How to replace sugar on a keto diet?

Reading time: 4 min

No bread, no pasta, no pastries, seen from this angle the keto diet seems very restrictive. The elimination of carbohydrates leads, for many, to the idea that one must eliminate sweets and pleasures throughout the day.

Rest assured, the ketogenic diet is not at all a restrictive diet, on the contrary! Even if this diet is based on the drastic reduction of carbohydrates in the diet, there are many delicious keto alternatives.

In this article you will discover all the possibilities available to you in keto to replace carbohydrates (slow sugar and fast sugar)

You will see that in the end your habits will not change so much and that the taste pleasure will always be there!

What is a sweetener?

Natural or synthetic, sweeteners play a large role in the diet of low-carb and ketogenic diets. Indeed, these molecules give our taste buds the impression of eating sweet food without the drawbacks. By drawbacks, we mean, of course, the increase in blood sugar levels, also called glycemia. Our taste receptors therefore send sugar information to our brain while preserving our blood sugar.

Beyond preserving your blood sugar, sweeteners also significantly reduce the calorie intake of your preparations. Unlike sugar, most sweeteners have a very low calorie content, or even none at all for some.

We can therefore say that sweeteners will be your pleasure allies during your change of diet.

Identify the different types of sweeteners

Not all sweeteners are equal, not all have the same taste or composition.

We can distinguish 3 types of sweeteners currently on the market:

• natural sweeteners
• alcohol sugars
• synthetic sweeteners

Their origins and tastes can be very different from one sweetener to another. The important thing is to find out more to be sure that your sweetener will be compatible with a keto diet and of course that you appreciate its taste in your preparations.

The safest thing is to get your sweetener from a store specializing in keto food. This way you guarantee the quality of the product and its compatibility with your ketogenic diet.

Find all the keto-compatible sweeteners in our store.

Sweeteners in the ketogenic diet

Erythritol, the natural sugar

Derived from fruits and vegetables such as asparagus or melon, erythritol is a natural sugar alcohol. Indeed, erythritol is produced through the fermentation of fruits and vegetables.

Similar in appearance to white sugar, erythritol does not impact your blood sugar level at all and unlike xylitol, it is very easy to digest. In fact, the molecule that composes it is so small that it hardly ferments at all, which makes it very digestible. It therefore leaves your intestine without having been assimilated by your body. It is therefore a 0 blood sugar, 0 calorie ally.

There is classic white erythritol but also brown erythritol or even an ice cream version!

Stevia

Stevia has a very strong sweetening power. About 300 times more than classic sugar. You cannot therefore replace your morning sugar with the same quantity of stevia. Another particularity is that it does not have the same taste as sugar, so you must learn to dose it.

With no calories and a very low carbohydrate content, stevia is the must-have sweetener for all weight loss programs. Produced from the leaves of a leafy plant, stevia is easy to grow, you can very well grow it in your garden.

Stevia powder is composed solely of dried stevia leaves and reduced to powder. It has a white appearance, because for reasons of conservation and hygiene, it undergoes some treatments before being marketed.

You can also find Stevia in the form of neutral or flavored drops (strawberry, chocolate, caramel, lemon, almond, raspberry, etc.)

Xylitol

This sugar alcohol is the sweetener that tastes closest to sugar. Half as caloric and with a low glycemic index.

Recommended for people with diabetes, the calories present in xylitol are not well digested by the body. They therefore stagnate in your colon and can have a laxative effect. You should therefore not exceed 50 g per day. Its slightly minty aftertaste goes particularly well with smoothies or other refreshing preparations.

Find our xylitol right here

Maltitol

Maltitol (along with lactitol and sorbitol) is used in processed keto products, such as bars, chocolates, jams, and more. Maltitol is very similar to real sugar in terms of taste and even baking performance. It has a glycemic index of 36 and 6.7 calories per gram of product. This sweetener can cause some people to have problems with its absorption: maltitol can cause bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. However, overconsumption will cause this type of discomfort in everyone. It is therefore best to consume sparingly.