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• Aspartame:Calories: 0
Found in: Drinks, gum, yogurt, cough drops
one of the most studied artificial sweeteners, aspartame has been accused of
causing everything from weight gain to cancer.However, since being approved
by the FDA in 1981, studies have found no convincing evidence and the FDA,
the World Health Organization, and the American Dietetic Association say
aspartame in moderation poses no threats.
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
• Neotame:Found in: Some drinks, dairy products, frozen desserts, puddings, fruit
juices. The newest on the market, this artificial sweetener was approved by the FDA in
2002.It is between 7,000 and 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar depending on
what it is added to, and is produced by the same company that makes aspartame.
• Saccharin:Calories: 0
Found in: Drinks, canned goods, candy
NATURAL SWEETENERS
• Stevia:Calories: 0
Found in: Diet drinks, yogurts, individual packets.Derived from the stevia plant, stevia leaf extract, also
called rebiana, is deemed the natural alternative to artificial sweeteners.Although crude stevia extracts
are not approved by the FDA, refined stevia products such as Truvia gained a Generally Regarded As
Safe (GRAS) approval from the FDA in 2008.Stevia is a very popular low-calorie sweetener.It’s
extracted from the leaves of a plant called Stevia rebaudiana.This plant has been grown for sweetness
and medicinal purposes for centuries in South America.Several sweet compounds are found in stevia
leaves. The main ones are stevioside and rebaudioside A. Both are hundreds of times sweeter than
sugar, gram for gram.Therefore, stevia is very sweet but has virtually no calories.
• Erythritol:s another low-calorie sweetener. It’s a sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits. However,
powdered erythritol available for purchase is most likely made via an industrial process.It contains 0.24
calories per gram, or about 6% of the calories in an equal amount of sugar, with 70% of the sweetness.
NATURAL SWEETENERS
• Xylitol: Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol found in most plant material, including many fruits and
vegetables. It is extracted from birch wood to make medicine.It is a sugar alcohol with a sweetness similar to
sugar.It contains 2.4 calories per gram, or about two-thirds of the caloric value of sugar.Xylitol appears to
have some benefits for dental health, reducing the risk of cavities and dental decay
• Yacon Syrup: is another unique sweetener. It’s harvested from the yacon plant, which grows natively in the
Andes in South America.This sweetener has recently become popular as a weight loss supplement. One study
found that it caused significant weight loss in overweight women.It’s very high in fructooligosaccharides, which
function as soluble fibers that feed the good bacteria in the intestine
NATURAL SWEETENERS
• High-fructose corn syrup:Found: Sodas, desserts, cereals.
This hotly debated sweetener contains the sugars fructose and glucose from processed corn
syrup.Because it's cheaper than sucrose and gives products a longer shelf life, more packaged foods in
the U.S.—especially soda, cereal, and yogurt—contain HFCS as added sugar instead of sucrose.
• Honey:Found in: Cereals, baked goods, teas. Honey contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals,
and studies suggest it may not raise blood sugar as fast as other sweet products. oney, however, does
contain calories and should be used as sparingly as any other full-calorie sweetener.
• Sucrose:Calories: 16 per teaspoon
Found: Naturally in fruit; added to baked goods, jams, marinades, salad dressingsSucrose offers energy
but no nutritional benefits. In 2003, a team of international experts recommended that added sugars
make up no more than 10% of your diet, or about 12 teaspoons (50 grams) for a 2,000-calorie diet.
NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS