Alternatives for sweeteners

(Caitlin) #1

Hello! I am wondering what sweeters/sugar substitutes people have liked on Keto. I have tried Stevia extract and it makes me feel nauseous and sick. I am worried that Erythritol will do the same. I have heard that coconut sugar is an option but is higher in carbs. Any suggestions? I’d love to use something as natural as possible.

(Brian) #2

There are a lot of opinions out there and people have varying tastes. About the only way you’ll know is to try them, and I know they’re expensive.

My sweeteners of choice are stevia and erythritol, often a blend of the two. But even with those, they come in different forms. I have stevia in both liquid and powder form. The erythritol I have is either granulated or powdered. And some of the erythritol I have is blended with stevia and that works well in recipes that call for a sweetener that has bulk, as real sugar would.

There are some others. Monk fruit based sweeteners have been around for a while. Bocha Sweet is a newer one (squash based?) that I’ve heard is good but haven’t been able to find yet. And more I can’t remember right off.

Just as in the taste varying by individuals, reactions to them (blood glucose and insulin) can vary by individuals, too. What works just fine for one may really not work for another. Wish I knew of a way to tell you before you try it but I’m not sure there is a way.

Good luck!

(Allie) #3

Coconut sugar is just sugar so will have the same effect as regular sugar would.

I’ve got a mixture of sweeteners I use as I want to, which is rare but still happens. Erythritol granules mixed with stevia drops works well for baking, sucralose drops work well for shakes. You’ve got to find what works for you.

(Scott Allen) #4

My wife and I had been using stevia (Truvia or Walmart Great Value, which is basically the same, an erythritl/stevia blend). When we started keto, we ordered some Lakanto monkfruit sweetener, which is also an erythritol blend, and it’s so much better tasting.

The thing to be aware of with all sweeteners, including the “natural” ones (that word is kind of a stretch, once you learn how they’re really made) is this: while the research indicates that in the context of a single meal, sweeteners don’t increase appetite or decrease satiety compared to sugar, in the real world (epidemiological studies), people who use a lot of artificial sweeteners continue to gain weight. They also do affect your gut microbiome, and we’re not really sure yet what the long-term consequences of that.

What I’ve decided for me, based on all the evidence I’ve read, is that if a little bit of it helps me stay compliant with keto, it’s worth the trade-off, but I’m very judicious about my use of sweeteners, of any kind. I’ve given up diet sodas completely, I drink unsweetened tea, I don’t generally have sweeteners during the day at all—I only eat sweet things after dinner, when I know I’m not going to eat any more for the day, and even then, very small portions of it, and not every day.

One other tip: be sure to get some powdered/confectioners as well as the usual granulated. It works much better in your fat bombs.

(Allie) #5

Not worth paying the premium for when you can just zap the granulated in a blender and make it into powder yourself.

#6

I tried stevia and thought it was awful and really chemical tasting and hence had the same concerns that you are having about other sweeteners too. I rarely use them but when I do it is erythritol as the go to, works as a sweetener and does not have any chemical after taste. I have tried monk fruit too and that worked really well but is more expensive so I stick with the erythritol granules.

(Karen) #7

Have used a bunch of different sweeteners. Most of them I don’t like all that well. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. But I do add a sweetener to my coffee. Because I’m not a coffee drinker. I’m doing it for health reasons. It’s pretty bitter to me, so I use Splenda zero

(Caitlin) #8

Thanks so much everyone! I think I will try the Monk Fruit sweetener and hope that it tastes better and doesn’t make me sick. Haha. I have a sweet tooth and would like to be able to make baked goods from time to time. :slight_smile:

#9

best of best for me. no digestive issues. no insulin trigger.

#10

Erythritol is my sweetener of choice for recipes and baking, but for beverages and some other things where liquid sweetener works well I love monk fruit/erythritol liquid drops. I also recently bought some allulose (boy is that stuff expensive) to try in baking recipes where caramelization or other sugar-type effects are desired that can’t be duplicated with other sweeteners. I have a couple of flavors of liquid stevia on hand, but don’t use it much as it’s more bitter than the other sweeteners that I have.

(Karen) #11

The syrups that are zero carb “choczero make use Monk fruit. The pecan maple syrup is spectacular. I used Monk fruit drops for a while but they just weren’t sweet enough. I was in a big fan of the fruity taste either.

(Diane) #12

Oddly, I answered a similar question earlier today. I’ll try to link to that post.

Hope this helps!

#13

I love the Lakanto “maple” syrup!

(Heather Meyer) #14

I used a combo…

I use EzSweets which is PURE liquid sucralose. Contains no maltodextrin or other ingridents. A drop = tsp of sweetness. Useful for : sweetening tea, making recipes like jams and sauces and ice creams.

I use a baking blend of a ratio of 2:1 powdered xylitol to Swerve. This helps prevent re-crystalization in baked goods that can happen when you use Swerve alone. This powder c9mbo works for sauces like caramel and sweetened condensed milk and for baking brownies and making fudge.

I use Surkin Gold for recipes calling for a brown sugar sub. So chocolate chip cookies and some cake recipes or cinnamon buns

I use Vitafibre in combination with EZsweets for recipes that need a goory texture. Useful in pecan pie bars and butter tarts.

I used to use Swerve for typical baked goods on its own. So i used it for Biscottis and crisp cookies since it re-crystalizes: think gingersnap.
(i developed an intolerence to it 3 years after using it) so i have switched to a 2:1 baking blend of xylitol in combo with E.

I used monkfruit for tea only or as a brown sugar sub. I didnt actually like the taste in my earl grey tea. It brought out a licorice"y" flavour i didnt like.
So i discontinued its use.