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Sugar Substitutes: Not So Sweet

Every time you catch-up with a friend at a coffee shop or have visitors over for tea, you are asked “How many sugars would you like?” You proudly say “I don’t use sugar. I’ve actually cut out all sugars” because you are trying to lose weight or you have heard that sugar is bad for you. “But,” you add, “you can add honey for me please!” Is this any better?Sugar Substitutes.jpg.png

We at Nutritional Solutions did some research into a few substitutes that we replace sugar with and found some interesting results. Between rice syrup, agave nectar, maple syrup and honey there was only a very small difference in their sugar contents per 100g with honey sitting at the highest among these four.  The honey would provide just over 4g of sugar per teaspoon of honey. One teaspoon of ordinary sugar contains 4g of sugar. Which then indicates that honey has a very similar overall sugar content as ordinary sugar. 2

Many may argue, but what about the fact that honey is low GI? The glycaemic index (GI) of foods is important. Glycaemic index is the rate at which the body breaks food down and releases glucose into the blood. Ideally we prefer to eat more low GI foods for many reasons such as sustained energy, slower glucose release into the blood stream and better control of blood glucose levels. Honey has been found to have an intermediate GI of 58 with table sugar sitting at 61. Therefore, honey does have a lower GI but by a very small fraction. The reason for this is that honey has a higher fructose content.3

These above four sugar substitutes are known as natural nutritive sweeteners which means they provide energy or kilojoules when eaten. Other examples that fall under this group is fructose or fruit juices. Sugar alcohols like xylitol or erythritol are also classified as nutritive sweeteners as they also provide energy but they contain far less energy than the sugars or fruit juices mentioned. The non-nutritive sweeteners group provide no energy at all. Examples would be sucralose, acesulphame K, stevia, saccharin, and aspartame. 4

Be careful when deciding if you wish to use a sugar substitute. Remember our above picture that illustrates how natural options still contain sugar and should not be used as a completely guilt free option.

References:

  1. Given by Claire from Well I Am challenge
  2. Mahan Escott Stump. Krauses Food and Nutrition Care Process
  3. Omotayo O. Erejuwa, Siti A. Sulaiman and Mohd S. Ab Wahab. Fructose Might Contribute to the Hypoglycemic Effect of Honey. Molecules 2012, 17, 1900-1915; doi:10.3390/molecules17021900
  4. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112:739-758