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Home , Acceptable daily intake, Equal (sweetener), Sugar substitute

Creating Health & Nutrition Substitutes Photo credit: Teri Virbickis

tutes may say “sugar moderation can be a part Institute, there is Tip free,” “calorie free,” or of a healthy diet. no significant evidence Using sugar “reduced calories.” These that any of the sugar substitutes may statements on the front of What’s the Difference substitutes approved for the package are the first Between Natural and use in the United States help reduce your sign of a low-calorie Artificial Sweeteners? cause cancer or other intake of sugar and regulated by the Sugar substitutes can be serious health problems. and calories. Food and Drug Adminis- categorized into natural When the FDA approves tration (FDA). and artificial sweeteners. the use of or generally • A sugar-free food has Natural sweeteners, like recognizes a sweetener as less than ½ gram of safe, they have carefully Nutrition Information and monk fruit, sugar per serving. are derived from natural researched how it’s made, The U.S. Dietary Guide- • A calorie-free food has sources (compounds in the what it will be used lines emphasize “choose fewer than 5 calories stevia plant and extract in, and whether or not it and prepare foods and per serving. from monk fruits are used is potentially harmful to a beverages with little • A reduced-calorie food to make these sweeteners person’s health. The table added or caloric has at least one-quarter sweet). Sugar alcohols on page 2 is a current sweeteners.” One way to fewer calories than the occur naturally in certain list of all sugar substitutes meet this goal for those original food. fruits and vegetables. They that are generally recog- who want to control are found in processed nized as safe by the FDA. weight gain and Not all “sugar-free” or foods and generally are Use this table to find the is to use sugar substitutes. “reduced-calorie” foods not used when preparing All have zero calories are low in calories. The food at home. Artificial (ADI), set by the FDA, for per serving, except sugar food may contain extra sweeteners, like , each . alcohols (2.4 calories , which provides 9 calo- , and , per gram). Refer to the ries per gram. A sugar-free are formed through a table on the next page for food doesn’t always save chemical process, often in the most commonly used all that many calories a laboratory. sugar substitutes. compared to the food it is replacing. Examine the Are They Safe? Does the Use of Sugar Nutrition Facts labels on According to the Amer- Substitutes Mean a all low-calorie foods to Food is Low in Calories? ican Diabetes Association, know what you’re really American Heart Asso- Labels of foods that eating. Use of artificially ciation, and National contain sugar substi- sweetened foods in Product Safety Number of sugar Number of 12-oz Sugar equivalent Cook or bake substitute packets cans of diet soda (a) 2 tsp 1 to reach ADI to reach ADI (b) 1 cup

Natural sweeteners Monk fruit (trade Safe for all Not specified Not specified (a) 2 tsp or 1 Cook names: Monk Fruit packet (b) 1 cup Bake in the Raw, PureLo) or 24 packets Stevia (made from Safe for all 150-lb adult: 30 Information not Varies by brand Cook steviol 50-lb child: 103 available Bake in the stevia plant) (trade names: Truvía2, PureVia, Stevia in the Raw)

Artificial sweeteners Sucralose (trade Safe for all 150-lb adult: 150-lb adult: 4.8 (a) 2 tsp or 1 Cook name: ) 68.2 50-lb child:1.6 packet Bake 50-lb child: 22.8 (b) 1 cup or 24 packets Saccharin (trade Not safe for 150-lb adult: 8.6 150-lb adult: 2.4 (a) 1 packet Cook names: Sweet pregnant 50-lb child: 2.8 50-lb child: 0.8 (b) 24 packets Bake Twin, Sweet’N women Low, Necta Sweet) Aspartame (trade May not 150-lb adult: 150-lb adult: 17 (a) 2 tsp or 1 Add only after names: Nutra- be safe for 97.4 50-lb child: 5.6 packet cooking; not Sweet, , people with 50-lb child: 32.4 (b) 1 cup or 24 for baking Sugar Twin) phenylketon- packets uria; use in moderation during preg- nancy Acesulfame-K Safe for all; 150-lb adult: 150-lb adult: (a) 1 packet Cook (trade names: use in moder- 20.4 25.6 (b) 12 packets Bake Sweet One, ation during 50-lb child: 6.8 50-lb child: 8.6 Sunett) pregnancy Sugar Alcohols4 May cause Information not Information not Varies Cook; not for (, , bloating, gas, available available baking , , and diarrhea , ) (trade Safe for all Information not Information not Cook name: Newtame)4 available available Bake Advantame4 Safe for all Information not Information not Cook available available Bake

