Non-sugar sweetener closest to sugar taste

april3888
april3888 Posts: 40 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Which non-sugar sweetener tastes closest to real sugar? I know Equal and Sweet n Low both have an artitical taste which I hate. I did Stevia in the past and was good with it until I had my 2nd baby then it tasted fake to me. I think Splenda was the same.
Any suggestions of others to try?

Replies

  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    I have used stevia for the last 10 years. I can't stand Splenda or equal! I think it's all preference.
  • guinevere96
    guinevere96 Posts: 1,445 Member
    I think stevia tastes the closest to real sugar, I love it! I also use splenda but that doesn't taste anything like real sugar lol. I just don't mind the taste personally.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    Truvia, which is basically erythritol and stevia extract (though mostly erythritol) is my favorite. I use it in my tea every morning. It dissolves easily and tastes just like sugar. I can pick up a piece that falls out and eat it by itself and, again, just like sugar. Stevia is great by itself but it has a different flavor past the sweetness.

    Be wary, though, if you use a lot. Erythritol (and xylitol) in large quantities can loosen your bowels. I learned this by drinking one of those zero calorie Vitamin Waters (before I learned what BS they are) a few years ago on a road trip that ended up taking about twice as long as it should have :s Otherwise, it's simply another type of sugar alcohol that your body cannot digest, which makes it zero calorie. In my opinion, it's the closest you can get to sugar without being what we all know as sugar.
  • TheCrunchyGoth
    TheCrunchyGoth Posts: 3 Member
    Stevia, Xylitol and Erythritol are all the best because they are naturally derived. Try to avoid the others because those are the ones that are bad for you and can cause side effects (other than loose bowels lol)
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    hxchana wrote: »
    Stevia, Xylitol and Erythritol are all the best because they are naturally derived. Try to avoid the others because those are the ones that are bad for you and can cause side effects (other than loose bowels lol)

    Examples and scientific evidence of your claims?
  • divcara
    divcara Posts: 357 Member
    My favorite thing to use is Log Cabin no sugar maple syrup. It has sorbitol and I'm not going to say it's the best choice alternative to sugar but....I love how it tastes and it makes me happy so that's what I use. I don't use very much of it at all, but I like a dash of it in my oatmeal or protein shakes or sometimes mixed with things when I cooked.
  • BT_rescuemom
    BT_rescuemom Posts: 284 Member
    So far I have found erythitol is the only one that doesn't have that bitter aftertaste to me. Brand name Swerve.
  • SouthernPeach1
    SouthernPeach1 Posts: 21 Member
    I use Truvia in my oatmeal every morning and don't care for other non-sugar options.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Some people taste the maltodextrin added to splenda powder to make it 1:1 with table sugar. Splenda liquid (sucralose liquid) is usually more concentrated (e.g. 1 drop=2 tsp). It has no maltodextrin + you use substantially less so it might be more tolerable to you in liquid form. There are many formulations, many flavored, differing concentrations.

    Another thing to try is to combine sweeteners in order to halve the qty (and aftertaste) of each. E.g. sub 1 drop sucralose +1 drop stevia for 4 tsp sugar.
  • chonji4ever
    chonji4ever Posts: 120 Member
    I vote to stay away from all the fake stuff! All the engineered sugar that I have tried upsets my stomach. A lot of it is not very digestible so it winds up in your gut to reach havoc with your natural bacteria system and can cause gas. Pass the real sugar this way please :smile:
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    That's pretty interesting that a lot of you guys are suggesting Truvia. I've never tried it; will check it out, thanks.
    (*note* after checking Amazon reviews, a lot of people are claiming a strong aftertaste. But people perceive tastes differently, so there's no telling if I'd like it or not without trying it. Anyways!)

    My standard is sucralose (Splenda). I don't notice any "off" taste, but maybe I'm just used to it.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Xylitol pretty much works for me.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I find sucralose leaves a bit of a nasty metallic aftertaste.
    Aspartame has a slightly bitter taste to me but I like that flavour (prefer the taste of diet coke to coke).
    Stevia I just find sweet with no particular taste.

    There's no substitute for a teaspoon of sugar in my porridge though! :)
  • CMNVA
    CMNVA Posts: 733 Member
    Watching this thread with interest. Haven't found one yet that I like and I've tried them all. So I just use sugar and try to make sure I get less sugar other places throughout the day. Nothing makes my tea taste as good as a teaspoon of sugar (prior to MFP I was probably using 4 tsps though!!). Then I read that Splenda has 4 calories per packet so I was only saving 8 calories rather than 15. Just wasn't worth it because I was NOT enjoying the Splenda at all.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    feisty_bucket wrote: »
    That's pretty interesting that a lot of you guys are suggesting Truvia. I've never tried it; will check it out, thanks.
    (*note* after checking Amazon reviews, a lot of people are claiming a strong aftertaste. But people perceive tastes differently, so there's no telling if I'd like it or not without trying it. Anyways!)

