Our Favorite Sugar Substitutes For Baking Cookies
If you’re one of our clients, there’s a good chance you’re following a low carbohydrate, moderate healthy fat and higher protein diet. That said, it can be a little more challenging to eat this way during the holiday season thanks to all the opportunities that include comfort food, libations, pies, cookies and so on. The good news is that it is entirely possible to include your favorites and still be on track with your nutrition journey.
🧁 Sugar Substitutes
If you’re a person who has a hard time eating treats in moderation, you may want to consider swapping out the sugar for our approved sugar substitutes:
Erythritol: This sugar alcohol got a lot of heat from a study that associated heart attacks earlier this year. On the surface, the findings of the study are certainly concerning. Researchers measured levels of erythritol in the blood and found that those with higher serum erythritol levels had an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and death. But, there were major problems with the study. Our take: use in moderation and consider mixing it with or opting for the next 2 options. Erythritol has a similar sweetness level as sugar but with a slight cooling effect.
Allulose: a naturally occurring sugar found in figs, raisins, wheat, maple syrup and molasses. It’s sweet like table sugar (sucrose) but without some of sugar’s well-documented downsides. It tastes pretty similar to the sugar you know and love. Another bonus, it stimulates GLP-1! According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, allulose increases GLP-1 secretion, a satiety hormone, in healthy individuals. GLP-1 is a hormone that plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels, slowing digestion, and promoting satiety. Allulose can trigger GLP-1 release from intestinal L-cells, which can help regulate glucose concentrations after consuming allulose and glucose.
Monk fruit: This has a slight aftertaste, is natural and 100–250 times sweeter than sugar. It contains zero calories and is thought to have antioxidant properties. This fruit has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) didn’t approve its use as a sweetener until 2010. The sweetener is created by removing the seeds and skin of the fruit and crushing it to collect the juice, which is then dried into a concentrated powder.