Buzz
In most restaurants, you'll often find various sugar substitutes in colorful packets placed on the table. While all of them are designed to add sweetness to your food or drinks, have you ever wondered about the distinctions between the yellow and red packets? And do any of them offer health benefits over regular sugar?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved eight types of artificial sweeteners as safe for consumption, but not all of them are commonly found at your local restaurant. Some are integrated into food products during manufacturing, while others, such as sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet'N Low), aspartame (Equal), and stevia (Truvia), are familiar to most people by their brand names. Each sweetener varies in sweetness and purpose.
These sugar substitutes are especially popular with people managing diabetes because they don't cause blood sugar levels to rise in the same way regular sugar does. They're also favored by those seeking a sweet taste without the calories. Unlike table sugar, which contains roughly 16 calories per teaspoon, Splenda, Sweet'N Low, Equal, and Truvia provide little to no calories. Their differences in taste and usage are explored further, while concerns about their safety and potential health risks are addressed in a separate article.
Splenda (sucralose): Since sucralose isn’t metabolized by the body, it has no calories. It’s approximately 400-700 times sweeter than regular sugar and can be added to any dish. Because it retains its sweetness when heated, Splenda is ideal for baking and hot recipes.
Sweet and Low (saccharin): Sweet and Low is one of the earliest artificial sweeteners, used in food, medicine, and even toothpaste. Saccharin is 300 to 400 times sweeter than sugar, has no calories, and is also suitable for cooking.
Equal (aspartame): Aspartame is commonly found in sugar-free gum, diet sodas, puddings, and many other “sugar-free” treats, often sold under the brand name Nutrasweet. It is around 200 times sweeter than sugar, but contains a small amount of calories (about two per packet). However, it loses its sweetness when heated, making it less suitable for baking.
Truvia (stevia): Stevia's sweetness comes from the leaves of a plant known as Stevia rebaudiana, earning it the label of a “natural sweetener.” In the U.S., the plant itself isn't used; instead, a chemical extract called Rebaudioside A is added to food. It is 200 to 400 times sweeter than sugar.
As Mytour health editor Beth Skwarecki explains, when a sugar substitute is described as '200 times sweeter than sugar,' it means the manufacturer has used 1/200th of the amount to match the sweetness of table sugar.
Keep in mind that artificial sweeteners often face negative attention. If you're concerned, check out our guide on artificial sweeteners’ safety in your diet to help you choose the one that works best for you.
