Using Diabetic Sweetener For Sugar Free Cookies

For a diabetic with a sweet tooth it is nice to be able to use sugar alternatives when cooking our favorite treats like cookies and cakes. Sugar Alternatives or artificial sweeteners are useful because they do not cause surges in blood sugar levels which makes diabetes control in the short and long term easier to manage.

A few decades ago the artificial sweetener craze took off. It was more as a method to prevent weight gain than for diabetes. These substances add sweetness to the food but no
added calories.

After few years of usage, these sweeteners were connected to cancer development. After much research the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the following sweeteners :

 Saccharin
 Acesulfame potassium
 Aspartame
 Sucralose

Saccharin - Oldest sweetner in the history of artifical sweeteners. It is almost 300 times sweeter than sugar. But it has a metallic taste so it is combined with other sweeteners. It is stable and blends well in food preparations. Blamed for the cause of urinary bladder cancer in animals but there are no signs in humans.

Acesulfame potassium - It is almost 200 times sweeter than sugar. It can be used in baking and cooking as it is stable. It doesn't implicated in any types of cancer.

Aspartame - It is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Contains two amino acids called aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It gradullay loses sweetness when exposed to high temperatures. So best used in beverages, drinks and as tabletop sweetner.

Sucralose - Made from regular sugar. It has no known side effects. It is stable and can be used in baking and cooking.

Main advantage of these artificial sweeteners are -

 They don't increase blood sugar as they are free of any carbohydrate, protein or fat. (But other food consituents can affect blood sugar)

 Increase the palatability. Its hard to control the interest for sugar. Adding these sweeteners increase the palatability of food.

 They can be used in very small quantities. They are much more sweeter than the same amount of the regular sugar. So less quantity and less money.

Disadvantages are -

 It was said artifical sweeteners cause cancers like urinary bladder in animals. But confirmed evidence is lacking in humans.

 Problem with aspartame - It composed of phenylalanine and aspartic acid. So patients with phenylketonuria who cannot metabolize phenylalanine should not take aspartame, as one of its component is phenylalanine.

Important to remember -

 Though artificial sweeteners contribute no calories to food, other constituents of the food provide calories. So if a person eats ten cookies made from artificial sweeteners, he is getting calories from
butter, flour. So watch out before eating!

 Before buying food from stores always have a look on the labels, what type of sweeteners are used.

 There are certain limits set by the FDA like how much of artificial sweeteners to consume per day or per kg body weight. Ask your dietitian for a chart and strictly follow those quantities.

A diabetic diet should be a balanced diet of a range of foods. Although artificial sweeteners make it ok to eat cookies and things like that, they should still be eaten in moderation as a treat or dessert.

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