Obviously we can. And I’d propose we do. But many of us are cautious about the amounts and types of sugar we consume. I’d like to hear what people here think about the following list with my own thoughts…
Table sugar - The most common in the house. 4g carb in 1 tsp. One of the more practical things to cut back on. You can make cookies with other sweeteners, after all.
Honey - Pretty common in the house. 6g carb in 1 tsp. Honey is 1.5 times sweeter than table sugar, so less can be used, but the carb count won’t change wildly. There are other contents that make honey a technically healthier option (trace minerals and antioxidants). I’ve heard may freak out when they see honey in a recipe I share because it’s still sugar. Well, no, it is different enough to be considered, but yes, it can raise blood sugar just like most anything.
Agave - I’ve got a bottle and I don’t use it because I don’t like the flavor. 5g carb in 1 tsp. 1.5 times sweeter than table sugar, so less can be used.
Artificial sweeteners - Saccharine (gross), aspartame (kinda good), sucralose (tasty). Pretty much zero carb. But the problem is the volume of negative talk about it. I’ve read very scientifically based arguments that it is ok because zero-calorie sweetener can help people lose weight, or keep blood sugar from spiking. True. But on the other side I’ve seen very scientific explanations about the harm these do. My thoughts…moderation? Yes please.
Alternative sweeteners - Specifically, I’m referring to stevia extract. I love Truvia. I don’t love stevia in the raw. While stevia is zero-carb, Truvia has a bit in it, though not much. But, if you look at conversion charts, you can use 1 tsp of stevia to replace 1 cup of sugar in a recipe because it is 40 times sweeter.
Sugar alcohols - Erythritol, Glycerol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol. Less effect on blood sugar, don’t cause tooth decay, can cause some temporary digestive issues (aside from erythritol). Some of these are combined with stevia leaf extract in stevia-based sweetener brands, like Truvia. I’ve tried chocolate sweetened with sugar alcohols, and they get the job done in mints and such, though I’ve never tried buying a container of one and dumping it in my coffee.
Did I leave any off? Which sweeteners do you prefer? Why do you use or not use table sugar in your cooking?
All “scientific” studies I’ve come across that state artificial sweeteners (the ones currently in use) are harmful use about a bazillion times the amount that a human being would consume in their trials. Also, not all rodent responses are applicable to Homo sapiens.
Quite so. In the classic “saccharine causes cancer in rats” study, they fed it for a length of time and in quantities that no one, anywhere, would ever use. And it turns out that rats have a different pH than humans, which makes them enormously more prone to that particular reaction. Studies are not holy writ. Even when they seem bulletproof, time (and subsequent studies) often have a way of demonstrating otherwise.
As for Sweeteners . . .
Granulated or powdered sugar: almost never use it for anything but feeding hummingbirds
Honey: ditto, but we keep it in the house for guests who like it
Agave: don’t use it, same reason as you
Aspartame: sometimes. It’s the most exhaustively studied sweetener in history and I am unconvinced of the notional dangers
Sucralose: use often, esp. in cooking
Stevia: my favorite, use it all the time in coffee, tea, etc.
Sugar alcohols: only as they happen to occur in something else
I use sucrose and aspartame. I am allergic to stevia. Makes me have a terrible stomach ache. I have been using this for 23 years. I don’t worry about it any more. Nancy
I did not use sweeteners before, so it is easy not to need substitutes )
I lived for eight years in my last condo, and threw out the sugar I bought
When I moved in unopened. I do admit I don’t bake much.
We use sucralose, aspartame, erythritol & xylitol. When baking, I use a combination of 2 or 3.
I can’t remember when I last had sugar in the house. It moved out long before diabetes moved in. I buy a tiny jar of local honey when I stock the med cabinet for cold/flu season every year.
To me, it only makes sense to use artificial sweeteners in drinks. The reason is, a lot of the things made with artificial sweeteners just don’t taste right. When I am going to have a cookie, or a biscotti–or a slice of pie–it’s a treat. I’ll figure out a way to make it work.
Besides, a “sugar free” pumpkin pie slice still has plenty of carbs, so why should I eat a less-than-stellar piece of pie?
One of the things I really enjoy doing is looking at labels and comparing the “regular” with the sugar-free stuff in stores. See’s Peanut Brittle? More carbs in the sugar-free than the regular. Applets & Cotlets? The same.
I really don’t do much baking (though I made biscotti a few years back as a family gift), so when I need to bake, I’m buying EVERYTHING. I have yet to find any combination of sweeteners that my palate can tolerate. It’s just easier to use the real thing and plan for it.
Personally cannot tolerate stevia, but it is in so many things!
Since insulin, I really don’t crave sweets anymore. But xylitol I can tolerate, and it has some really cool benefits: as a mouthwash, it sterilizes the mouth to prevent illnesses, and as a nasal spray it is a great thwart to infections and colds.
Sugar is in the house, and honey, too – for everyone else. I still bake, but don’t eat.
I would like to try the xylitol ice cream recipe that I have seen floating around . . .
I don’t use a lot of sweeteners either because I don’t like the taste, they give me headaches or because I can’t stand dosing for carbs in something I don’t even like to taste. <That’s mostly in processed foods that have some artificial sweetener). I mostly use just table sugar if I’m going to sweeten anything, and I try to do that seldom. I figure if I’m going to splurge/dose with insulin, I might as well make it count. shrugs
I don’t use a lot of sweeteners. I deliberately tried to retrain myself to not be so addicted to the sweet flavor and instead I enjoy the heat of chili now. Hot sauces, peppers, Sriracha, etc.
On thing that persists is the misunderstanding that for many foods the carbs come from sugar. Often the sugar is a modest fraction of the carbs in a food. For instance here is the nutrition in a typical cookie:
See that 18 g of carb, of which only 7g comes from sugars. While I don’t use much sugar I do use it in places where it makes a difference, such as helping certain foods to brown. And I am very careful with sugar free products. Even if they replace table sugar with artificial sweeteners they can still be very high carb. And then you have to ask yourself, what is the point. My favorite sweeteners are stevia, truvia, sucralose, erythritol and xylitol. I don’t use much of them and I still go through about 5lbs a table sugar each year, but in the scope of things that is not much.
It’s fascinating how our sensory perceptions can differ so widely. You like Sriracha, which I shun entirely because it tastes icky-sweet to me. Different strokes.
Cholula is a mild hot sauce, like Tapatio. Very popular, at least in the West. I like it too. I have an extensive collection of hot sauces ranging from downright mild to seriously dangerous.
