Sugar is important in nutrition, as it provides energy for the body to use or store for later. However, just like other elements of a person’s diet, sugar has the potential to cause unwanted changes to the body when eaten in excess.  Sugar is a simple carbohydrate, which are quick sources of energy that are digested and absorbed by the body. It is a common ingredient that is often hidden in foods. It is found naturally in some foods, like fruit and honey. Sugar is also added to processed foods and refined sugars, such as candy, table sugar, syrup, and soda. Sugar consumption can quickly add up throughout the day without people realizing it. A great way to reduce sugar in a diet is to identify and utilize suitable sugar alternatives.

Sugar in the Body

Over the years, sugar consumption has increased in the United States and is predicted to continue to rise. It is important to monitor sugar intake throughout the day, especially for those who are managing diabetes. Sugar affects blood glucose (sugar) in the body. The food choices that individuals make play an important part in regulating the body’s blood sugar levels. Too much sugar in a diet can cause blood sugar levels to spike and then drop, leading to irregular and poorly managed blood sugar levels in diabetes. Consistently high sugar levels can eventually lead to a rise in A1C and unintentional weight gain.

Sugar Alternatives

One way to achieve a healthy diet that promotes blood sugar control—without compromising that sweet flavor—is using sugar alternatives. Sugar alternatives are categorized into two large groups: nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners.

Nutritive sweeteners provide calories and nutrients. They are found naturally in foods such as fruits, honey, and dairy. Foods containing nutritive sweeteners will often be labeled as added sugars. Examples include fruit juice concentrates, honey, dates, agave, figs, and maple syrup. There are also sugar alcohols, which are lower in calories and used as low-calorie sweeteners. Examples include xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, maltitol, and lactitol.

Nonnutritive sweeteners have a stronger sweet taste than nutritive sweeteners do, and they contain little-to-no calories. Instead of entering the blood stream and raising blood sugar like nutritive sweeteners do, these sweeteners go into the gastrointestinal tract and are removed from the body in stool. Therefore, they are able to mimic the taste of sugar without the added calories. Food companies are allowed to label products with these substitutes as no sugar added or reduced sugar. Well-known brands include Sweet’N Low, Splenda, Equal, and NutraSweet. There are also naturally occurring nonnutritive sweeteners extracted from plants including brands such as Stevia and Truvia. Using these sweeteners allows manufacturers to use the no artificial sweeteners label on their products.

Sugar’s Roles in Foods

It is important to consider the characteristics of sugar before choosing from the many sugar alternatives that can be added to food. Unfortunately, it is often not as simple as replacing an ingredient with a healthier alternative. There are times that the ingredient under consideration for removal is necessary for the physical makeup of the food. Sugar not only affects taste but it also plays a role in the food’s shelf life, appearance, and texture/consistency. Therefore, in most recipes, not all of the sugar can be replaced due to the role it has in creating the final product.

Flavor. Most people know this delightful role of sugar, which adds sweetness to foods.

Shelf life. Sugar prevents bacteria from growing by absorbing extra moisture found in foods. As a result, the shelf life of some foods is longer.

Color. Sugar has the ability to be caramelized, which adds a brown color to foods. This process also enhances flavor.

Structure. Sugar is food for the fungus known as yeast. Yeast is needed to make dough rise in many baked goods.

Texture. Sugar can lower the freezing points of some foods, which ultimately affects the texture of food. For example, sugar in ice cream prevents ice crystals from forming and makes it creamier. Sugar can also soften baked goods that contain gluten, found in flour, since sugar competes with gluten for water. It is important to make sure the ratio of sugar to gluten is correct, so it can create the desired light, airy structure normally found in baked products.

Which Do I Choose?

If the goal is to maintain the integrity of the recipe, choose a substitute that will mimic the chemical properties of the sugar used in the original recipe. When using an artificial sweetener, a good rule of thumb is to go to the product’s website to find recipes that the company created using their sugar substitute. The internet is also useful for determining what amounts of a nutritive sweetener, like dates, would be equivalent to the source of sugar used in the original recipe. Using nutritive sweeteners will not reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates in the recipe like a nonnutritive sweetener would. For those who are trying to reduce sugar to manage their diabetes, they will still need to account for the carbohydrates they are consuming from the nutritive sweetener.

Summary

There is more to sugar than the delicious flavor people have grown accustomed to like so much. Sugar affects many different elements of a recipe, but alternatives can be made with these roles in mind. When selecting and substituting sugar in your diet, use these facts to help you choose wisely.

Trade and brand names are given for information purposes only. No guarantee, endorsement, or discrimination among comparable products is intended or implied by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.