I noticed that not all sugar free products contain the same ingredients. Are all sugar replacements essentially the same or are some better for me than others? Does it really matter what type of sugar replacement I choose?
When a food is marked “sugar free” it’s important to check the ingredient label to see what product is getting substituted. Although non-nutritive sweeteners, in general, have been deemed safe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and backed by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), people may experience different sensitivities to one type of replacement or another.
There is one group of artificial sweeteners called polyols that contain “sugar alcohol”. You can recognize most of them because they end in the suffix “ol”.
Examples: sorbitol, erythritol, maltitol and xylitol (isomalt and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates break the suffix rule).
Polyols are not completely absorbed from the GI tract so, when consumed in excess (differs from person to person) amounts, they can cause GI discomfort or pain, excess gas, bloating or even diarrhea.
The calorie-free non-absorbable sweeteners that have been recognized by the FDA as safe when consumed in amounts up to the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) are: sucralose (Splenda), aspartame and neotame (NutraSweet), acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), saccharin (Sweet ‘n Low) and the newest addition, stevia (Truvia, PureVia, Only Sweet).
For the most part, they can be used as replacements for regular sugar such as white sugar, brown rice syrup and corn syrup that contain 4 calories per gram. However, heat and time can cause aspartame to lose its sweet flavor.
Ever notice how all of sudden those diet sodas become tasteless?
Manufacturers use different artificial sweeteners depending on their needs.
