The Lowdown on Low Calorie Sweeteners
What are low-calorie and artificial sweeteners?
Low-calorie sweeteners are increasingly common (1). Low-calorie sweeteners provide fewer calories but the same, if not more sweetness than regular sugar sources (white/brown sugars, maple, honey and coconut syrups).
Some common low-calorie sweeteners are:
Stevia
Monk fruit (also known as swingle fruit)
Aspartame (diet soft drinks)
Sucralose (also known as Splenda).
Although they can sometimes receive a bad rap because of ‘perceived’ risks, with more recent research and education, people can begin to recognise them for what they do for people when looking to achieve weight loss, cut down on their energy intake and improve the flavour of food to create more palatable options. Research is continuing and whilst their use is deemed safe to certain limits (see below) potential long term effects can’t yet be excluded as that long term data isn’t yet available in humans. (3).
A systematic review in 2019 of the available evidence found that low-calorie sweeteners do not promote weight gain, do not increase blood sugar levels, do not increase insulin resistance and do not increase hunger/appetite (3).
Here is the summary from that review:
Are low calorie and artificial sweeteners safe for humans?
All low-calorie sweeteners go through safety testing before being approved for consumption. Within Australia, this is the responsibility of the FSANZ (Food Standards Australia and New Zealand). An important part of the approval process is setting an acceptable daily intake (ADI). An ADI is the estimated amount per kilogram of body weight a person can consume on average per day.
Is there a safe daily limit for low calorie and artificial sweeteners?
According to Food Standards Australia & New Zealand, the acceptable daily intake of popular sweeteners is as follows:
(this is milligrams per kilogram of a person’s body weight, per day)
Stevia: 0-4 mg/kg bw/day
Sucralose: 15 mg/kg bw/day
Monk Fruit: No current ADI
Saccharin: 5 mg/kg bw/day
Aspartame: 0-40 mg/kg bw/day
(4)
A can of Coke Zero has about 185 mg of aspartame.
A 70kg person has an acceptable limit of 2800mg of aspartame per day, which is about 15 cans of Coke Zero.
You can read more about sweeteners and safety here:
What are the benefits of low-calorie and artificial sweeteners?
When used correctly can help with issues like limiting carbohydrate and total energy intake to manage body weight and assist in weight loss. The goal when using any low-calorie sweetener is to help enforce calorie control and total daily energy intake.
Are low calorie and artificial sweeteners included on nutrition labels?
By law in Australia, the addition of low-calorie sweeteners to food or drink products must be clearly labelled. On the listed ingredients, sweeteners will often be listed as “sweeteners” then a number in brackets. Eg, sweeteners (951) which represent aspartame.
Food standards have a resource where you can search the number provided to find the full name of the ingredient:
How do you replace natural sweeteners with low calorie or artificial alternatives?
Using low-calorie sweeteners with foods that are generally lower in calories like fibre-rich grains, plants and low-fat dairy is a great way to keep control as the number one priority (without blowing out your calorie budget).
Examples:
Stevia with brown rice
Monk fruit extract in oats
Flavdrops in yoghurt
Do artificial sweeteners and diet-related drinks cause weight gain?
NO! Typically those already with weight issues consumed diet drinks as they are trying to lose weight. The drinks haven’t caused the issue - it’s just a correlation. No sugar alternatives are great as they provide you the consumer with a little taste of your favourite sugary hit but without the caloric baggage that goes alongside with it. (3)
What is the calorie and macronutrient comparison between a low-calorie sweetener and a natural sweetener?
If we go for a little search there is always going to be for and against arguments in relation to low-calorie sweeteners vs. caloric sweeteners. What you, as the consumer, need to know is that when comparing low-calorie sweeteners with natural sweeteners such as honey, is that 1 teaspoon (5ml) of the sweetener* registers as 0 calories with 0g of protein, fat and carbohydrates vs. the honey with 6g of carbohydrate and 21 calories.
*(in this case we used 5ml or 1 teaspoon of Flavdrops)
Low-calorie sweeteners have their place in the cupboards of those looking to make calorie-conscious choices without sacrificing flavour and palatability.
Some of our clients use low calorie sweeteners to increase the flavour and enjoyment meals whilst staying within your calories budget, however others prefer not to use them. That’s totally fine! We find strategies and options to suit all of our clients, no matter what their preferences are. Contact us to join our community and work with our team of coaches.
References:
Sylvetsky, A., & Rother, K. (2016). Trends in the consumption of low-calorie sweeteners. Physiology & Behavior, 164, 446-450. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.030
Low-Calorie Sweeteners. (2020). Retrieved 14 April 2020, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
Intense Sweeteners. (2020). Retrieved 14 April 2020, from https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/additives/Pages/Sweeteners.aspx