Replace sugar with a glucose substitute.
Glucose (also called dextrose) is a sugar found naturally in foods and is the fundamental energy source for humans and animals. You can use a glucose substitute in food in order to reduce calories and limit a glycemic response in order to prevent or mitigate diabetes. Most sugar substitutes are significantly sweeter than conventional sugar, which recipes must account for in substitution directions. The FDA recommends a moderate daily intake of only 5 mg to 50 mg of artificial sweetener.
Saccharin
Saccharin is the oldest FDA-approved sugar substitute. Discovered in 1879, saccharin helped compensate for sugar shortages during the first world wars. Research in the 1970s associated saccharin with bladder cancer in rats. Today, however, the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Association both find saccharin use acceptable. It is more than 300 times sweeter than white sugar.
Aspartame
Found during research for anti-ulcer medication, aspartame was an accidental discovery in the 1960s. Digesting aspartame produces methanol, formaldehyde and formate in the body, but not at levels nearly high enough to have a strongly negative health impact. It is roughly 200 times sweeter than sugar, does not contribute to tooth decay and may particularly enhance fruit flavors.
Sucralose
Made from cane sugar treated with chloride, methanol and other chemicals to convert it into is a calorie-free sweetener, sucralose that is 600 times sweeter than sugar. Discovered in 1976 during tests to create a new type of insecticide, sucralose has been available on the U.S. market since 1999. It also stays stable under heat and can be used for baking and cooking similarly to normal white sugar. To date, no long-term studies exist on the effects of sucralose on humans.
Stevia
Stevia is an herb originally from South America, currently cultivated in China, Japan, Brazil and Paraguay. The dried plant leaves provide a calorie-free alternative to sugar that is 30 to 50 times sweeter than glucose. Stevia may also improve digestion by encouraging probiotic growth in the intestines. It is currently approved as a dietary supplement, but not as a sweetener, by the FDA.
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