"ultimate" sugar replacements

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kingdragonfly

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#284573 1-May-2021 11:55

I have a health problem, which means I can't have much sugar.

Monk fruit is now trendy, but it's also very expensive. Erythritol / sugar alcohol is the cheapest "natural" substitute.

Guess which one manufacturers emphasize on their packaging?

I thought this "ultimate sugar replacement" was funny, because it's so misleading.

"Whole Earth Sugar Substitute Monk Fruit Sweetener Granules"

99% Erythritol which sugar alcohol made from corn starch
1% Monk fruit extract

See A Comprehensive Guide to the 4 Best Natural Sweeteners

...Like stevia, monk fruit is often blended with sweeteners. So, if your using it as a sugar substitute, check your label to see what they’re mixing it with. ... It’s also often combined with erythritol ...

Erythritol is produced by hydrolyzing corn starch into glucose, and then fermenting glucose using yeast or fungus.

Unlike stevia or monk fruit, erythritol is less sweet than sugar. It’s about 70% as sweet as sugar, so it’s easier to substitute erythritol for sugar in a 1:1 ratio, without overwhelming your taste buds. For this reason, it’s often used in low-carb baking. It also often combined with monk fruit and stevia, since it’s less sweet, and has a similar metabolic effect.

Eva888

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#2700469 1-May-2021 13:20

You can also buy low GI sugar at supermarkets, it works better for baking than other sweetness.

Having only 1% monk fruit makes it pretty cheeky labelling considering the pictures and wording.

GeekGuy

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#2700472 1-May-2021 13:42

Good to be aware of it, as I have to watch my carbs and sugar levels for medical reasons.

I just stick with Equal and sometimes Stevia.

nitro

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#2700487 1-May-2021 14:42

erythritol is used as a bulking agent so the product can be used as a direct substitute for sugar as one would (used to) typically use them. that 1% quite possibly brings the compound to similar sweetness as refined sugar. bluntly stated it's really erythritol enhanced to sugar-level sweetness with stevia/monk fruit rather than actually stevia/monk fruit.

with a medical condition, one would have to get used to lower sweetness anyway... i find that erythritol on its own is a good substitute for baking. a lot cheaper than these 1 percenters. $6 / 500g at bin inn vs usually $10 / 300g for these stevia/monk fruit enhanced varieties.

i never subscribed to the 'low gi sugar' options as they're typically in the 50 - 55 gi range... which to my mind is not much lower than table sugar's 65. erythritol has 0 gi.

good luck managing your glucose. i'm on the same path.

Batman

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#2700493 1-May-2021 15:25

i am not sure there are sugar replacements that are good. some artificial sweeteners have been shown to give diabetes to people who do not have diabetes ... so i have no idea how this stuff can be good to diabetics! someone correct me with logic and science!

that leaves you with a few choices

- reverse diabetes by exercise, weight loss and not eating carb*

- take medication that reduce absorption of sugar or increase peeing of sugar

- take other medication for diabetes but don't address the underlying issue (exercise weight loss not eating carb)

*i wonder if you can eat complex carb (also called low GI) instead, certainly if you do maybe don't eat so much

but hey i have no idea what i'm talking about so i'll just shut up

Kiwifruta

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#2700506 1-May-2021 16:12

@nitro Thanks for the comment about erythritol from Binn Inn, $12/kg is much more palatable than $35/kg for the stevia flavoured ones.

LostBoyNZ

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#2700507 1-May-2021 16:13

Batman:

i am not sure there are sugar replacements that are good. some artificial sweeteners have been shown to give diabetes to people who do not have diabetes ... so i have no idea how this stuff can be good to diabetics! someone correct me with logic and science!

that leaves you with a few choices

- reverse diabetes by exercise, weight loss and not eating carb*

- take medication that reduce absorption of sugar or increase peeing of sugar

- take other medication for diabetes but don't address the underlying issue (exercise weight loss not eating carb)

*i wonder if you can eat complex carb (also called low GI) instead, certainly if you do maybe don't eat so much

but hey i have no idea what i'm talking about so i'll just shut up

I can't speak for artificial sweeteners being good or bad, but I think it's good to acknowledge there's two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes isn't affected by lifestyle, weight or anything like that, it's an autoimmune disease and often genetic, with no cure. Type 2 diabetes is the type you're referring to there, where it can be caused by things like a lack of exercise etc. Although it can also be other factors, such as pregnancy.

