When fighting sugar dependence, avoiding added sugar in the diet is key, which sounds simple—right? It certainly does, but things become a bit more complicated once we introduce alternative sweeteners into the mix.

What are alternative sweeteners? Alternative sweeteners are referred to as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie” sweeteners. Many people think that if they replace the sugar in their diet with alternative sweeteners, they’ll be good to go, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Alternative sweeteners are everywhere, and they aren’t necessarily as great as one might think. After all, alternative sweeteners are essential sugar’s best friend.

There are countless alternative sweeteners on the market and many have gained popularity among food manufacturers. Let’s discuss a few examples. Stevia is a popular sugar substitute because it is up to 200 times sweeter than sugar and provides fewer calories. Monk fruit is another alternative sweetener that is free from calories, sweeter than table sugar, and derived from the juice of monk fruit. Allulose is a sweetener that is commonly used in food and drinks and contains only 0.4 calories per gram. We can’t forget about the ever-so-popular sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols are made from sugar molecules, but a hydroxyl group is substituted. In general, sugar alcohols commonly have a laxative effect when consumed as they are hard on the digestive system. Examples of sugar alcohols include maltitol, lactitol, erythritol, sorbitol, and isomalt.

Now that we know some of the common types of alternative sweeteners, let’s take a deeper dive into the problem with them. Although there is some evidence to support the idea that alternative sweeteners can reduce overall calorie intake in the short term, this may lead to overeating long term. Research in animals has shown that removing calories from foods that taste sweet can disrupt the ability to regulate energy intake. It is also thought that artificial sweeteners may cause one’s body to prefer sweeter-tasting foods. If we consume high amounts of alternative sweeteners, it may heighten our preference for sweetness. This heightened preference adds more fuel to the sugar-dependence fire—resulting in the overindulgence of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages.

The other interesting thing about alternative sweeteners is that our brains don’t recognize them as “fake” sugar. Our brain senses something sweet and thinks it is real sugar. At the end of the day, that sweet taste is what is fueling the dependence on sugar. Whenever a food tastes sweet, a message is sent to the brain that communicates we are tasting a sweet food—which can further feed into the sugar dependence cycle.

So what do I recommend? Alternative sweeteners may be helpful when initially trying to cut back on added sugars in your diet. This being said, in order to fully heal the brain and put a definite end to sugar dependence, reducing your intake of alternative sweeteners should be the goal. For more information on alternative sweeteners and how to fight sugar dependence, check out my new book, Sugarless: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction.

References

This post is adapted from Sugarless.