When you follow a keto diet, or ketogenic diet, you know you have to cut down high-carb foods such as processed snacks, starches, and desserts. That’s because your body needs to reach a metabolic state called ketosis. Ketosis is a process that breaks down fat stores rather than carbs to provide energy.
You should also be knowing that you need to reduce your sugar intake for your body to reach the ketosis process, which can sometimes be challenging. Luckily, there are a variety of keto-friendly sugar substitutes that you can enjoy if you are a keto dieter.
Here are the 6 best keto-friendly sugar substitutes:
- Stevia
Stevia is one of the best natural sweeteners derived from the Stevia plant. It is considered a non-nutritive sweetener, meaning it has very little or no calories or carbs. Unlike processed or regular sugar, studies have found that stevia could help lower blood sugar levels.
- Erythritol
Erythritol is one of the types of sugar alcohol, which stimulate your sweet taste receptors on your tongue to give you the taste of sugar. It is 80 percent sweeter than regular sugar, yet it has only 5 percent of the calories. Although one teaspoon of erythritol contains 4 grams of carbs, studies found that it might help lower blood sugar levels.
- Sucralose
Sucralose is a keto-friendly sugar substitute that is not metabolized, which means it does not get absorbed by the body, providing you no calories or carbs. Please note that pure sucralose is more than 600 times sweeter than regular sugar. Therefore, you will only need to use a tiny amount of it.
- Xylitol
Xylitol is also a type of sugar alcohol, which is commonly found in products such as candies, mints, and sugar-free gum. One teaspoon of xylitol contains just 3 calories and 4 grams of carbs. Like other sugar alcohols, xylitol does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels. This keto-friendly sugar substitute can be added to tea, coffee, shakes, or even smoothies.
- Monk Fruit
Monk fruit sweetener is yet another a natural sweetener and keto-friendly sugar substitute that is extracted from a plant native to southern China. Monk fruit contains natural sugars and compounds known as mogrosides, which are found to have antioxidant properties. Monk fruit does not contain calories and carbs, making it one of the best keto-friendly sugar substitutes.
- Yacon Syrup
Yacon syrup is made from the roots of the yacon plant that is widely grown in South America. It is rich in a type of soluble fiber called fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which your body does not digest or absorb. Plus, studies have found that yacon syrup could be helpful in reducing blood sugar and insulin levels. If you are following a keto diet, use these keto-friendly sugar substitutes in moderation as part of a healthy and balanced keto diet to add flavor while remaining low-carb.
