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 .~~
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