Sally Squires examines sweeteners
Try saying that headline really fast about 10 times.
Seriously, Sally writes a regular column, "The Lean Plate Club," for The Washington Post, and in the most recent edition she compares various sugar substitutes. She looks at safety, calorie content, whether the substance in question can be used for baking, and, ahem, other factors (example: erythritol, a sugar alcohol "can can cause gas and loose bowels").
Her conclusion: "If you’re looking for sweetness with fewer calories, try sucralose or Whey Low, which seem to have flavor with few risks."
Sucralose (major brand name is Splenda) is my pal, as it ends up in my three daily cups of coffee. I like the flavor and don’t detect any aftertaste. I’ve never tried the versions of Splenda offered as suitable for baking. First, if cookies (or whatever) baked with Splenda tasted good, I would find it difficult to have them in the house and not eat more than I should. I would rather reserve my calories for protein, whole-grain and vegetable carbs, and healthy fats.
And I just don’t bake sweets anymore (although I have fabulous memories of brioche), with the exception of of a German-chocolate cake for my husband’s birthday each year.
Don’t know about you, but I don’t crave sweets when I don’t eat them. On maintenance day, I spend my extra calories on pizza or pasta. But back to Sally. Her columns are always well-written and backed by research. Take a look, and sign up for her free newsletter.
