose with just a pinch of high-intensity sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia, which are 20 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. These blends offer a key advantage: you can measure them just like sugar, using the same one-to-one ratio with your regular kitchen tools—no extra math required!

Blending allulose with other sweeteners doesn’t just address sweetness and cost; some blends enhance its culinary performance. In my Sugar Swap Starter Kit, I go into the benefits of each blend, and which are best for specific needs. I even provide step-by-step instructions to make your own blend at home, helping you save money while getting optimum results.​

Yes, allulose has beenapproved in the United States as a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) ingredient. It's not a food additive. The FDA refers to allulose as a non-traditional sugar. 

Allulose is also permitted in Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and South Korea. In , Australia and New Zealand approved allulose as a novel food and safe ingredient.

However, Health Canada, the EU, and the UK don’t allow it yet. As of February , allulose is banned in some major natural & organic foods grocery stores in America, such as Whole Foods Market. ​

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Is allulose a natural or artificial sweetener?

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Allulose is considered a natural sweetener by the FDA because it's both derived from a natural source (corn or sugar beets) AND found in nature. As the FDA explains, ingredients "found in nature can be manufactured artificially and produced more economically, with greater purity and more consistent quality, than their natural counterparts." 

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So, contrary to popular belief, allulose is not an artificial sweetener like some others that do not occur in Nature.

The allulose sold in stores is a "natural-like" ingredient — a synthetic copy of the allulose found in plants. The FDA compares to vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which can be derived from an orange or artificially produced via fermentation. The same applies to allulose. In both cases, the chemical structure is exactly the same as its naturally occurring counterpart [allulose that is intrinsic and intact in plants]. 

Manufacturers do not extract allulose from natural sources — such as raisins, figs, kiwi, brown sugar, molasses, wheat, and maple syrup —because they contain minuscule amounts of allulose. So, production on a large scale from them would not be cost-effective.

Looking for more details on how allulose is made?

Refer to each GRAS notice submitted by manufacturers for FDA review HERE — for each one, click "D-psicose" on the "Substance" column, and then download the PDF.​

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