Other Sweeteners

 

Stevia

The stevia plant grows in South America. It’s 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar and doesn’t contain calories.

In contrast to sugar and other sweeteners, stevia does contain some nutrients, including:

• potassium
• zinc
• magnesium
• vitamin B-3

The stevia plant is also a source of fiber and iron. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved refined stevia, which is wierd becuase the plant in it's whole form contains more vital nutrients. If you want whole stevia you have to get it in a health food store.  

I love it in my homemade hot cocoa mix! I like rich and dark chocolate so I use one cup cocoa or cacao with 1 T refined stevia.  If you use whole plant stevia it will have the flavor of greens.

Xylitol 

This is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some plants. It has a VERY LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX. Though it looks and tastes like sugar, it has 40% fewer calories. Xylitol’s GI — a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar — is only 7, whereas regular sugar’s is 60–70. It's low calorie and low GI. It's also been shown to have antibacterial properties, which is why it's become popular in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and some gum and candy.  Xylitol-sweetened gum can reduce ear infections in children and combat candida yeast infections.

"Xylitol can starve the harmful bacteria in your mouth, reducing plaque buildup and tooth decay. This can help prevent dental cavities and inflammatory gum diseases."-Healthline.com 

"While corresponding human studies are currently unavailable, rat studies show that xylitol can improve symptoms of diabetes, reduce belly fat and even prevent weight gain on a fattening diet (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source)."-Healthline.com

"Xylitol may increase collagen production and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. It also feeds the friendly bacteria in your gut."-Healthline.com

Dog owners beware!  Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs, leading to hypoglycemia and liver failure.

Xylitol may cause digestive upset in some people, but high doses are well tolerated by others.

 

Erythritol

This is a sugar alcohol. However, unlike maltitol, it doesn’t have a glycemic index and has fewer calories. It also doesn’t usually cause stomach pains or gas. Since it’s still a sugar alcohol, it doesn’t have the unpleasant aftertaste of artificial sweeteners. It is highly processer, though...so it breaks the rule of thumb to consume it as close to the way God made it as possible.