The Low Down on Sweeteners
I get asked all the time about what sweeteners are approved on a Ketogenic way of eating and why. I decided i'd post a list of all the NATURAL sweeteners that are approved of in the Keto community as well as why ARTIFICIAL sweeteners are such a bad idea!
First off, let's talk about Artificial Sweeteners (name brands like Equal, Sweet & Low, Splenda, Etc.)
Artificial sweeteners that contain Aspartame, Saccharine, Sucralose, etc. are just terrible for you. There have been many studies that show that these sweeteners contain cancer-causing chemicals. Aside from that, they mimic the bodies insulin response to real sugar! This means that when you consume artificial sweeteners your body thinks it has had sugar and will crave it! That's why we become addicted to diet coke and drinking and eating lots of fake sweets causes us to crave carbs!
Now, on to the "GOOD" sweeteners.
Stevia
Monkfruit extract
Ethrytol
Xylitol
Sukrin
Why are these sweeteners OK? They are all derived from natural sources and do not affect blood sugar! And isn't that the point? We got on the Keto train to eliminate those carbohydrate cravings which come from the cycle of eating sugar and carbs! When consuming these sweeteners, our body doesn't recognize them as sugar so we stay off the crazy train and on the Keto one, and don't kick ourselves out of Fat-Burning Ketosis!
Here are some brand names of the approved sweeteners I use and reccomend!
Truvia
Sweetleaf
Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet
Trim Health Mama Super Sweet
Sukrin
Sukrin Gold
Swerve (powdered or granular)