Last Updated on October 26, 2024
Sugar is an excellent way to satisfy your sweet tooth, but your sweet tooth won’t always agree with your glucose levels. We would all love to be able to eat a pan full of brownies or a whole batch of cookies, but that would wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels. So what is the best way to satisfy that sugar craving?
Sugar substitutes can be used to give your desserts that sweet taste without the glucose spike after.
You may have read news articles over the past decade about some of the adverse health risks that can occur when you use sugar substitutes like Sweet N’ Low or Splenda. There have been articles that claim certain artificial sweeteners cause types of cancer or other illnesses (there is no research on these claims). With so many conflicting ideas on artificial sweeteners, many people with diabetes are afraid to use them in replace of normal sugar, but using these sugar substitutes could be the key to managing glucose levels.
With several different sugar substitutes at the grocery store, you might be confused by which one is best for managing your diabetes. The FDA has approved six artificial sweeteners in the United States as safe alternatives to sugar: sucralose, saccharin, stevia, aspartame, neotame, and acesulfame potassium. These six sweeteners are sold under different brand names that you can find at the local grocery store. One of the newest substitutes that are gaining popularity in the diabetic community is stevia.
Stevia is an all-natural sweetener that is a herb primarily grown in South America. The idea of using stevia plants to sweeten foods and drink has been around for decades, but the FDA approved stevia in 2008. It’s being sold under brand names like Truvia, SweetLeaf, Stevia in the Raw, and Purevia. Several companies like PepsiCo, who makes SoBe Life Water have started using the sweetener in their drinks and foods.
As a no calorie alternative to sugar, stevia could be one of the best alternatives for diabetics. Research has shown that stevia extract doesn’t have any negative effects on blood glucose levels or blood pressure. Some studies have shown that stevia also provides natural antioxidants. A study completed in 2013 showed that diabetic rats that were given stevia instead of other alternatives had lower glucose levels, less damage to their liver, and less damage to their kidneys.
The sugar substitute comes in liquid form or granulated sugar; each can be used for different cooking or baking situations. If you’re planning on replacing sugar with stevia in cooking or baking, pay close attention to the portion sizes of each. Stevia is 300 times sweeter than normal sugar. For most recipes, one teaspoon of powdered stevia equals around 1 cup of normal sugar. For a tablespoon of sugar, you’ll only use six drops of liquid stevia.
Stevia doesn’t react identically to sugar in all recipes, though. In cookies, cakes, and other pastries you must add a bulking agent to accompany the stevia to increase the amount of batter. Some common bulking agents for baking for stevia include egg whites, applesauce, yogurt, or a fruit puree.
Aside from having zero calories and no carbs, there are several lesser-known benefits to using stevia versus regular sugar. After several tests using animals, stevia has also shown to reduce bad cholesterol, which can prevent heart disease. Results in the animals also showed the sugar substitutes to be anti-inflammatory.
For most people, switching from sugar to stevia is as simple as throwing out your bag of sugar and replacing with your liquid stevia. Replace the teaspoon of sugar in your coffee with a drop of stevia. This simple change could have a huge impact on your diabetes management and your overall health. You can still enjoy the sweet flavor without having to experience the sour glucose spikes.
