The Keto diet involves reducing the consumption of high carbs such as processed stuff, starch, and desserts. This unique diet helps maintain ketosis, which usually demands the body to break downfats to produce energy rather than utilizing carbs.
If you’ve been searching for a fastand sure way of losing weight and maintaining an ideal health status, you must have come across a keto diet. Celebrities like LeBron James and the Kardashiansswear to this methodology because of its usefulnessin weight management. It also serves as a treatment for some medical conditions, brain diseases, and it’s good for maintaining a great body shape. The ketogenic diet is effective and has positive results. However, it denies you sugary stuff like sweetened beverages, baked goods, dressings, and yummy sauces. You’ll need keto sweeteners to make your meals more tolerable and fun to follow. So, what are the bestketo sweeteners?
The best three keto sweeteners
If you’re looking for sugar-tasting options to help you maintain your keto diet, consider these top 3 choices;
- Erythritol
- Monkfruit
- Stevia
Which is the Best Among the Three?
The sweeteners mentioned above are keto-approved. So you may comfortably add in your meals without having any doubts.To help you find the best choice for your needs, we’ll give details about each of them.
Erythritol
This sweetener comes from corn starch and fermented corn. It’s a sugar found naturally in fruits like melons and grapes and fungi like mushrooms. It’s partially an alcohol sugar in nature and is absorbed and digested by the intestinal tract. It’s found in powder or granulated form. You can mix it with ingredients like maltodextrin, dextrose, and others. Ensure you read the labels to get a pure erythritol product.
Why consider erythritol?
- It’s a great ingredient for baking
- It provides minimum calories and carbs in the body
- It can protect you from dental plaques and activities, but other sweeteners may not
- It’s easy and convenient to substitute sugar in your recipes because it’s in powder form
- It’s easily eliminated in the body through urine
- It does not increase the insulin levels, neither does it negatively impact your blood sugar levels
What are the disadvantages of erythritol
- It may cause negative consequencesin the kidney
- It can result in bloating, and diarrhea considering it’s a sugar alcohol
- It’s not very sweet; hence does not fully help with sugar cravings
Monkfruit
Monkfruitis also known aLuo hanguoand was initially used in soups, herbal teas, and broth back in Asia. Monks from NorthernThailand and Southern China were the ones who discovered the name.
Monk fruit’s sweetness is partially from its fructose and sucrose but largely from its non-caloric component known as mogrosides. It’s available in granulated blends of stevia or erythritol, pure liquids, or artificial syrups of chocolate and maple.
Why consider monk fruit?
- Being a fruit makes it a super sweet option that will make your diet enjoyable
- It’s not damaging to the digestive system
- You can with erythritolto create a better taste and improve your cooking experience
- It’s sweeter than stevia andmostly added to stevia to cover the boring aftertaste
- It does not raise the insulin levels or blood sugar
What are the disadvantages of monk fruit?
- It’s more costly compared to others
- It contains ingredients like inulin and prebiotic fibers, which are not so safe for the body
- It’s about 200 times sweet as sugar, hence may not be the best option if your goal is to reduce sugar consumption
Stevia
Stevia is obtained from a sunflower familyknown as stevia rebaudiana. The commercial and marketing use of its leaves is not allowed in places like the USA. However, it’s usually acceptable ifprocessed in an industrial process that meets the European and US product requirements. FDA does not approve the unrefined form of this product, but it recognizes it safe if it’s in a well-defined form. It’s available in liquid, powder, or granulated form. Some of its products may contain erythritol. Make sure you check the labelsif you want a pure stevia product.
Why consider stevia?
- It has zero negative effect on blood sugar and insulin levels
- It has less toxicity
- It contains no calories or carbs
- It’s sweet and a great substitute for the normal sugar
What are the disadvantagesof stevia?
- Though its sweet, its sweetness is not similar to theone fromordinary sugar. It leaves a bitter-like aftertaste.
- It may not work with all recipes because it’s difficult to get a similar outcome as sugar.
- There is no outright evidence on whether the real impact it may have on the users.
What Other Keto Sweeteners Can You Try?
You’re not limited to the three sweeteners limited above. You can opt for maltitol, xylitolor sucralose. You can also choose plant-based sweeteners like allulose, Isomaltooligosaccharide(IMO), and yacon syrup. If you want synthetic sweeteners, look for Acesulfame K, Aspartame, or Saccharin.
Avoid These High-Carbs Keto Sweeteners
- Honey
- Maltodextrin
- Coconut
- Agave nectar
- Dates
How Can You Make Your Keto Diet Successful?
It’s a struggle to remain on the keto diet. You have to create a sustainable solutionthat works well with your body’s needs and gives you the outcome you’re aiming for. Instead of focusing more on cutting weight, try tohave a healthy lifestyle that will sustain you for the rest of your life. If you want successful results, know what foods you should focus on, track youreating habits, make friends with other keto dieters, prepare in advance for the keto side effects, invest in homemade keto meals, plan and follow your diet, and most importantly stay persistent with what works for you. If you still see no results, change your strategy.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet restricts the consumption of calories, which serves as an effective approach to shed off fatsand stay healthy. It also minimizes sugar intake, meaning you’ll consume less than the required amount. The body needs sugar as long as it’s in moderate amounts. For that reason, keto sweeteners will help satisfy your sugar cravings without compromising the overall health benefits of the ketogenic meal plan. There are plenty of options. Choose what appears the best choice!
