Download Sweetener Guide for people with Diabetes

Sweeteners
People are born with a natural preference for sweetness and the range of
sweetening agents that can be added to drinks and food is increasing. Sweeteners
include sugars, sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners.
Nutritive sweeteners contain kilojoules and include sugars and sugar alcohols. Nonnutritive sweeteners do not contain kilojoules and include artificial sweeteners.
Nutritive sweeteners
Sugars
Sugars are carbohydrates that are found in plants. They contain kilojoules.
Examples are brown sugar, cane sugar, fructose, honey, and molasses. Sugars can
occur naturally such as in milk (lactose) or fruit (fructose) or they can be added to
foods (e.g. sugar in a biscuit recipe). On food labels, the chemical names of sugars
usually end in “-ose”. For example glucose (also called dextrose), fructose (also
called levulose), lactose and maltose.
Sucrose
Sucrose is the chemical name for the sugar we commonly add to food and
drinks (also called table sugar).
Sucrose has the ideal sweet taste and it also contributes texture, colour and
flavour to baking.
Sugar is still the most popular sweetener of all, but it has been blamed for
many health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity and hyperactivity.
Research has not however shown a direct link between sugar intake and
these conditions.
Fructose
Fructose (also called fruit sugar) is found in fruit, vegetables and honey.
Although it is often perceived to be healthier and less refined than sugar,
powdered fructose is actually extracted from a highly refined product, called
high-fructose corn syrup, which has the same energy content as sugar.
Fructose is absorbed into the bloodstream at a slower rate than sugar, but it
is still broken down into glucose and can therefore still increase blood sugar
levels.
Large amounts of fructose can increase triglyceride levels and cause
gastrointestinal symptoms in some people.
Sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols occur naturally in fruit and vegetables. Even though they are called
sugar alcohols, they do not contain alcohol. These sweeteners are commercially
made and they not actually directly extracted from plants. They contain fewer
kilojoules than sugars and are often used in sugar-free chewing gum and sweets.
Excessive quantities of these sweeteners can result in various gastrointestinal side
effects, including abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea. Examples are isomalt,
maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol.
Non-nutritive sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners
These sweeteners are not found naturally – they are produced commercially and
they don‟t contain kilojoules. Artificial sweeteners have been blamed for various
health conditions, including cancer. However the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in the United States has classified four artificial sweeteners as GRAS
(Generally regarded As Safe):
Saccharin (e.g. Sweetex, Hermesetas) can be used in hot and cold
foods/drinks. Avoid if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Aspartame (e.g. Pick „n Pay, Canderel, Equal, EquiSweet) can be used in
cold and warm foods but may lose some sweetness at high temperatures.
People with phenylketonuria should avoid aspartame.
Acesulfame K (e.g. Canderel) can be used in both cold and hot foods,
including in baking and cooking.
Sucralose (e.g. Splenda) can be used in hot and cold foods, including baking
and cooking. Often used in processed foods.
Cyclamates
Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener that has been banned in the United States due
to research in rats that showed that very high doses of cyclamates caused bladder
tumours. Further research has not been able to show that cyclamate is
carcinogenic. Cyclamates aren‟t sold as tablets in South Africa anymore, but they
can be found in some sugar-free and diabetic products. The World Health
Organisation has recommended a safe quantity of 2.5 mg/kg/day.
Artificial sweeteners are available in tablet, liquid and sprinkle form and each tablet
is usually equivalent in sweetness to one teaspoon of sugar. Eight to ten drops of
liquid sweetener are equivalent to one teaspoon of sugar. One teaspoon of liquid
sweetener would provide the same sweetness as ten teaspoons of sugar.
Sugalite
Sugalite is a powdered blend that replaces sugar gram-for-gram but contains about
a third of the kilojoules of table sugar. Sugalite also acts as a semi-fat replacer and
30-50% of the fat can be taken out of recipes of batter consistency and replaced
with fat free milk or yoghurt. Sugalite consists of polydextrose, lactitol, an
anticaking agent and two heat stable non-nutritive sweeteners, Cyclamate and
Acesulfame K. Excessive consumption may cause gastric discomfort (flatulence or a
laxative effect).
Stevia
Stevia is an herb with a sweet taste that is available as a dietary supplement in
health food stores. It has not been approved by the FDA as a sweetener.
Some Pick n Pay products containing sweeteners
Product name
Sweetener
Flavoured milks
Blend of acesulfame K, cyclamate, saccharin
Fat free fruit yoghurt
Blend of
sucralose
Confectionary
Sorbitol
Ready
nectar
to
drink
Fruit
concentrates
fruit
acesulfame
K,
cyclamate
and
Blend of aspartame and cyclamate
nectar Blend of
saccharin
acesulfame
K,
cyclamate
and
Energy/sports drink
Blend
of
saccharin
aspartame,
cyclamate
and
Flavoured water
Blend
of
aspartame,
acesulfame K
cyclamate
and
Carbonated soft drinks
Blend
of
aspartame,
acesulfame K
cyclamate
and
Sugar and other sweeteners can have a place in the diet if they are used in
moderation as part of a healthy and well balanced eating plan.