    My standard is sucralose (Splenda). I don't notice any "off" taste, but maybe I'm just used to it.

    Yeah. I can't do Truvia. The aftertaste of any stevia derived sweetener puts me off right away. Not to mention it also has Erythritol which has this cooling aftertaste so it only works with peppermint stuff where there already is a cooling effect. Tried Erythritol on its own once and it was like adding toothpaste to tea.
  • Red_Pill
    Red_Pill Posts: 300 Member
    edited October 2016
    You know you could just use sugar it's not the end of the world if you do.
  • Hannahrose888
    Hannahrose888 Posts: 25 Member
    I would use sugar but just in moderation. However, I find stevia to be the best alternative.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 654 Member
    Truvia. I used to use Splenda, but really didn't like the taste. I think truvia tastes most like sugar.
  • BT_rescuemom
    BT_rescuemom Posts: 284 Member
    Red_Pill wrote: »
    You know you could just use sugar it's not the end of the world if you do.

    For people like me who are insulin resistant it does make a whole world of difference!
  • divcara
    divcara Posts: 357 Member
    Anyone ever try monk sugar in the raw? I've never tried. But I've read it tastes better than stevia and is closer to a real sugar taste without the blood sugar level going through the roof.

    http://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/monk-fruit-alternative-sweetener/
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    BT_rescuemom wrote: »
    Red_Pill wrote: »
    You know you could just use sugar it's not the end of the world if you do.

    For people like me who are insulin resistant it does make a whole world of difference!

    Yes, but OP didn't mention anything about insulin resistance and most people who start these kinds of threads aren't seeking advice because of insulin resistance.
  • JShailen
    JShailen Posts: 184 Member
    I cant stand stevia so i stick with aspartame. There's another one I don't mind, sucralose I think (it tends to be in the yellow packets, containers in the uk).

    I've tried stevia several times but can't get past the aftertaste. Some people don't seem to get an aftertaste with it though.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 654 Member
    Oh, monk fruit. Yeah, that one tastes really good. If I didn't use a stevia product, I would be using monk fruit.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Monk fruit is the best in my opinion, stevia is second best. If I don't have access to either of them, I go for the sucralose (Splenda). There are mixes that combine the two of them that are good. I think erythritol is the least likely sugar alcohol to cause digestive upset; xylitol and sorbitol are the big culprits.
  • bininj
    bininj Posts: 79 Member
    I find if I keep my protein intake relatively high I don't crave sugar at all. I've gone all my life without adding sugar to hot drinks as I just don't like it, but I still like something sweet now and then. In those situations I eat some dried fruit.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    leaninsc wrote: »
    Anyone ever try monk sugar in the raw? I've never tried. But I've read it tastes better than stevia and is closer to a real sugar taste without the blood sugar level going through the roof.

    http://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/monk-fruit-alternative-sweetener/

    I found some of this and gave it a try because I wanted something with a brown-sugar flavor. I really like it, but it didn't have as much of the caramel flavor you get with brown sugar as I was hoping for.

    I use sucralose drops most of the time. Sometimes I use sugar free syrups like Mrs Butterworth Maple Syrup or Torani Sugar Free flavored syrups to jazz things up. I think most of them are sucralose-based.

    Can't stand Stevia. Tastes super bitter to me. And still prefer the Aspertame sweetened Diet Pepsi to the Splenda version. But not enough to quit drinking it!
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 654 Member
    There are different brands of stevia. My sister had one in a tiny bottle, because a tiny bit was really, really strong. I had a container of stevia which was more like powder which wasn't strong at all. Really did taste like sugar. I also had stevia drops which wasn't strong either. So it does matter which brand you get. Some taste pretty horrible, others taste pretty good.
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
    I like Truvia the most, I'm addicted to the packets containing an erythritol and stevia blend. I also tried the baking blend which contains sugar and found it wasn't as sweet so I didn't get it again, although it didn't taste bad or anything! I find by itself erythritol isn't that sweet and (to me) neither is stevia, but together they're wonderful.
  • grannynot
    grannynot Posts: 146 Member
    I'm another one who tastes a strong metallic taste with stevia - yuck! But Splenda seems fine to me. I guess taste buds are a very individual thing.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I'm a fan of the sucralose drops.

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