Ditch the Sugar!

There are many alternative sweeteners out there. In this post we will cover the ones we found work best for us.

Erythritol! Erythri.. What?

Erythritol is one of the best sugar alternatives, and we use it not only with our coffee but with all of our cooking. I had never heard of it, which is surprising having been in the health food world for many years as a former 20-year vegetarian.

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, and it is important to know that quite a few people have reactions to it. In my particular case, specifically with coffee, if I have more than 1.5 tablespoons, it acts as a strong laxative. Maria has absolutely no problems with it. I go with 1 tablespoon, and everything is just fine and if we cook with it, for example, to make cookies, I don’t seem to have any issues. Try it out, starting with small amounts to see what your threshold is and if you are lucky, you won’t have one.

Erythritol is often blended with Monk Fruit because Monk Fruit is extremely sweet, 250 times sweeter than sugar, so they add bulk and thin it out with erythritol.

Monk Fruit (luo han guo)

This is a fruit from China that has zero sugars. Monk fruit extract is keto but pure monk fruit is not. Potential health benefits, combat obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, boosts immune system.

Allulose

Very similar to sugar, but the body treats it differently, 90% does not get absorbed, does not get fermented in the gut, causing 70% of it to be excreted though urination. It has very little impact on the gut microbiome, in fact it may have a positive impact. By increasing the production of short-chain fatty acids, feeding the cells that line your gut, allulose can promote ketone production, giving your microbiome fuel to be healthy and balanced.

Studies have found that using allulose along with carbs, may cause carbs to have less of an effect on our blood sugar, as carbs won't be absorbed as much.

Xylitol

Xylitol is another sugar alcohol, typically derived from birch bark. It has no aftertaste and tastes almost identical to sugar.

Dental benefits

It can reduce tooth decay. Reduces tooth sensitivity. It increases pH and fights acid attacks to improve your oral health. It can also repair damaged enamel by making saliva less acidic and allowing calcium and phosphate salts to move into the weak parts of the tooth enamel, allowing it to harden again.

Anti-bacterial Benefits

Often used in nasal spray, as it stops bacteria from adhering to the walls of your mucous membranes.

Note: fatal to dogs

Stevia

200x sweeter than sugar. Most stevia-based sweeteners are mixed with ingredients that will spike your insulin, so it is important to find the purest Non-GMO form of stevia.

Name	Calories	Glycemic Index	​Carbs	Sweetness Compared to sugar	​Refined	Aftertaste	Notes
Erythritol	0	0	0	70%	yes	very little	sometimes made from corn. Make sure it is Non-GMO.
Monk Fruit	0	0	0	250%	yes	​yes
Allulose	Almost 0	0	0	70%	yes	very little (cold feeling)	​Expensive and not easy to find.
Xylitol	0	7-30	0	Same	yes	just like sugar	source should be birch bark. Make sure it is Non-GMO.
Stevia	0	0	0	200 - 300%	yes	yes	Be sure it is pure with no additional ingredients and if it does, that they are Non-GMO.