Diabetes-friendly Diet: Things to Know Before Switching to Artificial Sweeteners

Taming a sweet tooth can be a challenge for anyone, but people with diabetes must take special care to prevent the rise in their blood sugar levels. To do this, most people with diabetes look towards substituting the refined sugar in their diet with artificial sweeteners.

These seemingly healthy options are a way for people to maintain the sweetness in their food while keeping their blood sugars under control. And the best part is that they have negligible or zero calories!

No wonder you might think that artificial sweeteners are a win-win game if you have diabetes. But before you get too excited, there’s a twist. There are caveats in using artificial sweeteners in your everyday life.

We reached out to our experts from Diabefly – India’s most trusted Digital Diabetes Management Program to help us decide why switching to artificial sweeteners completely might do more harm than good for people with diabetes.

Why are artificial sweeteners not good for people with diabetes?

Artificial sweeteners were initially designed to help people lose weight and lower the risk of diabetes and heart problems. But they came with their drawbacks and concerns, as mentioned below:

1. Replace the lost calories with high-calorie food

The use of artificial sweeteners tricks your brain. It causes you to make up for the lost calories in some way or the other, which may not be very healthy. For example, after consuming a low-calorie laddoo or any other diet mithai, you might binge on a cheese burst pizza since there were no calories in the diet laddoo.

2. You may go overboard in consumption

The low-calorie desserts like barfi, halwa, pastries etc. that are prepared with artificial sweeteners have other ingredients such as maida and ghee in their recipe.

You might think that you are eating a zero-calorie dessert but these ‘uncalculated carbs’ spike your blood sugar levels. With the festive season around the corner, be mindful while consuming these zero-calorie desserts as they trick your brain into thinking that you are eating zero calories. But that’s not true!

3. Change the way you taste food

Artificial sweeteners cause overstimulation of sugar receptors. Over a while, you may find less intensely sweet food such as a fruit less tasty or appealing. So you will more likely consume more artificially flavoured foods with less nutritional value.

4. Weight gain

Artificial sweeteners confuse people to crave for more sweets and shun away healthier choices, leading to weight gain.

To sum it all, artificial sweeteners are no longer a healthy alternative to sugar for people with diabetes. 

Instead, the best way to manage your blood sugars is by limiting your sugar intake and knowing which particular foods cause a sudden spike in your blood sugar levels. This is also known as a personalised glycemic response, and it varies for every food item you eat and varies from person to person.

Research has also shown that artificial sweeteners can be counterintuitive if you are trying to manage or prevent diabetes, but if you still want to use it seldomly, do give it a try.

Our experts from Diabefly have compiled a list of US FDA (United States Food & Drug Administration) and ADA (American Diabetes Association) approved artificial sweeteners for people with diabetes.

Not all artificial sweeteners are created equally. Although the US FDA and ADA have approved these artificial sweeteners, it is still recommended to use them cautiously.

Which artificial sweeteners for diabetes are approved by US FDA and ADA?

1. Sucralose

This is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners and readily available in markets. It is available under the brand name Splenda and Sugar free. It is about 600 times sweeter than table sugar. It is a good sugar substitute for people with type 2 diabetes as these light yellow packets do not affect your blood sugars.

2. Aspartame

It is sold in blue packets, which are commercially available as – Equal and NutraSweet. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is not a zero-calorie artificial sweetener, but still, aspartame has very low calories.

3. Acesulfame

You will find this in your favourite diet soda as a sugar substitute, e.g. in Coca-Cola Zero Sugar or Diet Pepsi. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar.

These low- or zero-calorie colourful sachets may allow you to enjoy a sweet treat but they come with a price. These will not help you achieve your overall health goals as are of no nutritional value.

Instead, Diabefly Coaches recommend swapping artificial sweeteners with naturally sweet foods like dates, dried fruits, such as raisins, apricots, figs, cherries.

In addition, you can impart a taste of sweetness to your food by adding fresh fruits, including bananas, melons, mangos, grapes, into a variety of your dishes, cereals, smoothies, sauces etc., to manage your diabetes smartly.

Click here to read how much mango, melons, bananas, and grapes you can eat to keep your blood sugars in control.

In a nutshell, artificial sweeteners are not magic bullets that will reduce the added sugars and calories from your diet. To manage your blood sugars smartly, it would be best to consult your Doctor or a Nutritionist before switching to these.

Or simply sign up for an all-round diabetes management program like Diabefly.

Our Diabefly Coaches will help you understand your blood sugar fluctuations to different foods you eat using the latest health technology. And based on your health data, your Diabefly Coach will design customised diet plans that take your meal preferences, likes, dislikes etc., into consideration to keep you motivated throughout the 3-month program.

Additionally, Diabefly offers physiotherapy services and psychological support to help you stay active and overcome emotional ups & downs in dealing with diabetes. For more information, visit our website at  www.fitterfly.com/diabefly or call 022 4897 1077