Artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes
Moderation is key with sugar substitutes
Content
Understanding artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes
Natural sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners
Uses for artificial sweeteners
Possible health benefits of artificial sweeteners
Possible health concerns with artificial sweeteners
Novel sweeteners
Sugar alcohols
Uses for sugar alcohols
Possible health benefits of sugar alcohols
Possible health concerns with sugar alcohols
Uses for natural sweeteners
Possible health benefits of natural sweeteners
Possible health concerns with natural sweeteners
Moderation is key
Moderation is key with sugar substitutes
When choosing sugar substitutes, it pays to be a savvy consumer. Get informed and look beyond the hype. While artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes may help with weight management, they aren't a magic bullet and should be used only in moderation. If you use sugar substitutes to save calories, be careful not to eat higher calorie foods as a reward for the calories you saved.
Just because a food is marketed as sugar-free doesn't mean it's free of calories. If you eat too many sugar-free foods, you can still gain weight if they have other ingredients that contain calories. And remember that processed foods, which often contain sugar substitutes, generally don't offer the same health benefits as do whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
