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For a long time I've struggled with finding a satisfactory substitute for table sugar. Here are some that I tried and discarded:
- Stevia - hate it, hate it, hate it. On my palate it's so sharp that I feel something is cutting me. I have tried it blended with other substitutes and... nah. Not for me.
- Monk Fruit - this came close to being the most likeable. However, it took a lot of tricky measuring to get the right balance. An nth too much and I get a nasty aftertaste. Also, it did give me a bloated feeling.
- Truvia - From what I remember, it wasn't horrible, but it depended on what it was in.
- Erythritol - This is a hard no. This reminded me of a watered-down version of the saccharin Mom used in back in the day. One teeny touch of this on my tongue created an almost visceral reaction.
- Swerve - I was okay with this for a lot of things but too much was nasty. I realized why when I read the ingredients.
- Aspartame - This is right up there with Erythritol and that old school sweetener. So gross.
- Xylitol - More than any other sweetener, this has that cooling effect that puts me off. The only acceptable use is in gum and mints - where you want that effect.
I've had other replacements when trying various beverages. Recently, I bought a fizzy mango-flavored drink (can't remember that name) and was so disappointed at first sip. I hadn't noticed the label to see the dreaded Stevia... That was a precious $1.50 poured right down the sink?
Years ago, I remember a product called Just Like Sugar. It was awesome and this is back when I wasn't as desperate to lose weight. See this link because I can't go back that far in my head! (Glancing back at that post, I realize I was kinder to some of those sweeteners than I am now...)
So JLS was great - while it lasted. Of course the creator passed and the product just went away. It was when I was looking into what happened with JLS that I found what had to be the main ingredient in it: allulose. Cue the heavenly choir.
I got a bag of allulose a while back, but I didn't get serious about using it on a daily basis until my last doctor visit. My blood pressure has been good but my doc wants to get it lower. She reminded me how much BP affects kidney disease. That did it.
Instead of using sweetened coffee creamer, or even using regular milk or half and half with brown sugar for sweetening, I have buckled down. I am using evaporated milk with water (or a little half and half) with allulose. I wish I had gotten serious about the allulose sooner.
I have noticed that if I have my morning coffee with allulose instead of other sweeteners, my appetite stays curbed most of the day. I know that's no good if I don't make better choices in what I do eat. So I am trying to do a lot of veggies and fish for meals and, for snacking, nuts and dried fruits. I will have another coffee sometime in the afternoon and at some point, I will have a cup of tea (with milk and allulose).
While allulose is not as sweet as sugar, I am having to get used to that. When I first started using it in my coffee, I used a lot - trying to get it sweeter. Now I realize I don't need the higher sweetness, I just need enough to give flavor to my coffee (or tea).
I am so used to sugar being sugar-sweet that I am teaching my tastebuds to appreciate the flavor not sweetness. Does that make sense?
I won't go into the supposed pros of allulose except to leave that links for you to look at. You need to do your own research and check with any health providers to be safe.
Honestly, I have yet to bring it up with my own kidney doc, so I can't preach. I just know that I need to lose weight and this is helping me start.
I found a video showing how to make a DIY brown sugar with allulose for baking (and coffee!)
Before I close, I want to share this video that I have not yet watched. It's not the first time I've heard allulose mentioned in relation to metabolic changes. Again, do your due diligence!
Peacc--Free
