{"id":165014,"date":"2021-01-06T02:00:57","date_gmt":"2021-01-06T10:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=165014"},"modified":"2021-01-08T08:56:13","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T16:56:13","slug":"best-sugar-substitutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/best-sugar-substitutes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Substitutes for Sugar, According to Nutritionists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Limiting your amount of sugar intake can be especially tough if you have a bit of a sweet tooth. But if you aren\u2019t mindful of the amount of sugar you consume, it can lead to weight gain, tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, among other things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are healthier alternatives to sugar that you can try if you have trouble curbing your sweet cravings. With so many options available today, which ones are worth trying? We talked to nutritionists on the sugar substitutes they personally recommend. Here are the ones that you may want to try.<\/p>\n

Monk fruit
\n<\/span><\/strong>Monk fruit, also known as lo han guo, is an excellent alternative to sugar. As Lisa Richards<\/a>\u00a0a certified nutritionist, tells FabFitFun, \u201cThis option contains some incredible compounds that are 300 to 400 times sweeter than cane sugar. But, and here\u2019s the real kicker, it\u2019s virtually calorie-free. That means it won\u2019t affect blood sugar levels, and it won\u2019t rot your teeth.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Monk fruit can also help reduce blood glucose levels in the body, and contains antioxidant properties. According to Richards, some cultures even refer to it as the \u201clongevity fruit.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Swerve sweetener
\n<\/strong>\u201cMy go-to sugar substitute for years now has been Swerve Sweetener,\u201d nutritionist Samantha Bartholomew, MS, RDN<\/a>, tells FabFitFun. \u201cI love Swerve<\/a> for many reasons, one being that it is a natural sugar replacement that measures cup for cup with sugar. Swerve is also zero-calorie, tastes amazing and works perfectly in cooking and baking.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stevia
\n<\/span><\/strong>Stevia comes from the stevia rebaudiana<\/i>\u00a0plant, and is a calorie-free sugar substitute that doesn\u2019t raise blood sugar. However, Sharon Holand Gelfand<\/a>, CN, FDN-P, a functional holistic nutritionist, tells FabFitFun, \u201cBe mindful when shopping at the supermarket for brands that have other ingredients in it that could upset your stomach. It’s OK for the brand to have inulin, which is a natural occurring prebiotic that nourishes good digestive flora in the gut.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Erythritol
\n<\/strong>Erythritol is a sugar alcohol and popular artificial sweetener that can be found in many \u201cdiet-friendly\u201d or sugar-free foods. Although it can be used on its own, nutritionist Alicia Harper<\/a> says a combination of erythritol and stevia makes for the best sugar substitute in her opinion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first reason being for the flavor and the second to try and prevent any side effects from your gut,\u201d Harper says. \u201cSince everyone’s taste buds and microbiomes are different, I would recommend mixing a few different ones together to find the right mix.\u00a0You could also just use\u00a0Pyure which is a combination of both, but a lot sweeter than mixing them individually yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rice bran syrup
\n<\/strong>Rice bran syrup is a sugar alternative made from brown rice. According to holistic nutritionist Sally Kravich<\/a>, this makes a great sweetener because it\u2019s highly concentrated in B vitamins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Honey
\n<\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for a more natural alternative, honey is a great option. It\u2019s a natural sweetener of fracture and glucose, so it does contain calories. However, registered dietician Kelly Springer<\/a>, tells FabFitFun, it\u2019s also full of nutrients like iron, magnesium, copper, and some B vitamins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maple syrup
\n<\/strong>Maple syrup is a natural sweetener with a good amount of manganese and zinc. According to Springer, it\u2019s also low on the glycemic index, meaning it won\u2019t spike your blood sugar levels as much as refined sugar. It also contains antioxidants, which can help reduce the risk of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But of course, be mindful of your intake. \u201cMaple syrup does contain substantial calories, so make sure not to overload your plate with this natural sweetener,\u201d Springer says. \u201cLook for darker maple syrup as this kind will be more beneficial than its lighter-colored counterparts.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"Limiting your amount of sugar intake can be especially tough if you have a bit ...","author":7532769,"featured_media":165122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,5,268],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/04203134\/sugar-substitutes.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/04203134\/sugar-substitutes-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"January 6, 2021","category_name":"Wellness","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"Kristi Fellizar","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#01bc39","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165014"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532769"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}