Natural Low GI Fruit Sugar
Types of Sweeteners
Globally, sugar and sweetener consumption has risen by 20% per person. *17
Starting small by choosing a healthier alternative of sweeteners will make a huge difference to your health.
| Types of Sweeteners | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Nutritive contains carbohydrate and provides energy |
Non-Nutritive | |
|
Carbohydrate - caloric sweeteners - added sugars - 1g = 4kcal |
Sugar Alcohol - no added sugars - sugar-free |
Artifical Sweetener - low calorie - non-caloric sweetener - X nutritional benefits;vitamin & minerals - 200-13,000X sweeter than normal sugar |
5.1 Choosing Carbohydrate/ Natural Sweetener
Table 5.1
Glycaemic Index (GI) for Carbohydrate Sweeteners.
| Carbohydrate sweetener | Glycaemic Index (GI) | Relative Sweetness compared to Sucrose = 100 | Percentage of sugar components |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Glucose/Dextrose *13,14 |
96 | 67 | 100% Glucose |
|
Maltose *13 |
105 | 50% Glucose + 50% Glucose | |
|
Sucrose/ Table sugar *14,20 |
65 | 100 | 100% Sucrose (50% Glucose + 50% Fructose) |
|
Lactose *13 |
46 | 50% Glucose + 50% Galactose | |
|
Honey *13 |
55 | 28%-46% Fructose + Glucose | |
|
Maple Syrup *19 |
54 | 60% Sucrose Trace Glucose + Fructose | |
|
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HCFS-55) *14,21 |
64 | 99 | 55% Fructose + 42% Glucose |
| Agave Nectar *13 | 11 | 90% Fuctose + 10% Glucose | |
|
Fructose *4,14,19 |
19-23 | 120-180 | 100% Fructose |
Note that –
1. High fructose corn syrup (HCFS-55) and Fructose are two different types of sweeteners.
2. The sweetness level of fructose varies according to temperature due to its’ unique natural properties.
3. Fun fact: Fructose is sweeter in cold conditions
5.2 Benefits of an Alternative Natural Sweetener; Crystalline Fructose
American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2014 nutrition therapy recommendations
*6
Fructose is natural and the sweetest of all natural sweeteners.
It is known as fruit sugar because it can be naturally found in fruits and honey.
Benefits of Fine Foods® Crystalline Fructose
• Tastes just like natural sugar
• Sweeter: encourages less calories
• Low in glycaemic index (GI≈19), ideal for blood sugar control
• Tastes good in beverages, cooking and baking
• Reduces dental caries
Evidence: Consumption of fructose vs. other carbohydrate sugar in diabetics improves glycaemic control without affecting insulin.
*3,6
• Consumption of 55 – 120/day carbohydrate sugar for 4 – 14 weeks
• Fructose ▼ ≈ 0.53% HbA1c
• Note: Most oral anti-diabetic drugs ▼ 0.5%-1% HbA1c18
Table 5.2
Example of Applications of Crystalline Fructose
*14
|
▲ sweetness ▼ sugar added |
▼ Calories | Flavour Enhancement | Humectant (Ability to retain moisture) | Better texture | Solubility | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite’ pancake, carbonated beverages | √ | ▼ 1/3 | ||||
| Breakfast cereal | √ | √ | ||||
| Yogurt, chocolate milk | √ | √ | ||||
| Baked goods | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Sports drinks | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Confectionary | √ | √ | ||||
| Health products | √ | √ |
5.3 All About Sugar Alcohol & Non-Nutritive Sweetener
Note: Sugar alcohol & Non-nutritive sweeteners may contain carbohydrate; dextrose, maltodextrin or lactose.
Diabetics should be cautious and include these calories in their carbohydrate limits as insulin is required for the metabolism.
Food products/sweeteners that have 5 or fewer calories per serving are permitted to be labelled as containing “0”
calories.
Table 5.3
Glycaemic Index (GI) for Sugar Alcohol Sweeteners.
*1, 5, 17
| Sugar Alcohol | Glycaemic Index (GI) | kcal/g | Relative Sweetness compared to Sucrose = 100 |
a ADI (mg/kg BW/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sorbitol *2,11 |
9 | 2.6 | 54 - 70 | 50g; Excess consumption may have a laxative effect |
|
Mannitol *2 |
0 | 16 | 70 | 20g; Excess consumption may have a laxative effect |
|
Xylitol *2 |
13 | 2.4 | 100 | Not specified. Excess consumption may have a laxative effect |
|
Erythritol *5 |
0 | 0.2 | 60 - 80 | 0.5g; Excess consumption may have a laxative effect |
Table 5.4
7 Non-nutritive Sweetener “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) approved by the Food and Drug
Association (FDA)
*1,7
| Non-nutritive Sweetener | Glycaemic Index (GI) | kcal/g | Relative Sweetness compared to Sucrose = 100 |
a ADI (mg/kg BW/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acesulfame-K *7,9 may contain Lactose |
0 | 0 | 200 | 15 |
|
Aspartame *16 may contain dextrose with maltodextrin or lactose |
0 | 4 | 160 - 220 | 15 |
|
Luo Han Guo Extract *6,7 |
0 | 2 | 150 - 300 | N/A |
|
Neotame *10,15 |
0 | 0 | 7,000 - 13,000 | 2 |
|
Saccharin *7 |
0 | 0 | 300 | 5 |
|
Stevia *7 may contain lactose |
0 | 0 | 250 | 0 |
|
Sucralose *12 |
0 | 0 | 600 | 5 |
Carbohydrate; Dextrose, maltodextrin or lactose added to decrease the intense artificial sweetness and as a bulking agent.
amg/kg BW/day = milligram/kilogram body weight/day
