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What are the Best Sweeteners for Keto?

When you’re on your keto journey, you might ask, ‘is it safe to use sweaters while still following my keto diet plan?’. The answer is, yes, but you have to make the right and smart decisions when it comes to this.

Nowadays, the keto wave is starting to get popular among numerous people who want to live healthily and without guilt. Those people who became successful in their keto journey have persuaded their family, friends, and followers to pursue a low-carb diet as well. That’s why most of them are getting highly interested in many things that would help them enjoy their keto diet without cheating.

As you read on, you’ll learn about some of the keto-friendly and sugar-free sweeteners. This topic is very important for people who are on the same journey because there are various sweeteners obtainable that you might think are keto-friendly, but will ruin your diet instead and give a reverse effect. That’s why you need to be careful because companies right now can make things seem or look a certain way.

The Safest Sweeteners for your Ketogenic Diet

There are four sweeteners that are proven to be safe from a ketogenic or low-carb perspective.

  1. Erythritol

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that’s made from cornstarch or fermented corn. This option naturally transpires in several fruits such as grapes and melons. It is very safe to use as a sweetener if you’re on a keto diet.

This natural sweetener contains a very small amount of carbs and calories which makes it a perfect choice for your low-carb diet. It also does not increase insulin or blood sugar levels. What’s also good about erythritol is that when it's powdered or granulated, it can be an excellent sugar alternative.

  1. Monk Fruit

Monk fruit is one of the most keto-friendly and safest sugar alternatives. This sweetener is normally used in soups and herbal teas. The sweetness present in Monk fruit is supported by non-caloric components named mogrosides which is a great sugar substitute.

So if you’re on a keto diet and you want to make your food or drink naturally sweet, this sweetener is an excellent choice. It’s very sweet yet does not increase the levels of your blood sugar or insulin. It’s also beneficial for your digestion. The minor drawback of this sweetener, however, is that it might shift the flavoring of your drink or food a little bit.

  1. Stevia

This natural sweetener happens to be one of the most popular of all keto-friendly sweeteners. The sweetening properties present in this sugar alternative called Stevia glycosides. Most of the people who are on the keto journey usually pick Stevia as their sweetener as it has no calories and carbs. Moreover, this natural sweetener also does not increase your insulin and blood sugar levels.

  1. Allulose

Allulose is also a ketogenic and low-calorie sweetener that’s very safe to be used by people who are on their keto journey. Although it is more expensive than other natural sweeteners, this sugar alternative is guaranteed to be keto-friendly and it’s a perfect sweetener for baking and making desserts like ice cream.

Be smart when using sweeteners

Sometimes, you will see some people blend these 4 sweeteners because maybe they want to kind of lean on the majority of the time since they are proven to be keto-friendly.

However, it doesn’t mean that Splenda, a popular low-carb sweetener, can’t still be low-carb. You have to be careful with using Splenda because its makers actually lace it with dextrose which still can spike blood sugar and insulin a little bit. So some people, especially if they have metabolic problems, may not get a good body response.

So sweeteners such as Splenda, even though it’s low-carb, can still be sometimes a hindrance. And of course, it has some artificialness to it. However, the four sweeteners that I listed are all 100% natural sweeteners. Erythritol, monk fruit, stevia, and allulose are made through a natural process.

The 4 natural sweeteners that I listed are not processed in a lab. Other sweeteners like Splenda Equal or Sweet and Low can also be considered low-carb, but if you’re consuming that regularly and continuously, I would say it’s below optimal - it won’t be beneficial for your keto diet.

If you’re taking these ‘sweeteners’ randomly at random times, I guess there would be nothing to worry about. But if you really want to strictly follow a low-carb diet and you want to consistently use a safe sweetener, leaning on the four sweeteners that I listed is highly recommended.

However, I have this one that just jumped up. There is this one with Stevia in it, so you may think it’s safe and beneficial for your keto diet. But if you’re going to look at it closely, it's Stevia with dextrose. So when you’re reading the label, look to see what ingredients or other compounds they’re using, because they might bind Stevia, Erythritol, Monk fruit, or Allulose with something that isn’t safe for your keto diet and your health as well.

Binding these natural sweeteners with something might trigger people with metabolic problems without them even knowing. They’re consuming it thinking that it’s safe with them, but overall, it isn’t. When buying a sweetener, you always want to make sure that it’s pure or it’s a blend of erythritol and stevia.

Are there any natural sweeteners you can use?

Well, Xylitol is also sugar alcohol that can be relatively safe. It does spike a little bit but in general, it’s safe and keto-friendly. This could be a fair option but you have to remember that Xylitol is still not as good as the other four natural sweeteners that I have listed earlier.

There are other so-called ‘natural’ sweeteners such as brown sugar, honey, and agave nectar. They might also give health benefits but these are all going to spark blood sugar a lot higher.

A few tips when choosing a sweetener for your keto diet

Carefully watch out for those sweeteners as they can get a little tricky on you. I’ve actually seen fat-free water advertised before. Well, water never had fat in it, but they’re using it as a tricky tool to advertise it. The point is, you have to be careful with those advertisements because they might mislead you.

Always look for pure stevia, pure erythritol, pure Monk fruit, and pure allulose. If you see some of this but there’s a mixture of binders based on the label, do not use it. The pure ones should always be your selection and you should lean on them the most. You can also blend these 4 natural sweeteners as they can help to deal with the aftertaste and flavor effect. Blending them is perfectly fine and it’s quite a good practice to do to make your keto journey much more enjoyable.