Sugar Substitutes/Yay or Nay

Some people make eating well look so easy. 

Just trade your Coke for a Diet Coke, right? What if you can't stomach artificial sweeteners? Case in point - my whole freaking life. 

Artificial sweeteners are substances that give you added sweetness without all of the calories that sugar has. The FDA has approved the commonly used sweeteners as generally safe and a great alternative. 

The natural sugars: fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, and maltose.

The common five artificial sweeteners: acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), advantame, aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose.

Sugar alcohols (created synthetically/add texture and taste/less sweet than artificial sweeteners/can cause gastrointestinal irritation) (i.e., ABORT!): erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol.

This has been a major annoyance for as long as I can remember. It sounds so great to just switch sugar for lower calorie erythritol, but I can't. Good news though, over the years, I've learned this is a common occurrence and have found some sweeteners that come from natural sources. They are not a significant source of calories or sugar and won't make your blood sugar spike either. If you find yourself in the same boat with me, write these down and give them a try!:

• Allulose
• Monk fruit
• Stevia
• Tagatose

In my humble opinion, allulose and monk fruit taste the most like regular sugar. FDA safe, too, so what's to lose? Speaking of losing, don't cut sugar completely from your diet. There are some seriously important nutrients in fruit, whole grains, and dairy. When you take on a diet that cuts out carbohydrates and sugar, you are putting your health at risk.

Without sugar, your body is going to search for an alternative source for energy. Insert ketone bodies here (produced by the liver) for fuel. AKA starvation mode and 'keto flu.' Cutting back on refined food is good, just be sensible about it. Don't remove all carbs and sugars.

Load up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean protein, seafood, nuts, and seeds. Skip the energy drinks and fruit juice. Maybe mash up a banana in your next bowl of oatmeal.

Fuel Well, T.