There has been some controversy over artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. Many people claimed that aspartame has led to nausea, abdominal cramps, multiple sclerosis, vision problems and the list goes on. Several years ago, I was consuming cough drops sweetened with aspartame and this gave me severe bloating and gastrointestinal problems. When I stopped ingesting these, my symptoms went away and I learned from that experience.
There are many other sweeteners on the market that are much safer than aspartame such as stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, sucralose and maltitol. The most important thing to keep in mind is to select a sweetener that it low on the glycemic index meaning it does not raise blood sugar plus it is low in calories. Stevia and monk fruit are derived from plants. Eryritol and maltitol are sugar alcohols. Sucralose is produced by the chlorination of sucrose or table sugar. My sweeteners of choice are stevia and monk fruit and I have not had any discomfort or gastrointestinal distress from their consumption.
Erythritol and maltitol gives me gas and bloating so I avoid it in my diet. I admit to having a piece of Lily’s chocolate as a treat prior to my 36 hour fast this weekend. Lily’s chocolate contains both stevia and erythritol. Sucralose is another artificial sweetener found in many products such as protein bars and protein powders. I have eliminated protein bars from my diet due to the excess calories. Sucralose found in Splenda raises blood sugar and contains other fillers such as dextrose and maltodextrin however the pure liquid form of sucralose does not raise blood sugar.
Stevia, erythritol and monk fruit are not high on the glycemic index and do not raise blood sugar. Monk fruit can be costly. I enjoy hot chocolate called Lakanto Drinking Chocolate sweetened with monk fruit and only 1 gram of net carb per serving. It tastes great and I mix it in unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can find it here (Keto Foods). Please use your judgment in choosing the right sweetener for you.
