The skinny on Sugar Subsitutes

I got this in my email today from another health site that I belong to, thought I would would share, great stuuf here. Sugar Substitutes: How Sweet It Is Get the Low Down on Low-Cal Replacements -- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian Do you feel like you are surrounded by sweets... cookies, cake, pie, ice cream, candy, and pop? Sweet treats are everywhere, along with the extra calories and simple carbohydrates that make them up. For people with diabetes and folks trying to cut calories and carbohydrates, the words "sugar free" can be music to ones ears - or at least satisfaction for a sweet tooth. They go by several names, including sugar substitute, non-nutritive sweetener, very low calorie sweetener, or alternative sweetener. But one thing is common. They all taste similar to sugar with little to no calories or glycemic response. Each substitute is also sweeter than sugar, meaning that a little goes a long way; since less is needed to achieve the same sweetness, recipes may need to be modified. Currently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved five types of sugar substitutes for use in the United States: Aspartame tastes very similar to sugar but is 200 times sweeter. Other names include Nutrasweet, Equal, and Sugar Twin (blue box). Aspartame is often the subject of stories in the popular press that claim the product causes a variety of health problems. According to the FDA, aspartame is the most thoroughly tested food additive and studies confirm that it is safe for the general population. However, aspartame should not be used by people who have the rare hereditary disease phenylketonuria. Because it is not heat stable, aspartame is used mostly in foods that do not require cooking or baking. Therefore it should be added to foods after cooking, or sprinkled on a cooked or baked product after removing it from the heat source. Aspartame will lose its sweetness when heated for a long time. Acesulfame-K is often blended with other sugar substitutes to produce a sugar-like taste. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and goes by the names Sweet One, Sunett, and Sweet & Safe. It is heat stable and can be used in cooked and baked foods. Neotame is the newest artificial sweetener available to consumers. It is approximately 7,000-13,000 times sweeter than sugar. It has been approved as a sweetener for baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, confections and frostings, gelatins, puddings, jams, jellies, and fruit juices. Saccharin, also called Sweet and Low, Sweet Twin, Sweet 'N Low Brown, and Necta Sweet, is 200-700 times sweeter than sugar. Saccharin keeps its sweet flavor when heated, so it can be used when cooking and baking. Sucralose is the only sugar substitute made from sugar, and is 600 times sweeter. It also goes by the name Splenda and is used in baked goods, soft drinks, gum, frozen dairy desserts, juices and gelatins. Sucralose is heat stable and can be used in desserts and baked goods. Foods sweetened with sugar substitutes are lower in calories and can be one component of a weight loss program. But remember, you need to control calories in your whole eating plan. Removing the sugar from a cookie does not turn it into a health food. Without monitoring your portion size, you can still get too many calories and zero nutritional benefits.

Hi Sandy, I was just wondering what the name of the site is that you got the info from. Interesting information - Thanks Carey

here is the website, it is similar to this one, but focuses more on lifestyle change verses surgery. www.sparkpeople.com