Not all sweeteners are the same which is why I like to know How to use How to use High-Intensity Sweeteners.
Did you even know that there is such a thing?
How to use High-Intensity Sweeteners
Have you ever wondered about how safe the artificial sweeteners that we use are?
Along the way I have heard that just about everything can lead to cancer. This is whether or not the person telling me this has actual proof of it. However, anything artificial can make you think twice before you eat it. I know that I definitely think twice about eating sugar as I know how it will make me feel in an hour. This is why I tend to use alternatives instead.
If you are like me, you have used sugar alternatives when you cook or bake.
To me, using sugar alternatives means that I can be sugar free as much as possible. Hence, the Sugar Free Diva thing..
However, I just learned that there are different kinds of sweeteners as well. Who knew right? It is also good to know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks into these sweeteners.
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First of all, we need to know what any kind of sweetener actually is.
I mean the common ones that we use in recipes.
You have probably been using one or more of these for awhile. The FDA says that High-intensity sweeteners are ingredients we use to sweeten the food we eat. You may have noticed that these sweeteners are also many times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). Therefore, when we use these in recipes we may find that smaller amounts of these sweeteners are needed.
We all have our motivations for using sugar alternatives.
I admit that I like that they contribute only a few to no calories when added to foods. Also, I like that these won’t give my blood sugar a run for it’s money or affect my teeth. However, I admit that these sweeteners, like all other ingredients added to food, must be safe for consumption. We do not want to get sick from these.
How the FDA regulates High-Intensity Sweeteners
The FDA regulates high intensity sweeteners as a food additive. Unless it’s used as a sweetener. Then it is generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
Are you confused? The FDA says that if is called a ‘sweetener’ it is treated like a ‘GRAS’. However, a GRAS does not require premarket approval.If the FDA says that it is an “additive” it has been deemed as safe for us to consume already by the FDA. Of course, this is for us folks living in the US.
The recipes that are used on this site usually say that you can use a ‘sugar alternative’.
The sugar alternative that you use is your choice. I know that I bake and I cook with them often. Also, I know that I consumer them in beverages and more. You probably do too. When you read the label on what you eat and drink you will see some of these too.
There are six of these sweeteners that are FDA has approved as food additives in the United States:
You have probably heard of these. We have also probably used these in recipes.
saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), sucralose, neotame, and advantame.
Sugar alcohols are not high-intensity sweeteners.
I know that I need to limit eating these. Sugar alcohols are another class of sweeteners. We know these as sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol, and maltitol. Many of us know these alcohols from seeing them in gum and candy. You can read the labels to see if you are too.
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A self-proclaimed Reformed Sugar Addict, The Sugar Free Diva is a restaurant owner by day and author by night.She has been featured in numerous media outlets as well as serving on speaking panels. Most importantly, she is an avid pet owner who loves life.