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kingdragonfly

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#2700518 1-May-2021 17:44

I don't have diabetes. I had gastric bypass surgery, and lost 40 KG.

For some reason, I'm now very sensitive to sugar. I literally start getting grainy vision and shaky legs if I eat too much sugar. It's usually 2 to 3 hours afterwards.

I'm also a tiny bit sensitive to carbs.

Still it's nice to have something with a little sweet taste now and then.

GeekGuy

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#2700523 1-May-2021 18:19

kingdragonfly: I don't have diabetes. I had gastric bypass surgery, and lost 40 KG.

For some reason, I'm now very sensitive to sugar. I literally start getting grainy vision and shaky legs if I eat too much sugar. It's usually 2 to 3 hours afterwards.

I'm also a tiny bit sensitive to carbs.

Still it's nice to have something with a little sweet taste now and then.

I was pre diabetic and was taking a pill once a day (metaformin) and had stopped using sugar years ago.

Last year, I ended up in hospital with acute pancreatitis. I went from 120 Kg's to 88 Kg's

and now have half a pancreas and have had the gall bladder removed.

I now inject insulin twice a day and have to watch what I eat as my blood glucose levels are all over the place.

nitro

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#2700534 1-May-2021 19:16

Batman:

i am not sure there are sugar replacements that are good. some artificial sweeteners have been shown to give diabetes to people who do not have diabetes...

there are such studies. however, not all of the alternatives are artificial. stevia, monk fruit and erythritol are not.

- reverse diabetes by exercise, weight loss and not eating carb*

caught early, this can be done. i have. the diagnosis is for life, though. and it's a stark reminder that you can't simple 'reverse' it, and then go back to your old ways (that got you in trouble in the first place).

nitro

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#2700537 1-May-2021 19:26

Kiwifruta: @nitro Thanks for the comment about erythritol from Bin Inn, $12/kg is much more palatable than $35/kg for the stevia flavoured ones.

no worries... the way i see it is that 10g (1% of 1 kg) of stevia/monk fruit costs $23, with erythritol being equal.

it is usually suggested to use a bit more erythritol, say in baking (1.3/1.5 cups for each cup of sugar), to get similar taste. but 1:1 works for me.

@kingdragonfly apologies for having made the wrong assumption.

trig42

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#2700929 3-May-2021 09:14

If you are looking for a 1:1 replacement for baking, and you need it to behave like sugar (eg., for meringues or brulee), then Allulose does a good job.

It's really expensive though.

We use Xylitol as well. It is similar to Erythritol, but dissolves properly and you don't get the crunchy texture you can with Erythritol.

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Fred99

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#2700987 3-May-2021 10:17

nitro:

Batman:

i am not sure there are sugar replacements that are good. some artificial sweeteners have been shown to give diabetes to people who do not have diabetes...

there are such studies. however, not all of the alternatives are artificial. stevia, monk fruit and erythritol are not.

You'd have to be very sceptical of any such studies that have any links back to funding by the sugar industry, including funding by the sugar industry of any research on non health related uses for sugar.

The other thing to be very sceptical of are studies evaluating/comparing health of people who choose to use non-sugar sweeteners against those who don't. There's usually a health related reason (formally diagnosed - or more often not) as to why people choose to use a sugar replacement, eliminating them from the study is going to be very difficult.

It's not as if the harm caused by excess sugar (ie "sucrose") consumption isn't well known now from population studies as well as a pretty clear understanding of the metabolism of different sugars.

There's a suggestion that "sweetness" causes a metabolic response, whether it's from non-sugar sweeteners or sugar, and that metabolic response may cause harm, but if true that would mean a "natural" non-sugar sweetener is just as harmful as an artificial one like aspartame or whatever.