|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Whether you are dieting to lose weight or you want to enjoy sweets without consuming extra calories, you will probably find yourself encountering artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners were once used almost exclusively in products meant to be consumed by diabetics, like sugar-free hard candies and cough syrups. As their use became increasingly prevalent among dieters, they showed up in a wider array of products, such as sodas and chocolate bars. Artificial sweeteners are now used in everything that regular sugar can be used in. For a number of years, there was only one artificial sweetener, saccharin, but now consumers have a variety to choose from, each with advantages and drawbacks.
Saccharin (Sweet 'N LowÒ) - This was the original artificial sweetener. It is nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar, but it has a significant aftertaste. It has been around for nearly a century, and has been controversial for nearly as long. When studies seemed to show that it caused bladder cancer in laboratory animals, the U.S. government called for a ban on food products containing saccharin. Saccharin was never banned, but in 1977, saccharin-containing products were forced to start carrying a warning label stating that they could be hazardous to consumers' health. It is now thought that the cancer risk was associated with impurities in saccharin that are no longer present; since 2001 the products no longer have to carry a warning label.
Aspartame (NutraSweetÒ) - Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar and does not have saccharin's unpleasant aftertaste. It cannot be used for baking or adding to hot beverages, though, as it breaks down at high temperatures.
Sucralose (SplendaÒ) - Sucralose is sugar that
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
has been chemically altered (chlorinated) to make it more sweet and less recognizable by the body as a sugar. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar and tastes pretty convincingly like the real thing. It comes in a granulated form that is good for baking. Low-carb dieters should beware, though: SplendaÒ is calorie-free, like all artificial sweeteners, but its nutritional information lists its carbohydrates as "less than 1 g" per 1 teaspoon serving. Whatever number the "less than 1 g" may be, it could really add up if a cup of SplendaÒ was used in a recipe.
Maltitol - Maltitol is not technically an artificial sweetener; it is a natural compound known as a sugar alcohol. It is about half as sweet as sugar. Maltitol is excellent for baking; of the choices here, it most closely mimics the "behavior" of sugar in the mixing of recipes. It also tastes very good. There's a drawback, naturally. In most people, maltitol causes a laxative effect. This comes from maltitol's indigestibility. It sits in the intestines and draws water into them, causing diarrhea. The intensity of the laxative effect that maltitol causes is highly individual, but most people can tolerate maltitol-based foods only in small amounts.
To learn more about the products discussed above, please visit www.sweetnlow.com, www.nutrasweet.com, and www.splenda.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