1 ADI is the acceptable daily intake set by the Food and Drug Administration. 2 Truvía is a blend of stevia leaf extract and erythritol (a ). 3 Set by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; only approved as in the United States per FDA. 4 Sugar alcohols, neotame, and are mostly used by food and manufacturers to sweeten processed foods, including but not limited to dairy , frozen desserts, beverages, , and . What Are Sugar less than sugar. Sorbitol, or “mixes” to be used pure sugar substitute may Alcohols? erythritol, mannitol, xylitol, in cooking or baking. change the ratio required Sugar alcohols are a maltitol, lactitol, and These contain a mix to substitute for sugar type of are all sugar alco- of the sugar substitute in baking or cooking. It often used by food hols. They are used in a and actual sugar. For is suggested that when manufacturers to sweeten wide range of products, example, both Splenda baking with Stevia, use processed foods. They including chewing gums, and Truvía sell a Sugar half sugar and half sugar occur naturally in certain breath mints, candies, Blend and substitute. Keeping half fruits and vegetables, but , baked goods, Blend. Note that these the sugar is important for they can also be manu- and fruit spreads. blends are more caloric moisture, browning, and factured. Unlike the other than the pure sugar rising. sugar substitutes, sugar Shopping Tips substitute and have more alcohols do provide calo- Some sugar substitutes are . Also, ries, although significantly packaged as “blends” using a blend versus the

Apple Crisp with Truvía Natural Sweetener* 1 Serving size: /8 dish

INGREDIENTS Filling: 4 cups apples, sliced

½ cup water 1 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp Truvía natural sweetener (spoonable) or 6 packets Truvía natural sweetener 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg Nonstick cooking spray

Crisp:

1 cup rolled oats 1 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp Truvía natural sweetener (spoonable) or 6 packets Truvía natural sweetener ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ cup butter, melted 1½ Tbsp brown sugar 1/8 tsp

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375°F. For filling: place apples in a large bowl; sprinkle with water, Truvía natural sweetener, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; toss to coat the fruit. Spray 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray; place apple mixture in dish. For crisp: in a separate bowl, combine oats, Truvía natural sweetener, flour, cinnamon, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt; stir to form crumbly mixture. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of apples. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until apples are tender.

NUTRIENT INFORMATION 180 kcal, 33 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 7 g fat, 30 mg sodium, 15 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber.

*Recipe used with permission from Truvía. Sources ADA Evidence Analysis Library (2011). “The Truth about Artificial Sweeteners or Sugar Substitutes.” Retrieved from www.andeal.org/ files/Docs/NNSResourceDraft3 .pdf.

Calorie Control Council (2014). “Sweeteners and Lite.” Retrieved from www.caloriecontrol.org/ sweeteners-and-lite.

Cumberland Baking Corp. “Sweet N’ Low FAQs.” Accessed November 2014 from www .sweetnlow.com/faq/cooking.

Gardner, C., et al. (2012). “Nonnutritive Sweeteners: Current Use and Health Perspectives.” Diabetes Care 35. Retrieved from care .diabetesjournals.org/ content/35/8/1798.full.pdf+html.

In the Raw. “Conversion Charts.” Accessed November 2014 from www.intheraw.com/using-itr/ conversion-charts.

Mayo Clinic (2014). “Artificial Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes.” Retrieved from www .mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/ nutrition-and-healthy-eating/ in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/ art-20046936?pg=1.

McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. “Splenda Brand Measurement Conversion Chart.” Accessed November 2014 Prepared by Lynn James, senior extension from www .splenda.com/cooking educator in Northumberland County, and -baking/conversion-charts. Lindsay Besecker, nutrition intern. Reviewed by Nancy Routch, nutrition, diet, and health extension educator in Cumberland County. Merisant Company. “Equal FAQs.” Accessed November 2014 from www.equal.com/equal-sucralose/ extension.psu.edu faqs#classic13. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Pregnancy.org. “Which Sweeteners research and extension programs are funded in part by Pennsylvania counties, the Are Considered Safe During Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Pregnancy?” Accessed November Department of Agriculture. 2014 from www.pregnancy.org/ Where trade names appear, no discrimination article/which-sweeteners-are- is intended, and no endorsement by Penn State Extension is implied. considered-safe-during-pregnancy. This publication is available in Truvía. “Apple Crisp with Truvía alternative media on request. Natural Sweetener.” Accessed Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative November 2014 from .com/ action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified recipes/apple-crisp. applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected U.S. Food and Drug Administration veteran status. (2014). “High-Intensity Sweet- Produced by Ag Communications and eners.” Retrieved from www.fda Marketing .gov/Food/IngredientsPackaging © The Pennsylvania State University 2015 Labeling/FoodAdditives /ucm397716.htm. Code UK181 3/17pod