Sugar Substitutes & Diabetes

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is Brenda Thompson, registered dietitian and owner of Life Skills Nutrition. In this segment, I'm going to be talking about sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes are very helpful when someone has diabetes because it helps them consume less carbohydrates. There is a caution when consuming sugar substitutes because sometimes diarrhea, gas, and bloating can occur. These are some of the sweeteners that are available today. This is the Sweet-N-Low, which is saccharin. It has no calories and can be consumed in cereals, in coffee, and things like that. It's very similar to Equal, which is aspartame. However, people who have pain may want to stay away from aspartame because it does decrease serotonin levels. Also, if you have problems sleeping at night, you may want to limit aspartame. Check that in some of the diet sodas as well, because sometimes people don't realize that it contains aspartame. If those are not problems for you, this is completely safe for you to consume. Splenda is another product that's available. This has become very popular in baked goods. A lot of people use it. It's very sweet. I've seen it made in pies, cookies, cakes, and those kinds of things. Sweet Leaf Stevia is also another product. It's a new product. It's much more expensive. It is sweet. However, some people prefer it because they believe it's more natural. If you have diabetes and you're looking to cut your carbohydrates down, including some of these artificial sweeteners in your diet is sometimes a good idea."