Best sweetener?

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active562
active562 Posts: 135 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello
Which is the artificial sweetener with the closest taste to sugar ( and has no calories). I tried Stevia ( sweet and low) tablets but really hate the after taste.
Any suggested products?

Replies

  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    I used to find aspartame less objectionable than saccharin, but my tastes seem to have changed and now they all taste awful. I don't think there's one right answer to this, people seem to be incredibly individual in how they taste artificial sweeteners.
  • kandisn7
    kandisn7 Posts: 66 Member
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    I have learned to use honey, and I love it. It's worth the calories and at least there are some health benefits. (Not so with sugar or artifical sugar)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I don't think any of them taste at all like sugar.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    I prefer either Splenda or Equal. Neither of them really "tastes" like sugar. I only use them in coffee or tea, and it is enough sweetness for my tastes.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Agreed.... very individual. And it also depends on how you are using it (e.g. baking vs in coffee).

    Some substitutes are orders of magnitude sweeter than sugar, and to dilute to sweetness to something approaching sugar (for measuring ease), manufacturers combine the sweetener with another substance. E.g. splenda (sucralose) is mixed in maltodextrin to make it 1:1 with sugar, and some people hate the maltodextrin taste. So if you are baking and you don't mind adjusting your recipes, try to use the most concentrated liquids you can get. E.g. Da Vinci & Torrani are brands of liquid splenda that do not have maltodextrin. Same with stevia... you can get them in liquid drops. Also, when calculating replacement quantity, using 2 different sweeteners (e.g. liquid sucralose and stevia drops) will halve the aftertaste of each.

    Obviously more work that you would go through to sweeten your coffee, but maybe worth it for a coffee cake you really like.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    What is it for? That might help people say what they use.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    I far prefer xylitol. I won't touch any of the artificial sweetners. Xylitol is a 1:1 ratio substitution for sugar which makes using it easier. But mostly, I just use it for coffee. I don't generally bake with it but a rare once in awhile. When I bake with it I grind it in a coffee grinder to give it a finer texture for blending. It doesn't leave an aftertaste like most stevias do.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    kandisn7 wrote: »
    I have learned to use honey, and I love it. It's worth the calories and at least there are some health benefits. (Not so with sugar or artifical sugar)

    1) Honey has no health benefits
    2) The OP asked for 0 calorie sweetener options
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    I'm partial to aspartame or sucralose, though I usually get aspartame since sucralose is usually more expensive.

    I agree it's very individual - you may have to try a few to see what you prefer. None of them will taste exactly like sugar (I actually prefer Equal to sugar in my coffee now, and diet soft drinks to regular soft drinks - go figure), so keep that in mind.

    And don't listen to the fear-mongerers who may come into this thread. There is no reason to fear artificial sweeteners!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Personally I like truvia. I'm only using it for coffee and tea but I like the level of sweetness and no aftertaste.
  • farrell16
    farrell16 Posts: 49 Member
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    From a sweetness profile aspartame has the closest flavour arc to standard sugar but that being said I'm not a fan of aspartame in the diet in general. Stevia is a healthier option but you are right it is subject to a bit of a weird aftertaste.

    A neat little study can be found here:

    www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/50308.pdf

    Unfortunately it is hard to truly replicate it, Honey is probably the next best tasting option... from a pure artificial sweetener option if I had to choose I'd say Sucralose
  • whiplashy
    whiplashy Posts: 52 Member
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    It's down to personal preference. You're best option is to experiment to find the one that suits you best. I've tried loads of different ones. I'll use stevia based ones if I'm stuck and it's all that's available. I can't stand any aspartame ones. And I love splenda more than actual sugar now.
  • marm1962
    marm1962 Posts: 950 Member
    edited January 2017
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    trigden1991 wrote: »
    kandisn7 wrote: »
    I have learned to use honey, and I love it. It's worth the calories and at least there are some health benefits. (Not so with sugar or artifical sugar)

    1) Honey has no health benefits
    2) The OP asked for 0 calorie sweetener options

    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264667.php

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