10 Safe Sugar Substitute Sweeteners for Diabetics

Many consider sweet foods and drinks to be avoided by diabetics. But in fact, if you choose the right type of sugar, the risk of spikes in blood sugar in the body after consuming sweets can be reduced. Get to know a variety of sugar substitute sweeteners for diabetics through the following reviews.

Safe Sugar Substitute Options for Diabetics

Diabetics must limit their sugar intake. This is done to prevent blood sugar from increasing.

Even so, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consume sweet foods or drinks at all. You are fine with consuming sweets, as long as you pay attention to a number of things, including the sweetener used.

To keep blood sugar under control, diabetics can replace sugar (sucrose) with various types of sugar substitutes for diabetes. Some of these alternative sweetener options, including:

1. Saccharin

One of the sugar substitutes for diabetes that is safe is saccharin. Besides containing zero calories, the sweetness is 300-500 times sweeter than regular sugar.

Initially, saccharin was thought to increase the risk of cancer. However, research conducted at the National institutes of Health has broken that assumption.

Currently, the use of saccharin has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

2. Sucralose

Sucralose is a type of sweetener that is good for people with type 2 diabetes. This sugar substitute sweetener is 400-700 times sweeter than regular sugar.

Not only that, sucralose is a calorie-free sweetener. Therefore, it has very little effect on blood sugar.

3. Aspartame

One alternative sugar substitute for diabetes is aspartame. This sugar substitute tastes 200 times sweeter than regular sugar

Even though it doesn’t contain zero calories like other types of substitute sweeteners, the calorie content in aspartame is still relatively low. So, its use is still relatively safe for diabetics.

Also Read: Diabetics Consume Brown Sugar, Is It Really Safer?

4. Stevia

Stevia is a sweetener that comes from the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana). Not only does it contain zero calories, stevia is 200-350 times sweeter than regular sugar.

The resulting sweet taste depends on how to process it. Interestingly, although it is sweeter than regular sugar, stevia will not cause blood sugar spikes.

5. Erythritol

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol sweetener. This type of sugar substitute for diabetes does contain calories, but it is still lower than refined sugar.

According to the American Diabetes Associationerythritol It doesn’t have a big impact on blood sugar levels.

However, make sure the sugar used is extract from natural fruits and plants and not synthetic or artificial results.

6. Allulose

Substitute sugar for diabetics next is allulose. This type of sweetener is found in raisins, wheat, molasses, dried figs, and brown sugar in small amounts.

Allulose contains fewer calories than sucrose, which is as much as 90 percent.

7. Xylitol

Xylitol including sugar alcohols. Even so, this sweetener does not contain alcohol at all.

The sweet taste is similar to sugar. It’s just that, the calorie content is known to be only 40 percent of the total calories in granulated sugar.

Unfortunately, even though it won’t cause an increase in blood sugar, this sugar substitute for diabetics can trigger tooth decay.

8. Honey

Honey can be a choice of sugar for diabetics. Honey is claimed to be safer for consumption by people with a risk of type 2 diabetes than other sweeteners.

The carbohydrates contained in it come partly from glucose and fructose. Both are simple sugars.

In contrast to ordinary sugar which does not have vitamins and minerals, honey has these components. Not only that, the glycemic index value in it is lower than sugar.

9. Maple Syrup

Syrup maple included in the sugar substitute for other diabetes. One tablespoon (15 ml) of syrup maple contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates. This amount is equivalent to the number of calories in white sugar.

Although classified as safe, diabetics should limit consumption of this sweetener.

Also Read: Can Diabetics Consumption of Sweet Foods?

10. Tagatosa

Tagatosa may not be as popular as stevia as a natural sweetener. However, this sweetener is in fact already widely used.

Tagatosa is usually found in several types of fruit, cocoa and milk. To get tagatosa in large quantities, an extraction process is required.

The sweet taste of tagatosa is almost 92 percent similar to granulated sugar. In addition, the number of calories is only about 38 percent of sugar.

With a low number of calories, the use of tagatosa has begun to be used for food, beverages, and has even been considered safe by the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Now,, there are several types of sugar substitutes for diabetes that are safe for consumption. Even though these sweeteners are promising, still limit your daily sugar intake, OK?

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