Sugar vs. Sugar Alcohol & Artificial Sweeteners
Fiber and sugar alcohol are found to have little or no impact on blood-sugar level so we do not count those on the keto diet. But what is sugar alcohol? And how is it different from sugar?
Firstly, sugar alcohol does not actually contain ethanol, the compound that gets you drunk, so don’ t get too excited; it also does not contain sugar. Sugar alcohols are types of sweet carbohydrates such as Erythritol, Glycerol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. Sugar alcohols do contain calories but fewer than plain sugar, and they have a low glycemic index. For this reason, they are much less likely to spike blood sugar or insulin. However, consuming sugar alcohol in large quantities can cause digestive issues. Since sugar alcohols are harder to digest than standard sugar, eating too much may cause some digestive complaints such as gas, cramping, and diarrhea so you may need to experiment with the amount your body can handle.
Erythritol and Xylitol seem to be the best sugar alcohols as they have almost no calories, taste great, will not harm your teeth, and cause significantly less digestive problems than any other sugar alcohol. Stevia is also highly recommended as a sweetener.
Sugar alcohols differ from artificial sweeteners. Although both are super sweet alternatives to sugar, artificial sweeteners contain zero calories whereas sugar alcohols contain about 2.6 calories per gram.
* It is possible to be thrown out of ketosis by consuming large amounts of sugar alcohol and artificial sweeteners so limit your consumption. Just because these sweeteners act differently in the body than regular table sugar does not mean you can have an unlimited amount!
* The Glycemic Index is a measure of how quickly food raises blood sugar levels. ~~ For more information about the dangers of consuming sugar, click here.~~ ~~ Watch this video to learn what sweeteners to use and which to avoid.~~
12