What Sweeteners You Can Use with the Ketogenic Diet - The Ultimate Guide

Published May 11, 2020·Mattia D.

**The ketogenic diet provides for the minimization of carbohydrates from the diet, including sugar, but this does not necessarily mean giving up sweetness in your recipes.

In fact, there are different types of natural sweeteners which are not metabolized in the same way as traditional sugar and therefore can be taken in the ketogenic diet, among which we find: Erythritol, Stevia, Xylitol, Dextrose, Sucralose.**

In this article we will see which are the best alternative sweeteners.

PS: if you are looking for keto and low carb recipes, go to our recipes.

Erythritol

Erythritol is a polyalcohol naturally present in fruit and fermented foods. It has a glycemic index (GI) and an insulin index (II) of 0, making it perfect for the ketogenic diet.

Its characteristics have made it the number one alternative natural sweetener for low carb diets, as well as for people with diabetes.

Furthermore, several studies have shown that it is a tooth-friendly product, as it is not converted into bacterial acids present in the mouth that cause plaque and also plays a protective role against bacterial plaque.

The only problem, albeit not significant, of erythritol is the laxative effect it can cause, which however occurs rarely and if consumed in large quantities. It should also be considered that the sweetening power is about 70% of the sugar.

If you are interested in buying the best quality / price erythritol that I have found, and that I regularly buy too, is the following on Amazon.

Stevia

Stevia, as you can see from the image, is a plant whose leaves have a strong sweetening power. Like erythritol, stevia has no calories and has a zero glycemic and insulin index.

Pure stevia has 150 times higher sweetening power, making it an ideal substitute for recipes and desserts.

The problem with stevia is its flavor. In fact, it is known for leaving a bitter aftertaste in the mouth that may be unpleasant for some.

I often use a small amount of stevia in sweets together with erythritol, so as to have a good sweetening power with an almost absent aftertaste.

If you are interested in buying pure stevia, on Amazon you can buy pure liquid stevia with vanilla flavor at this link.

Instead for pure stevia powder cliccate qua.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sweetener often used as a sugar substitute in candy and chewing gum. It is extracted from birches, strawberries, raspberries, plums and from wheat.

Xylitol has a low glycemic index of 13 (for comparison sugar is 100), so it can be taken in moderation.

The positive thing about this sweetener is its taste similar to sugar, unlike stevia and erythritol, but it should be considered that having a higher glycemic index than the latter, it is preferable to use it in smaller doses.

Like erythritol and all sugar alcohols, it has a laxative effect when taken in high doses and has a protective effect on bacterial plaque.

If you are interested in buying xylitol the best I could find on Amazon for quality/price is at this link.

Monk Fruit

Monk fruit, also known as Siraitia grosvenorii and luo han guo, is a perennial vine of the gourd family native to China and Thailand.

This exotic fruit has a sweetening power 300 times higher than sugar.

In recent years it has become increasingly popular in the ketogenic diet world for its very sugar-like flavor and zero glycemic index.

The best brand is Lacanto, and you can find it on Amazon at this link.

Allulose

Allulose is a rare substance found in a few fruits such as figs, raisins and wheat.

It is a very recent low calorie sweetener, which has a zero glycemic index.

Having a molecular structure very similar to fructose, with the particularity of not being metabolized in the stomach. This makes it an excellent sweetener for the ketogenic diet also due to its very similar taste to sugar.

Allulose, in my humble opinion, is the best alternative sweetener you can buy, and you can buy it on Amazon at this link.

Alternative sweeteners not recommended

There are other sweeteners in addition to those indicated above which, although having a low glycemic index and could be consumed in the ketogenic diet, are not recommended for several reasons.

This category includes artificial sweeteners such as: sucralose, maltitol, aspartame and saccharin.

These sweeteners can cause significant bowel problems and are considered carcinogens by many. So if possible I would avoid hiring them at any cost.

Table of sweeteners

| ------------------------------ | ---- | ---- | ----------- |

| Erythritol | 0 | $$ | 👍🏻 |

| Stevia | 0 | $$ | 👍🏻 |

| Xylitol | 13 | $$ | 👍🏻 |

| Monk Fruit | 0 | $$$ | 👍🏻 |

| Allulose | 0 | $$$ | 👍🏻 |

| Truvia (erythritol + stevia) | 0 | $$ | 👍🏻 |

| Splenda (sucralose + dextrose) | 11 | $$ | 🚫 |

| Saccharin | 0 | $$ | 🚫 |

| Sucralose | 0 | $$ | 🚫 |

| Maltitol | 60 | $$ | 🚫 |

| Aspartame | 0 | $$ | 🚫 |

| Granulated sugar | 100 | $ | 🚫 |

| Brown sugar | 100 | $ | 🚫 |

| Coconut sugar | 100 | $$ | 🚫 |

| Honey | 100+ | $$ | 🚫 |

| Dates | 100 | $$ | 🚫 |

Conclusions

Although the ketogenic diet does not involve the use of classic sweeteners such as sugar, this does not mean that one must necessarily give up sweeteners.

There are excellent alternatives to sugar such as erythritol, stevia and xylitol which with their very low or zero glycemic index are ideal in the ketogenic diet.

Other very promising sweeteners such as monk fruit and allulose are not present in Italy yet, but over time we will most likely have 2 other fantastic alternatives as sweeteners.

For the rest I would avoid without thinking twice about artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, maltitol and sucralose.