Sugar Substitutes
For Cooking and Baking
Currently there are 15 approved sugar substitutes in use in today's market. Additionally, some of these do have a blend which is used for just cooking and baking.
You must remember though to eat it in moderation and count the carbohydrates in your overall daily count. Remember, regular sugar will have a more pronounced effect on blood sugar levels if you do not track your carbohydrates per day. With careful scheduling, you can still enjoy natural baked goods with regular sugar without the highs and lows of blood sugar spikes.
The five most popular brands in use today in non-commercial use are broken down below. They come in two categories, either sugar and substitute blends or straight substitutes. Each of these are profiled below.
Blends
Aspartame-Sugar Blend
(Sold as Equal Sugar Lite, 8 calories per teaspoon)
When this blend is used as a replacement on a 1 to 1 ratio, there will be only slight differences in the finished product. The aspartame blend product will be slightly less sweet (aspartame does lose sweetening power during baking) plus there is a noticeable lack of browning.
Sucralose-Sugar blend
(Sold as Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking, 20 calories/teaspoon)
This mixture can be used in baking also but will not yield quite as effective of results. There is a more noticeable "gummy taste" with less browning and a denser (or heavy) texture. An aftertaste is noticeable which the individual must get accustomed to.
Substitutes
There are three substitutes prevalent in this category. These include:
- Aspartame (Equal-0 calories per teaspoon)
- Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low- 0 calories per teaspoon)
- Sucralose (Splenda Granular- 2 calories per teaspoon)
Each of these are not acceptable as substitutes in cooking and baking. Final results will show reduced volumes, rubbery texture, a heavy aftertaste, with no browning. Aspartame can be added after cooking or baking, if possible, for sweetening power if desired.
Final Recommendations
Although sugar substitutes are used extremely well in beverages and sauces, they generally do not work well for baking or cooking at high temperatures. Blends though are an acceptable alternative. There will be a slightly denser texture with the accustomed aftertaste that you will have to get used to.
Regular Sugar- Is It Really That Bad For You
Many diabetics have found that it is completely acceptable to use regular sugar in their cooking and baking. Check with your doctor first but because sugar does have
only 16 calories per teaspoon, there really is very little difference in calories per serving.
You must remember though to eat it in moderation and count the carbohydrates in your overall daily count. Remember, regular sugar will have
a more pronounced effect on blood sugar levels if you do not track your carbohydrates per day. With careful scheduling, you can still enjoy natural baked goods with regular sugar without the highs and lows of blood sugar spikes.
Additional Related Topics:
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*Disclaimer*This site is not intended to replace the advice and supervision of your professional medical treatment plan. Although all of the information is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge, we still recommend you carefully check all food labels before consuming any food product. We can not assume any legal responsibility for any illness obtained while following the advice contained on this site.
