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Low Calorie Sugar Substitutes

Most of us like to indulge in a little something sweet from time to time. Unfortunately, sugar is high in empty calories so a sweet tooth can get you in big trouble if you're watching your weight or just trying to maintain a healthy diet. Many low calorie sugar substitutes are on the market, though it can be hard to keep track of the different varieties.

  1. Saccharin

    • Available for over 100 years, saccharin was one of the first artificial sweeteners on the market. It is very sweet and, like the other substitutes on this list, is calorie-free. Saccharin is common as a coffee sweetener, in diet soft drinks, chewing gum, baked goods and jams.

    Aspartame

    • Aspartame is another very sweet sugar alternative, considered to be 200 times sweeter than table sugar. It was approved by the FDA in 1981 and has since become very common. It tends to enhance other flavors in the food in which you use it. Aspartame is often an ingredient in diet soft drinks and powdered drink mixes, sugar-free candy and gum, yogurt and frozen desserts. Aspartame is not often a suitable substitute in baking, as it tends to lose its sweetness with prolonged heating.

    Neotame

    • Even sweeter than aspartame is neotame. Because of its intensity, food manufacturers can use less of it when producing their products. It is in many of the same kind of products as aspartame, but because it is more stable, it is also usable for baking.

    Acesulfame Potassium or Ace-K

    • Acesulfame potassium has a sweetness similar to that of aspartame, but it holds its stability at high temperatures, so it's more suitable for cooking and baking. It is often in hard candy, chewing gum, powdered drinks, breath mints, alcoholic drinks and baked goods.

    Sucralose

    • Sucralose is actually made from regular sugar, but it is 600 times sweeter and contains no calories. Because of its sugar-like qualities, it is a good choice to use for baking and cooking. It is in soft drinks, syrups,and apple sauce, but it is also commonly available in bulk so you can use it in home baking.

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