Needless to say, excess sugar consumption is bad for your health. But since sugar is literally everywhere, it can be quite difficult to avoid it from your daily diet. Fortunately, there are many natural sweeteners that make a great alternative to processed sugars, helping you to effectively reduce your daily sugar intake. One such alternative is erythritol sugar which is a type of carbohydrate called a sugar alcohol. Other types of sugar alcohols which can be used as sweeteners include xylitol, sorbitol and lactitol,
Erythritol is a healthy and natural sugar alternative, containing zero calories and zero grams of net carbs, and hence it is suitable for low carb and keto dieters, vegans and people with diabetes. Basically, anyone who is looking to reduce their daily sugar intake, lose weight or improve their health can benefit from using erythritol sweetener as a sugar substitute.
Having a sweet taste just like regular sugar, the erythritol sweetener can be easily substituted into your baking and cooking, as well as used for sweetening drinks like tea and coffee. It is recommended 1 and 1/3 cup of erythritol for every 1 cup of sugar in recipes. A teaspoon or two in your coffee can work very well. Let’s take a look at the types of erythritol as well as its pros and cons to better understand what does using this sugar alternative actually mean for your health.
Powdered vs Granulated Erythritol
Naturally, erythritol is found in fruits such as corn, grapes, peaches, pears, watermelon as well as mushrooms and fermented foods like wine, beer, and cheese. The eythritol sugar available in packages for sale is usually, a result of fermenting plant sugars and the final product can be either in powdered or granulated form.
The main difference between the two forms of erythritol sugar is the size of the crystals. The crystals might be coarse or fine. Granulated erythritol has coarse crystals which look like regular white table sugar, while the powdered has fine small crystals and as its name implies, it looks a lot like powdered sugar.
Powdered erythritol can dissolve more easily than granular erythritol, and hence can be used as a substitute for powdered sugar in frosting. However, a good number of powdered erythritol sweeteners available for sale are mixed with other artificial sweeteners and hence tend to be more expensive simply because they are pre-powdered.
Though granulated erythritol is widely available, you can find and buy erythritol powdered sugar in-store and online, or you can make your own powdered erythritol at home by pulsing the granulated one in a food processor or coffee grinder.
Is powdered erythritol safe? Erythritol sweetener, either in granules or powdered, appears to be a very safe sugar substitute, especially if you have diabetes. It is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener and most of the amount we ingest is not metabolised. Erythritol powdered sugar or granules taste and bake exactly like regular sugar does, just without the sugar spike.
Pros
Zero Calories
Erythritol is promoted as an almost zero calories natural sugar sweetener. More specifically, erythritol sugar has just 6 per cent of the calories found in sugar, although it is 70 to 80 per cent as sweet as table sugar. Hence, erythritol sugar is not used by the body as energy. In fact, due to their incomplete and slow digestion in the body, sugar alcohols are less dense in energy than artificial sugar or typical carbs.
Doesn’t Affect Blood Sugar and Insulin
Erythritol is great if you want to avoid increasing your blood sugar. Erythritol is part of the sugar alcohol family, which means it’s a naturally derived extract from fruits and plants. It passes through your body, untouched, much like fibre. Because of this, it does not affect your blood sugar level at all.
No Cavities
Erythritol sugar is tooth-friendly as it doesn’t promote tooth decay like other sugars and sweeteners do. Oral bacteria need sugar for energy, and when they have plenty of energy, they produce acids that damage the enamel of the teeth. However, oral bacteria don’t favour sugar alcohols. As a sugar alcohol, erythritol isn’t broken down in your mouth like regular sugar. So you can have sweets without worrying about tooth decay that sugary foods normally would cause.
Antioxidant Effect
Erythritol sugar acts as an antioxidant, hence protecting you against diseases. Erythritol is found to be effective at destroying certain kinds of free radicals. It helps fight free radicals, which are responsible for the ageing process and hence help you age gracefully from the inside out. In addition, with its antioxidant properties, erythritol may help protect you against vascular damage caused by high blood sugar levels.
Cons
Digestive Issues
It has been shown that consuming too much sugar alcohols can lead to possible digestive discomfort in some people, causing gassy stomach, bloating, and diarrhoea. This is mainly due to the fact that sugar alcohols are poorly absorbed by our digestive tract.
Though erythritol of all sugar alcohols is better absorbed and tolerated much better by our body, consuming high doses may still cause digestive problems. So it’s recommended to not over-consume, ingest quickly in concentrated form, or eat erythritol by itself on an empty stomach. You best have it in moderation.
Possible Allergic Reactions
Though it’s rare, erythrol sugar may cause allergic reactions in some people. If you have noticed an allergic reaction after ingestion of erythritol-containing foods and beverages, you should weigh it as a potential trigger and consult with a doctor.
