4 Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes When You Want to Cut Down on Sugar In Your Diet

Sugar has been the primary source of energy for humans since ancient times. Our ancestors consumed them from vegetables, fruits, and stalks of sugarcane. But there wasn’t sugar addiction back then because sweet foods were eaten out of necessity rather than treats.

As our society evolved and found ways to extract sugar with high efficiency, it became widely available to the point that we took it for granted. We started to eat a lot of sweets, worked jobs that were less physically demanding, and experienced many health problems like obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

These health problems teach us to be conscious about what we eat. Thus, the discovery and creation of sugar substitutes. These artificial sweeteners will help you prepare or cook sweet foods and drinks that are less likely to impact your blood sugar.

Yes, this means you can still treat yourself to desserts without fearing extra calories for a healthier, fitter pro cheer life. Read on to discover the best sugar substitutes to buy for your recipes.

1. Aspartame

Image source: Amazon

This is 200 times sweeter than sugar but contains 4 calories per gram. Although they have similar calorie content, aspartame is still a healthier sweetener because you only need less of it for preparing food. Aspartame works better when used for baking pastries and is sold under brand names like Equal, NutraSweet, and Sugar Twin.

2. Saccharin

Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sugar, has zero calories, and can be used on different food recipes may they be solid, liquid, or in between. They are sold under the brand names of Necta Sweet, Sweet’N Low, or Sweet Twin.

3. Sucralose

Image source: Amazon

Considered to be the ultimate sugar substitute, sucralose is marketed under the sole brand name of Splenda. It’s 600 times sweeter than sugar with zero calories. Discover what recipes you can prepare with sucralose by visiting this Splenda’s recipe site.

4. Stevia

All of the sugar substitutes in this list are created chemically. If you want a natural product, you can choose stevia. It’s 200-400 times sweeter than sugar while still boasting a zero-calorie property. To make it even more appealing, plenty of brands are now making stevia which gives you a lot of choices on the grocery. Check out these stevia-sweetened desserts!

The problem with using artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes more often is that they give you a reason to eat more desserts due to the promise of consuming fewer calories. It’s important to understand that calories also come from different food ingredients such as flour or dairy.

Sugar substitution is one of the ways we can cut our daily calorie intake without compromising the taste of sweetness from the food we eat. While some consumers report that artificial sweeteners make them more thirsty, that can actually be beneficial when it comes to keeping one hydrated throughout the day.

There are also skeptics trying to harm the reputation of artificial sweeteners by claiming there might be dangerous side effects. As long as they cannot produce solid evidence made by research or the substitutes aren’t banned by the FDA, these alternatives are safe for consumption.

Learn more about food science for fitness by reading these blog posts:

Stay updated with Pro Cheer Life's best fitness, beauty, motivation, and audition day tips

Our professional cheerleading community has all the tools and resources you need to achieve your pro cheer goals. Whether you are a dreamer, pro cheer candidate, newbie or veteran, Pro Cheer Life is here to help you succeed.

Join our community by signing up for our mailing list below. What’s in it for you? We offer you free pro cheerleading advice that will boost not just your pro cheer career but also improve other areas of your life.