Oh the sweet goodness of sugar….
Yes, our taste buds love it but our blood sugar and the belly fat doesn’t! Which is exactly why we’re going to chat about the best sugar substitutes for diabetes today.
But first, a short story.
Quite a few years back now, it was shocking to see Jamie Oliver walk out on stage and tip a whole wheelbarrow full of sugar cubes on the stage as a representation of the amount of sugar a person now consumes per year – around 140 pounds annually!
Yep, experts now agree that a lot of our health problems around the globe are due to excessive sugar intake. The World Health Organization now recommends people eat no more than 25 g or 6 teaspoons of ‘added’ sugar per day.
Even good ‘ol vegetables have natural sugars, so we’re not talking about those. We’re predominantly talking about all the hidden sugars found in grocery store products.
The Hidden Names of Sugar
Sugar is hidden everywhere, under 59 different names of sugar in more than 70% of grocery store items!
Take a look at this chart – it’s no wonder it can all get confusing!
Should you completely avoid sugar?
Unfortunately the ‘white poison’ as some call it, is highly addictive. In fact, Dr Eric Stice, neuro-scientist, has done studies on the brain showing that the same ‘addiction’ receptors are activated when we consume sugar as they are if we consume cocaine.
Quite shocking but true!
So you know, you could try to limit sugar but that’s hard to do, and there’s a reason why – those parts of the brain Dr Eric Stice discovered – they get stimulated, along with various hormones. And when that stimulation occurs, we want more of the sweet stuff.
Of course, it’s not going to kill you to eat small amounts of sugar. But, the truth is, eating sugar is hard to moderate so turning to sugar substitutes can be a good solution, if you choose the right ones.
Aspartame, Saccharin, Acesulfame-K
- Saccharin – Brand names: Sweet’N Low, Sugar Twin, Necta Sweet.
- Aspartame – Brand names: Equal, Nutrasweet, Natra Taste.
- Acesulfame-K – Brands: Sunette, Sweet One, Swiss Sweet.
Interestingly, aspartame and many of the ‘old hat’ artificial sweeteners were first implemented to help the obesity problem. In came diet coke and Coke Zero a whole range of ‘diet’ products and foods. Years later, research now shows that these may contribute to weight gain in many people – not weight loss as you’d expect.
Although it’s okay to use aspartame and artificial sweeteners on the odd occasion, or perhaps in social situations where ‘sugar free’ foods may contain them, they are not really a great everyday option.
Read more about artificial sweeteners here.
Sucralose
- Sucralose – Brand name: Splenda
Sucralose is also an artificial sweetener.
In terms of safety, the large majority of research gives it a tick of approval, so much so that it has been given the tick of approval for the entire population, including pregnant women and children as well.
Out of all the artificial sweeteners, it is definitely the best one to choose over the ones mentioned above.
Read more about sucralose here.
Sugar Alcohols – the ‘tols’
- Erythritol
- Xylitol
- Mannitol
- Sorbitol
The ‘tols’ are sugar alcohols – not really sugar or alcohol but named that way.
The ‘tols’ are claimed to be natural because sugar alcohols are naturally occurring in lots of fruits and veggies. However, these ‘tols’ are usually processed from pure glucose and sucrose taken from wheat and/or cornstarch. The end result is a zero calorie sweetener that does not affect blood sugar levels (in most people). The ‘tols’ are generally a safe option for people with diabetes and prediabetes to choose.
Erythritol is a commonly used product in sugar substitutes like Truvia and Natvia, which are a blend of erythritol and stevia. Many people find these more palatable than stevia or erythritol alone.
Out of all the ‘tols’ erythritol is more digestible and tolerable for the digestive region. Be cautioned that the other ‘tols’ can have a laxative effect or cause stomach cramps in many people.
Please pin, share or tweet, then keep reading.
Stevia
Stevia is an herb from South America that has been used for centuries. It comes in a white powder (more processed), green leaf (unprocessed but can taste weird) and a liquid extract (much less processing required).
Considering the evidence and the pros and cons of stevia, overall it’s a good natural plant source sweetener to use.
Here at DMP we prefer using stevia over all other sweeteners and it’s what we most often recommend to people.
We use a liquid stevia extract because we find it’s more convenient and mixable – and being less processed, that’s obviously an advantage too.
Monk Fruit
Monk fruit is a small melon that naturally grows in Asian regions like southern China and northern Thailand. The extract from this fruit is turned into a sweetener. And like many other sweeteners in this category, monk fruit contains no calories, fats, protein, or carbs. You can find it in both a liquid and a powered form.
Read more about monk fruit here.
What About Honey and Natural Sugars?
While many people think of honey differently, as more ‘natural,’ honey is just another form of sugar.
Sugar is around 12-14 grams carbs per tablespoon. Honey around 17 grams. Most sugars (natural of not) compare the same.
The same applies for manuka honey.
Although manuka honey is the best form of honey in the world (with medicinal properties), it is still honey – high in fructose/sugar that can increase blood glucose and A1c, not help it. In small doses it is definitely a better option. But avoiding most sweeteners (most of the time), even natural ones – honey, molasses, maple syrup – is going to be better for your health overall.
