Who doesn't have doubts when it comes to sweetening their coffee with sweetener, after seeing so many attacks against this substance in the media?
The consensus among experts says that the sweetener brings health benefits, as long as it is used in moderation. “Exaggeration is never good. For example, a person who drinks four cans of diet soda a day will consume 120 cans at the end of the month. The lack of balance is not just a problem with the sweetener, but with food in general”, explains Celso Cukier, nutritionist and coordinator of the Multidisciplinary Nutritional Therapy Team at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE).
Made up of sweeteners – substances responsible for the sweet taste – sweeteners have an extremely greater sweetening power than sugar. Some can be used for cooking as they are stable enough not to lose their sweet flavor when exposed to high temperatures, such as acesulfame K and sucralose. The body that regulates food and medicine in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recommends that the daily consumption of dietary sweeteners be four to six packets of one gram when powdered, and 9 to 10 drops for liquids.
Discover all types of sweeteners:
Among the artificial sweeteners:
Aspartames: It is the most used type among sweeteners, it has the capacity to sweeten 200 times more than sucrose. Its energy value is 4 calories/grams. It should be avoided by people suffering from phenylketonuria, as it contains phenylalanine in its composition.
Saccharin: It is the oldest type of sweetener with the capacity to sweeten 500 times more than sucrose, but it leaves a residual taste in the mouth. It is widely used in foods, cosmetics and medicines.
Cyclamate: It is widely used in foods, but is banned in some countries because it causes carcinogenic effects, mutants in cells and allergies. It is 50 times sweeter than sucrose.
Sucralose: It is widely used in sterilized, UHT, pasteurized and baked products, as it is stable at high temperatures. It is completely eliminated from the body in the urine within a maximum of 24 hours. It does not produce cavities and reduces the production of acids that produce them. It is 600 times sweeter than sucrose.
Acesulfame-k: It is the sweetener most resistant to time and high temperatures. It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose and is completely eliminated by the body through urine.
Among the natural sweeteners we have:
Fructose: It is extracted from fruits, cereals and honey, and has the capacity to sweeten 173 times more than sucrose. It should be used in moderation as it causes cavities and is limited for diabetics.
Sorbitol: Originated from fruits and seaweed, it is 50 times sweeter than sucrose. Its use is restricted to people who are not diabetic and who are not obese. Resists high temperatures, evaporation and cooking.
Mannitol: It is found in vegetables and seaweed and has the capacity to sweeten 70 times more than sucrose. It is not recommended for diabetics and produces a laxative effect if used in large quantities.
Steovideo: It has the capacity to sweeten 300 times more than sucrose and is found in the Stevia Rebaudiana plant. It contains no calories and is stable at high temperatures.
