Senior Health Line

March 2020

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners may seem like they are as add calories and carbohydrates to your diet. beneficial for a weight loss diet or for There are reduced calorie sweeteners that are controlling diabetes, but are they? Artificial also known as sugar alcohols, these are known sweeteners or sugar substitutes are low calorie as isomalt, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol and or calorie free nonnutritive sweeteners. They maltitol. These sweeteners contain about half provide sweetness without the calories of the calories of sugars and they will raise your sugar or other things like honey. Sugar blood glucose levels. They may also cause substitutes are many times sweeter than sugar gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea. and only a small amount is needed to give the The Food and Drug Administration sweet taste to foods. This is why there is less approved the use of five artificial sweeteners calories in foods sweetened by artificial for human use in the United States. These are: sweeteners. -Acesulfame potassium: This is a white Artificial sweeteners are usually considered crystalline sweetener that the human intestinal a “free food” in a diabetic exchange diet. This tract cannot break down and is eliminated from means it has 20 calories or less and less than the body through the urine. It can be used for 5 grams of carbohydrates in a serving. cooking and baking. Sugars come in many forms and are -Saccharin: While this is approved for use, naturally occurring carbohydrates. They can be it is not recommended for use during white cane or beet sugar, brown sugar or pregnancy or breastfeeding. It can be used in confectioners’ sugar. Other types of naturally both hot and cold foods. It is produced from a occurring sugars include honey and molasses. substance found in grapes. It is 300 times Sugar may also appear on ingredient lists as sweeter than table sugar and is not broken fructose, sucrose, dextrose and maltose. down in the human body but is excreted These will all raise blood glucose levels as well unchanged through the urine. -Aspartame: This type of artificial sweetness with less calories than table sugar. sweetener losses its sweetness at high Whether or not artificial sweeteners are temperatures, so it is not recommended to be beneficial for weight loss is up for debate. used for baking or cooking. Aspartame is not People who use artificial sweeteners may to be used by those who have a condition rationalize that they are cutting calories with known as phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic their use and eat more of other foods, disease that does not allow the body to offsetting the potential health benefits of metabolize phenylalanine properly. It is a cutting sugar consumption. There is also combination of two amino acids, aspartic acid research being done into whether consuming and phenylalanine. When these two building sweeteners that are many times sweeter than blocks of protein are joined together in a sugar can lead to a person finding foods like certain way, they are perceived as sweet. fruits less appealing and not sweet enough for Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than their taste. table sugar. Neotame is a sweetener which is To find out what is sweetening your foods, a derivative of aspartame. read the nutrition facts label on food packages. -Sucralose: This is often found as a sugar The carbohydrate section will show how many substitute in processed foods. It does not lose carbohydrates the product has per serving. It its sweeting properties with heat as does aspartame. It is made by replacing atoms in will also show how much of these sugar with atoms of chlorine. It is 600 times carbohydrates are in the form of sugars or sweeter than table sugar. sugar alcohols. The ingredients will list any -Advantame: This sweetener is a added sweeteners. combination of aspartame and vanillin. It is 20,000 times sweeter than sugar and 100 times sweeter than aspartame. It can be used in baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, Have a question regarding food, candy, frozen desserts, processed fruits and food safety or nutrition, call the fruit juices. Oakland County MSU Extension Stevia is also approved for use in the Hotline at United States. It is natural, coming from a 248-858-0904 plant, adds sweetness to foods but is not calorie free. However, it does provide

Tortilla Soup Combine chicken broth, tomatoes, chiles, beans, corn and chicken in a large pot. Heat over 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to 1 pound chopped tomatoes or 1 can (16 ounces) low heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove diced tomatoes from heat. Stir in lime juice and 4 ounces green chiles, chopped cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips. 1 can (14 ounces) no added salt black beans, Makes 6 servings. drained and rinsed Nutritional Value per Serving: ½ cup frozen no added salt corn Calories 210 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded Fat 3 grams 2 tablespoons lime juice Sodium 325 milligrams 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped Carbohydrate 20 grams Crushed tortilla chips Fiber 6 grams Protein 26 grams

Senior Health Line written and edited by: Robin Danto, Home Economist & Food Preservationist Michigan State University Extension – Oakland County Questions? (248) 858-0904 • [email protected]

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