The debates in the nutrition world about the value of low- and no-calorie sweeteners are often loud and raucous, but when the discussion turns to their role in diabetes, the conversations become much more harmonious. Let's face it, the availability of something that makes food taste sweet, without contributing carbohydrate grams, can sometimes make life with diabetes a little easier. That said, there are still some important issues to keep in mind.
Safety
Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four low- or no-calorie sweeteners as safe for use: aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), saccharin (Sweet'n Low, SugarTwin and other brands) and sucralose (Splenda). To earn FDA approval, these sweeteners had to undergo rigorous testing and be shown safe when consumed by the general public—including people with diabetes. However, some organizations—notably, the nonprofit consumer-advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)—remain skeptical. Of the currently approved sweeteners, only sucralose earns CSPI's vote as safe.
Taste
Low-calorie sweeteners have no problem in the sweetness department; most are hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar. But some people find they have an aftertaste, or that the foods prepared with them "just don't taste right." It's a matter of personal preference, of course; some people claim saccharin has a bitter aftertaste, for example, while others appreciate that it isn't tooth-achingly sweet. And low-calorie sweeteners tend to be an acquired taste; people who regularly use a particular sweetener sometimes become loyal to its flavor profile. In our own Test Kitchen, we found sucralose, which is derived from cane sugar, came closest to the taste of regular sugar, but still had its own aftertaste.
Performance
If you use a low-calorie sweetener just to perk up your iced tea, just about any one will do. But when you want to use it for something more complex, like a batch of muffins, performance can be a problem. Aspartame, for instance, breaks down when heated, so it's a no-go in baking. Other problems result from the one-dimensionality of low-calorie sweeteners compared to sugar: while they contribute only sweetness, sugar adds volume and texture, and, when heated, it caramelizes, adding complex toasty flavors as well as an appealing browned look. Recreating those properties without using sugar can be tricky.
Substituting with Splenda
In the EatingWell Test Kitchen, sucralose is the only alternative sweetener we test with when we feel the option is appropriate. For nonbaking recipes, we use Splenda Granular (boxed, not in a packet). For baking, we use Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking, a mix of sugar and sucralose. It can be substituted in recipes (1/2 cup of the blend for each 1 cup of sugar) to reduce sugar calories by half while maintaining some of the baking properties of sugar. If you make a similar blend with half sugar and half Splenda Granular, substitute this homemade mixture cup for cup.
When choosing any low- or no-calorie sweetener, be sure to check the label to make sure it is suitable for your intended use.
What About Stevia?
While stevia (stevioside), a natural sweetener extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant, has not been approved by the FDA for use as a sweetener, it's widely available as a "dietary supplement" that makes no sweetening claims on its labels. Stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar, with a slight licorice flavor; some health-food aficionados seek it out as a "natural" alternative to manmade sweeteners.
