Are Sugar Alcohols Keto-Friendly?
A key part of following a ketogenic, or keto, diet is reducing your sugar intake.
This is necessary for your body to enter ketosis, a state in which your body burns fat rather than sugar for energy.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy sweet-tasting foods.
Sugar alcohols are sweeteners that have tastes and textures similar to those of sugar, but fewer calories and a less significant effect on blood sugar levels .
As a result, they can be a satisfying option for individuals looking to reduce their sugar intake, such as those following a keto diet.
Sugar alcohols occur naturally in some fruits and vegetables. However, most are commercially manufactured in a lab.
While there are many types of sugar alcohols, common ones you may see on food labels include
- Erythritol. Often made by fermenting the glucose found in cornstarch,erythritol has 70% of the sweetness of sugar but 5% of the calories.
- Isomalt. Isomalt is a mixture of two sugar alcohols — mannitol and sorbitol. Providing 50% fewer calories than sugar, it’s most commonly used to make sugar-free hard candies and 50% as sweet.
- Maltitol. Maltitol is processed from the sugar maltose. It’s 90% as sweet as sugar with almost half the calories.
- Sorbitol. Commercially produced from glucose, sorbitol is 60% as sweet as sugar with about 60% of the calories.
- Xylitol. One of the most common sugar alcohols, xylitol is as sweet as regular sugar but has 40% fewer calories.
Sugar alcohols are low calorie sweeteners that generally have little to no effect on your blood sugar levels. As a result, they’re a popular keto-friendly option for sweetening foods and beverages.
Just keep in mind that some may be better choices than others.
For example, maltitol has a much greater effect on blood sugar levels than erythritol, which has a GI of 0.
The next time you’re looking to add sweetener to your coffee or make homemade keto-friendly protein bars, try using a sugar alcohol like erythritol or xylitol.
Just be sure to consume these sweeteners in moderation to avoid any potential digestive distress.