SWEETENING THE DEAL
What’s the best alternative if you want some sweetness? There are two categories to choose from: nutritive sweeteners (which contain kilojoules) and non-nutritive sweeteners (kilojoule-free).
While things such as honey and maple syrup are considered more natural, they aren’t necessarily healthier, says Hamish van Wyk, registered dietician and diabetes educator at the Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Johannesburg. “Sugars are sugars.”
“Sugar alcohols such as xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol and isomalt are slightly lower in kilojoules,” De Araujo says. “But it’s minimal, so this isn’t very helpful when it comes to weight loss and disease prevention. One teaspoon of xylitol contains 65kJ whereas one teaspoon of sugar contains 80kJ.”
Non-nutritive sweeteners (artificial sweeteners) such as stevia, saccharin, aspartame and sucralose are helpful in weight loss and weight maintenance as they contain no carbohydrates or kilojoules, De Araujo says.
Nutritive sweeteners
Sugar alcohols are a type of carbohydrate used as sugar substitutes. Technically, they aren’t really sugars – which is why foods containing them are often labelled “sugarfree”. But they do contain kilojoules, which is why you can’t eat unlimited quantities. Here are the better-known kinds.
Sorbitol – 60% of the sweetness of sucrose (cane sugar)
Xylitol – 100% as sweet as sucrose
Isomalt – 60% as sweet as sucrose
Mannitol – 70% as sweet as sucrose
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH) – from 40% to 90% as sweet as sucrose
Non-nutritive sweeteners
Also called artificial sweeteners, these contain no kilojoules and are much sweeter than sucrose, so only small amounts are needed. They’re generally considered safe, although high intakes of some have been tentatively linked to an increased risk of certain cancers.
Saccharin – around 300 times as sweet as sucrose. Scientists say up to 1g a day poses no health risks to adults.
Stevia – 300 times as sweet as sucrose S Acesulfame-K – 200 times as sweet as sucrose
Aspartame – 200 times sweeter than sucrose. It’s not stable in heat or for long periods in liquid form, so isn’t used in cooking.
Sucralose – 600 times sweeter than sugar. It’s heat-stable and often used in baked goods. S Cyclamate – 30 times sweeter than sucrose. It’s currently banned in the USA because of studies linking it to an increased.