What About Agave Syrup?
This question comes up a bit so we better add agave to the list.
Agave has been hyped up for quite a few years as a safe option for diabetics because it’s “low GI.” While that may be the case, it doesn’t make it good. In fact, my recommendation is to stay away from agave, it is NOT a good sweetener for diabetics.
Interesting, when researchers discovered high fructose corn syrup, they also thought they’d found the halo for an obesity and a possible diabetes cure (because fructose gets processed by the liver and does not require much insulin). Well, it turns out they didn’t have their handle on the whole story because fructose is said to be the CAUSE of much of our obesity and diabetes issues – many researchers agree.
How does this relate to agave? Agave is 80-90% fructose, which is a lot!
Fructose is 100% metabolized by the liver, this then leads to fatty liver, which then leads to insulin resistance and contributes to the development of diabetes. Not to mention fructose gets stored as fat at 3 times the rate of sucrose – talk about bring on obesity!
And, like most other “natural” sugars, agave still contains approximately the same amount of carbs – 5 grams per teaspoon.
You can read more about fructose and it’s affects on the body here.
Best Sugar Substitute for Diabetes?
We prefer using stevia over all other sweeteners and it’s what we generally recommend to most people. Because based on the research we’ve evaluated, we think it has better outcomes for all of us, including people with diabetes.
In saying that, at the end of the day it’s going to be a personal choice. Other suitable options include monk fruit, tagatose, erythritol and xylitol.
Some people hate the taste of stevia. So move up the ladder and try the ‘tols’ or a little sucralose. If anything, try to avoid the nasty ones mentioned first – Aspartame, Saccharin, and Acesulfame-K.
It’s also good practice to try to move away from eating too many sweets and focus on eating more vegetables because they are much better for your health.
One Word of Caution Too…
Although stevia is a good option for most people, and the other artificial sweeteners aren’t ‘meant’ to effect blood sugar, some people do still react with high blood sugar readings.
It’s important to be aware that just because something is labelled “diabetic friendly,” doesn’t mean it will work for you!
It’s not common to react to sugar substitutes but this is where your individualism comes into play. It’s always important to listen to what your own body tells you (and your glucose meter!).
So, what sugar substitute do you use? Leave your comments below.
Or maybe now you’ve learned more, perhaps you’ll make the switch???
We live on farm raise all our meats eggs and grow stevia it’s very easy to grow I am type 2 for 7 years was on metforman till I learned about paleo diet it’s easy for me one yr.june no meds a1c 7.9 now after paleo diet no store milk or cheese home grown meats and veggies lots of okra all veggies raw a1c 6.4 5ft 6 130 lbs 65 with diabetes you rest you rust just my opinion could be wrong but not wrong about side affects from mephorman it’s bad for us
_
Keep up the great work! Although we don’t necessarily promote a Paleo diet plan, it sounds like you’re eating a lot of the same foods we encourage which include LOTS of vegetables, meat and plenty of healthy fat sources such as olive oil and nuts. (I am sure farm fresh makes all these foods even more delicious, too!)
I have been on metformin for about 2 months,have been using a sugar replacement called Swerve its ingredients Erythritol,Oligosaccharies (?) and natural flavors (?) Do you know anything about this product? But good for baking and I like it in tea, my husband likes splenda, I do not!
I am not familiar with the product; however based on their website I can see it’s 0 carb, and in general erythritol based sweeteners (sugar alcohols) are good choices for people with diabetes. Oligosaccharides are another type of carbohydrate and natural flavors are a pretty broad class of compounds that is poorly defined- meaning LOTS of substances fall into this category and some are much better for your health than others. And unfortunately just by looking at the label you can’t tell which specific ‘natural flavor’ is in the product.
Swerve is probably not the worst choice, again sugar alcohols are good choices, but you may consider looking for something without natural flavors so you can be sure you aren’t putting any unwanted chemicals into your body.
Your article states “We use a liquid stevia extract because we find it’s more convenient and mixable – and being less processed, that’s obviously an advantage too.” Please explain the reason that you feel that being less processed is an advantage. If a label said “more purified” would your opinion be the same? You see, I am a bit of a ‘doubting Thomas’ and always wonder why the fascination with less purified food stuffs.
We encourage everyone to eat foods closest to their natural state, ie. how they are found in nature. In general, this equates to foods being less processed.
A good example are tomatoes. Fresh off the vine, a tomato is packed with an abundance of phytohemicals, vitamins, and minerals. As tomatoes are processed into tomato sauce or ketchup, some of the nutrients are lost during the cooking and canning process, not to mention chemicals are added for shelf life. You can probably agree that canned sauce or ketchup is no where near equivalent to a fresh tomato in terms of nutrition.
It doesn’t necessarily have to do with the purity of the stevia (or tomatoes.) Processing something does not make it more pure. Liquid stevia is the most natural form of stevia and would be preferred. With that being said, if powdered stevia is more readily available to you then that is certainly acceptable as well.
