SUGAR BY OTHER NAMES

Sugar is a pure carbohydrate. It raises blood glucose and insulin levels almost immediately upon consumption.

Read labels carefully sugar can be "hidden" by several names such as molasses, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, sucrose --- all are sugar by other names. If none of the sugar names are listed in the ingredients, then the number of grams listed under “Sugars” on the nutrition label refers to naturally-occuring sugar.

Saccharin - The oldest of the artificial sweeteners (AS), saccharin is a non-caloric sweetener found in many foods and beverages. The most well-known saccharin product is Sweet ‘n Low, which is available in packets in supermarkets and most restaurants. It is also available in bulk form as Sugar Twin & Brown Sugar Twin.

Some people do not like the taste, there have been mixed results with it in baking, and the bulk form is not available everywhere, so it’s less versatile than some other artificial sweeteners.

Aspartame - This is widely available as EQUAL & NUTRASWEET, and used in many, many commercially-available products, including almost all soft drinks. It is available in both packets and in bulk. The manufacturer, Monsanto, has stated that all the EQUAL & NUTRASWEET they sell is the same chemically, whether in packets or bulk. Some people claim they have had success using aspartame in baking; most report disappointing results, noting a “nasty” taste in the baked product.

More serious are the many concerns regarding aspartame’s safety. Indeed, it is perhaps the most controversial food product on the market today.

Aspartame is composed of phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. When heated or digested (above 400 degrees F), it breaks down into these three components. Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are amino acids that are found in natural proteins and under normal circumstances are beneficial for health. Methanol is wood alcohol and poisonous. The transition point for the degradation into methanol is about 86°F. There is documented proof that in the human body aspartame releases into the bloodstream one molecule of methanol for each molecule of aspartame consumed. Methanol is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized into formaldehyde and formic acid. Both are toxic.

Acesulfame K - Also known as Acesulfame Potassium & Ace-K, this artificial sweetener is used in quite a few food and non-food items. Available in package form as “Sweet One” (although availability seems to be limited). Also now used in the ‘new’ Diet Pepsi.


SPLENDA - This is considered by many to be the best sugar substitute currently available. Splenda is the brand name for sucralose, which is made from sugar by a patented process that replaces three of sugar's hydrogen-oxygen groups with chlorine atoms. This makes the resulting sucralose molecule extremely sweet (about 600 times sweeter than sugar) and extremely stable.

The manufacturer claims that unlike other artificial sweeteners, it will not break down or lose its sweetness when used in cooking or baking, or when used in beverages, like carbonated soft drinks, which typically have a high acidity. However, many people have noted a decrease in the sweetness level during the baking process. The sweetness seems to ‘fade’ a bit, which is why some people also add a little stevia to their baked goods.

Also, sucralose cannot be metabolized (broken down) by the body's food-digesting enzymes, and therefore has no calories. More importantly, it has no effect on insulin or blood glucose levels.

The FDA granted approval for the use of Splenda as a general sweetener several years ago, and it has been in use since 1991 in hundreds of reduced-calorie and reduced-sugar products such as carbonated soft drinks, shelf-stable fruit drinks, jams, processed fruit products (e.g. apple sauce), yogurt, and baked goods.

Although widely available in Canada, Splenda is only available online in the USA (with a few, recent exceptions). You can purchase Splenda in packets, tablets or 'granular' form.

Be forewarned, however, that both the packets and granular have maltodextrin as a 'filler' to increase the bulk of the sucralose, so that it can be measured the same as sugar (i.e., 1 cup granular Splenda = 1 cup sugar). And the maltodextrin filler has carbohydrates thus calories (1 carb = 4 calories): .5g per teaspoon, 24g to a cup.
The packets of Splenda do not measure out the same as table sugar. Each packet is equivalent in sweetness to 2 tsp of sugar. The packets have 1g of dextrose per packet with a small amount of Maltodextrin. There is 1g of carbohydrates or 4 calories. This information was confirmed with the manufacturer.

STEVIA - This is a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, grown primarily in South America but used all over the world for it’s powerful sweetening properties.

There are two stevia forms of interest to us: powder (green or white --- get the white!) ‘steviosides’ (pure extract) and liquid. The powder is far preferable because it is easier to measure and control than the liquid. Because this is a powerful sweetener, a little goes a long way; you might even need to invest in smaller fractional measuring spoons (such as 1/8 tsp). It can be used in baking without any degradation of taste or intensity. Some people like to combine it with other sweeteners such as Splenda or Isomalt to produce the best facsimile of true sugar taste possible. As always, this is largely a matter of personal (subjective) taste.

Some people think stevia has an herbal or licorice taste; others find the taste is just fine. It seems clear that quality and brand both play roles in the taste of stevia. Two brands given an A-OK rating: NOW and Wisdom of the Ancients. Stevia is available at most health food stores. Since it is only available currently as a dietary supplement, that’s the section of your health food store to look in.

SUGAR ALCOHOL - This family of compounds, also called polyols, which contain neither sugar or alcohol, are a boon to dieters since they affect blood glucose and insulin levels much less than real sugar or not at all.

Sugar alcohols have been used for many years in many products. They can be safely submitted to high heat. The only point of caution is that they can produce gastro-intestinal distress and a laxative effect for some people in “excessive amounts”. The working definition of “excessive amounts” varies by individual. Some have reported extreme GI distress and diarrhea after eating only a single piece of candy. The website cited above notes that symptoms seem to be affected not only by a person’s sensitivity level, but by whatever else they might have consumed around the same time as the sugar alcohol item. More importantly, the site advises: “Any gastrointestinal symptoms from consuming foods with polyols, if they occur at all, are usually mild and temporary. If a person believes they are sensitive to polyols, the amount eaten on a single occasion should be reduced. Most people will adapt to polyols after a few days, the same way they do to high fiber foods. Many people with diabetes, for example, have learned from their health professional to eat only a small amount of sugar-free products at first and then to gradually increase these foods in the diet.”


SORBITOL - occurs naturally in many edible fruits and berries. It is absorbed as readily as sugar by the body even though the body uses it in much the same way as sugar. Sorbitol has a mildly sweet taste, about 60% as intense as cane sugar.

MALTITOL - is a disaccharide polyol produced from maltose, occurring widely in nature as in chicory and roasted malt and can be up to 95% as sweet as table sugar. It has a pleasant sweet taste with no after taste and has less of a laxative effect than sorbitol or mannitol. Excess consumption (over 15 grams (may be listed as sugar alcohols) may have a laxative effect.)

MANNITOL - is a monosaccharide polyol with about 70% the sweetening power of table sugar. Excess consumption (over 10 grams ) can have a laxative effect. Xylitol Xylitol is a monosaccaride polyol derived from fruits and vegetables (such as lettuce, carrots, strawberries) and from fibrous plants.

H S H ( Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate ) also called ( Lycasin ) - is from corn. The corn kernels are Steeped, grounded and degerminated the hull, fiber and gluten are removed, leaving the liquid starch. This starch is then partially "hydrolyzed" into thick syrup. The Syrup is then placed in a reaction vessel and hydrogen gas is pumped in. With the aid of a catalyst, these extra hydrogen atoms are fused into new molecules that change the syrup into HSH ( Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate ).

ISOMALT - is a fairly new sugar substitute, it was discovered in the early 1950's by Sudzuker AG, the processor of sugar beets in Europe. Isomalt is 50% lower in calories than table sugar and only about 50% of it is metabolized by the body.