What are sugar substitutes? 5 healthy natural sweeteners
In recent years, many natural sweeteners have become more popular as sugar substitutes. Because they contain fewer calories, these artificial sweeteners are becoming more and more popular. So what are sugar substitutes? Where are they made? Read the article below to find out!
I. What is a sugar substitute? What are the benefits of using a sugar substitute?
What is a sugar substitute? – Understanding sugar substitutes
Sugar substitutes (or sugar substitutes) are compounds that have a stronger sweetening ability but produce fewer calories than sugar. They can be chemical compounds or natural compounds.
Because it creates a stronger sweetness, only a small amount of sugar substitute can still provide the same sweetness as using sugar. → Sugar substitute also has another name, zero-calorie sweetener.
What are the benefits of using sugar substitutes?
Because they provide sweetness without increasing (or increasing very little) calories, sugar substitutes can help users control their calorie intake very well. They are also considered a “golden food” for people with diabetes and those who want to lose weight.
Sugar substitutes are found in most low-calorie or no-calorie products today.
So how is this healthy natural sugar substitute created? Where does it come from? The rest of this article will give you the answers!
II. 5 types of natural sweeteners to replace refined sugar
Here are the 5 most popular natural sweeteners used to replace refined sugar today:
1. Stevia Zero Calorie Sugar Substitute
This is a sugar substitute extracted from the leaves of the Stevia Rebaudiana plant. They are extracted from one of two compounds, Stevioside and Rebaudioside A. Each contains zero calories, can be 350 times sweeter than natural sugar, and may taste slightly different from sugar.
Stevioside compound in stevia has been proven to reduce blood pressure, blood sugar and insulin levels. In Vietnam, more than 80% of products for diabetics and weight loss people contain this functional sugar made from stevia.
Stevia
2. Xylitol Sugar Substitute
Xylitol is known as a sugar alcohol that has a sweetness similar to sugar. They are found in many fruits and vegetables.
According to research: 1 gram of Xylitol contains about 2.4 calories (about 40% fewer calories than refined sugar).
In particular, Xylitol does not contain Fructose – the “key” ingredient that causes harm to the health of users. Many studies have also shown that:
- Xylitol does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels.
- May improve oral health, bone health
For these reasons, Xylitol is becoming one of the best sugar substitutes.
Xylitol
3. Erythritol functional sugar
Similar to Xylitol, Erythritol is also a sugar alcohol but the amount of calories in 1 gram of Erythritol is much lower. On average, it contains about 0.24 calories/gram and is equal to 6% of the calories of sugar. A characteristic of Erythritol: They have a taste similar to sugar, very easy to use.
Because the body does not have the enzymes to break down all of the Erythritol, most of the Erythritol is absorbed directly into the blood and excreted in the urine without being changed. → Erythritol does not increase blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol or triglycerides.
Although it possesses many advantages, the commercial production process of Erythritol is relatively time-consuming and expensive, which makes it rarely used in actual products.
4. Sugar substitute extracted from monk fruit
Monk fruit sweetener is a small round fruit grown in Southeast Asia. It has zero calories and is about 100 times sweeter than sugar. Monk fruit contains natural sugars such as Ructose and Glucose, but its sweetness comes from antioxidants called Mogrosides.
In addition to being used as a sugar substitute, some preliminary research results have also shown that this fruit can inhibit cancer growth.
5. Yacon Syrup
This sugar substitute is extracted from the Yacon plant. This plant is native to South America and has the scientific name Smallanthus Sonchifolius. Yacon Syrup contains about 40-50% Fructooligosaccharides - a type of sugar that cannot be digested.
→ In fact, Yacon Syrup contains only 1/3 the calories of regular sugar and about 1.3 calories/gram.
Some of the benefits of this artificial sweetener include:
- Reduce blood sugar index, reduce body weight
- Reduce the risk of colon cancer
- Increases feeling of fullness, making the body eat less
- Fructooligosaccharides help feed healthy bacteria in the gut
It can be said that this is one of the natural sugar alternatives with the most health benefits.
Ground ginseng
Hopefully through this article, you have a better understanding of what sugar substitutes are? How are they created? Don't forget to regularly follow NanoFrance's Website to update more information about the latest Medicine!
