Sweeteners and The Keto Diet
The hardest part about going on The Keto Diet at first is dealing with sugar withdrawal. You can experience, cravings (or obsessions), headaches, irritability, etc. Many people agree that if you can get past the first hump, you soon no longer desire sugar and are not tempted into using sweeteners. For some people sweeteners is the only way they can make it through The Keto Diet at first. Or sometimes you just crave a special treat or dessert. There are a ton of sweeteners on the market and more so that claim to be the “healthier” alternative to table sugar. Below we will go over natural and artificial sweeteners. But before we get into sweeteners, first we need to understand the Glycemic Index.
Glycemic Index
The Glycemic Index informs us how much a food item raises our blood sugar level, rating each food item from 1 to 100. The lower the number the better it is, and least impact it will have on us while in the state of Ketosis. Remember sugar can kick us out of ketosis so we want to keep our number as low as possible! For comparison, table sugar (or Sucrose) has a glycemic level of 65.
Worst Sweeteners for Keto
- Aspartame – Aspartame is arguably the most controversial sweetener on the market. Apart from the claimed links to cancer, obesity, and headaches, Aspartame also cannot be used to cook with, and can have an unfavorable aftertaste. It is strongly encouraged to avoid this artificial sweetener. It does have a glycemic index of 0.
- Maltodextrin – Maltodextrin is a sugar alcohol that not only has a sky-high glycemic level ranging from 85-100, it also has been
known to cause health concerns and is strongly discouraged for those with diabetes. - Maltitol – Maltitol also is a sugar alcohol with a high glycemic level and has been known to cause stomach upsets. Unfortunately, it can also be found in a lot of keto-targeted food items, so be sure to read the labels!
- Coconut Sugar – Don’t be fooled by reading coconut in the name! This is not Keto friendly. Just like Honey and Agave Nectar, it is a natural sweetener that is processed just like actual sugar in the body. It has a glycemic index of 35 and can kick you out of ketosis if it isn’t kept in check!
Best Sweeteners for Keto
- Stevia – Stevia is a natural sugar with a glycemic index of 0 so it doesn’t contribute to your carb count! You can also buy it in granulated, powdered, and liquid form so it’s super easy to cook with! It can have a bitter aftertaste. IMPORTANT! Make sure you read the ingredients. A lot of popular stevia brands will add other fillers that can have hidden carbs in them and loads of unpleasant side effects.
- Erythritol – Erythritol is a sugar alcohol with a glycemic index of 0. Also, because it is a sugar alcohol with no glycemic index, you can actually negate the grams of sugar from the carb count for a lower Net Carb! (Ex: Food item has 10g carbs, 4g fiber and 3g sugar (erythritol), The net carb is actually 3g!) (This net carb rule only works with select sugar alcohols that have a 0 glycemic index!)