Sugar is one of the main culprits of diabetes. While sugar offers sweetness and flavour to many dishes, its reputation is not as excellent.

It contains very little to zero amount of protein, essential fats, and vitamins. It interferes with your hormones and metabolism. However, food without sugar is undoubtedly not everyone’s favourite.

Fortunately, there are workarounds to tackle this issue. There are several known healthier alternatives for sugar that offer the same taste or even tastier. Better yet, it is very suitable for type-2 diabetics. Here are the other options:

Stevia

Stevia is a natural sweetener and is extracted from a plant known by the name Stevia Rebaudiana. Many experts have recommended stevia as it has never been linked to any medical issues.

Additionally, Stevia has also been found to lower blood sugar and insulin levels. This natural sweetener can be found in liquid or powder form.

Xylitol or Sorbitol

Xylitol is an alcohol sweetener that is extracted from corn or birch wood. Although it is considered as the healthier alternative for sugar, xylitol still contains 2.4 calories per gram. However, that said, xylitol contains 40% fewer calories than ordinary sugar.

Similar to stevia, it is also known to maintain blood sugar levels.

In addition to this, xylitol also offers other numerous health benefits such as keeping your dental health and increasing your body absorption of calcium which is good to prevent osteoporosis.

Erythritol

Another alcohol sweetener that suits people with diabetes is erythritol. It contains 0.2 calories per gram, which is far less than xylitol.

Erythritol is considered as one of the most popular sugar alternatives as it offers the same taste as regular sugar.

Although there are no formal documented side effects of consuming erythritol at one gram per pound (0.45kg), it is still advised to use this alcohol sweetener moderately.

Yacon Syrup

Yacon syrup first originated from Bolivia and Peru. Yacon syrup is a natural sweetener that is derived from the Yacon plant tubers.

Yacon syrup has been known to be used medically due to its impressive immune-boosting properties. It contains 50% of sweet and prebiotic fibres that feed your body’s healthy bacteria while also keeping your insulin level low.

However, consuming too much Yacon syrup can lead to gas and diarrhoea. Additionally, Yacon syrup also cannot be baked and is perfect for pancakes, and used in tea or coffee sweetener.

Saccharin

Saccharin offers a sweetness that is 500 times more than sugar. However, due to the bitter aftertaste of this sweetener, it is often mixed with other low-calorie sweeteners such as aspartame.

The good thing about saccharin is that it is perfectly safe to bake or use as a sweetener for cereal, coffee, or tea.

For more information about healthy and natural sugar alternatives, you may visit Okadoc blog. Additionally, you can also consult with medical professionals through the Okadoc app.