POPSUGAR UK

These Are the Only Sweeteners You Can Use on the Keto Diet

11/06/2018 - 11:05 PM


The keto diet [1] is still extremely popular, and chances are you've still got a lot questions you want answered about the dos and dont's to following the diet [2]. The biggest aspect of this diet is maintaining a low-carb, high-fat [3] lifestyle, and with that comes a lot of rules. On the keto diet you'll have to cut out sugars completely in order for your body to switch from using glucose as an energy source to using fat. This means that natural sweeteners like honey, agave, and maple syrup [4] should not be eaten on the keto diet. If you're following keto, you should avoid all forms of sugar as much as possible, but if you do need some sweetness in your life [5] try one of the below sweeteners.

  1. Stevia: Stevia is a sugar substitute derived from plants. It has no calories, no carbs, and is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia leaves haven't been approved by the FDA [7].
  2. Erythritol: Erythritol is a sugar alcohol made from fermented corn or corn starch. It's 60-80 percent as sweet as regular sugar [8], and has 0-0.2 calories per gram.
  3. Monk Fruit: Monk fruit is another sugar replacement that has zero calories per serving. It can be up to 250 times sweeter [9] than regular sugar.
  4. Truvia: Truvia is a high-intensity sweetener [10] (way sweeter than sugar but contributes little to no calories when added to food) made from stevia leaf extract, erythritol, and other natural flavours.

Although these sweeteners are technically okay to have on the keto diet, there are health risks [11] associated with excessive consumption of artificial sweeteners [12]. Please advise your physician before making any changes to your diet.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/Low-Carb-Sweeteners-Keto-Diet-44934211