Thank you for another wonderful article. I’ve been taking in all the information you’ve been sharing during this challenge and I feel like I’m making some progress. In the past week my highest reading was 170 (after a meal) and I’ve been as low as 129 (before a meal). This is a huge difference for me! I’m pretty excited.
Excellent Terri – good to hear. 🙂
What is your view on Tagatesse please? I am supposedly pre-diabetic and have been prescribed metfornin.
Tagatesse, and other sweeteners made from tagatose, are acceptable sugar substitutions for people with diabetes.
I use Stevia in baking and monk fruit in coffee, lemonade etc. I find monk fruit more palatable on cereal ( oatmeal) and sweetening fruit. Just my opinion.
Jedha;
Hi,i am a type 2 diabetic and i am in insulin twice a day and i check my blood sugar 3 to 4 times a day and i use stevia packets in my tea.Today i am going to the bulk barn to buy a bottle or two of stevia liquid that is not too expensive to buy,and i have a lot of healthy recipes that i can put the stevia liquid in them.
The powdered stevia doesn’t affect my blood sugar and my body has no problems with this stevia but i have never used the stevia liquid before and i will use this new stevia liquid today in my tea and healthy baking and in my healthy smoothie recipes.what does the liquid stevia taste like?
Kim
Liquid stevia in essence tastes the same as the powder form; some people find the liquid form to be less bitter than powder, but that is often an individual preference. In my opinion the main benefit of the liquid form is that it’s easier to mix into certain dishes, especially cold recipes which cannot dissolve the powder. Let us know your thoughts on the liquid version!
Hi. I use a product called Just Like Sugar that is chicory root. You can only purchase on the internet. It comes in white and brown powder form or a baking one, which if more powdery. Any thoughts on this product.
Mikiemom
I am not familiar with this product and unfortunately their website doesn’t have much information to offer. It appears that the product is natural (chicory root, like you mentioned), and does not contain any artificial ingredients- which is good. The product is 100% fiber and again all the information I was able to find states that it is safe for diabetics and will not effect blood sugar readings. My best advice is to test your blood sugar after you use the product and make your decision based on that information!
Whether the taste of stevia is sweet?
Stevia is very sweet, it’s actually a lot sweeter compared to sugar. Some people complain that using too much stevia actually causes the food to taste bitter, so my advice is to start with a small amount in your recipe and increase as needed. Here is an article we’ve previously written about stevia.
Hi Jedha, thanks a lot for this post. Very informative one. I am a type 1 diabetic for the last 15 years. I got diabetes when I was 18. Do you recommend Stevia for type 1 diabetes as well ? We don’t get Stevia much here. I use a product from sugar free. Not sure is it safe to consume. Any suggestions ? Thanks in advance
Hi Jay, while our research and suggestions are geared towards patients with type 2 diabetes, I don’t see any reason why stevia would be bad for someone who is type 1 diabetic.
Review this article concerning the safety of artificial sweeteners, it often comes down to a personal choice on what’s available to you and your taste preferences.
why no one uses xylitol, natural sugar from birch sap.
Certainly if this is your sweetener of choice it’s acceptable to continue using. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, not always tolerated by everyone as some experience cramps and/or laxative effect.
Greetings! I am not diabetic, but I love to bake. I have friends who are diabetic or on a low carb diet and I would like to be able to provide them with safe and tasty treats. Thanks for all of the useful information!
Do you have any advice on monk fruit sweetener?
I commend you for your willingness to provide low carb treats for your friends! Monk fruit sweetener is a great choice for diabetics because it contains no carbohydrates and does not raise blood sugar levels.
Where can i buy stevia extract please ,in alberta canada thanks.
Most grocery stores have a selection of stevia products, though it can be more difficult to find the extract. A health food store may stock it, otherwise purchasing online is usually the best option.
My blood sugar readings are always in the good range during the day, in fact they are often lower than my fasting blood sugar. I am following a low carb diet.
My big problem is that my fasting blood sugar in the morning is between 6 and 7.1 and I cannot get it lower despite adhering strictly to my diet.
I was diagnosed prediabetic 2 years ago and my A1C is now below 6.4
Should I be concerned about my fasting readings and is there anything I can do to change them.
Margaret
Morning blood sugar highs are related to what’s known as the Dawn Phenomenon – where your body is producing glucose via the liver due to hormonal stimulation. Unfortunately this is one area that has most researchers stumped right now. One thing that has been shown to be effective (in some) is having one slice of cheese with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water before bed.
My doctor told me to use Splenda What is wrong with that?
Find more info about it here Sharon.
I am prediabetic. can you suggest me a stevia brand which can be used for my daily coffee? The brand which i am using now contains stevia leave extract, acesulfame potassium, sucrolose and 14mg of sorbitol. Pack weight is 2.5g. Is it safe to consume?
Choose a brand that is PURE stevia extract. Both acesulfame potassium and sucrolose are artificial sweeteners, which are not good. According to our research, safe sweeteners are stevia, tagatose, erythritol, xylitol and monk fruit.