What is a non-sugar, vegan/healthy alternative to aspartame?

Question

I have to be careful with sugar. There's a long line of diabeties and hypoglycemia in my family on both sides. I know aspartame is bad for me but what are my alternatives?

Answer 1

Stevia is the way to go. All sugar substitutes like Splenda, Sweet N' Low and all those are basically chemicals. Stevia is all natural.  

Answer 2

how about just pure veggies and fruits?  fresh?  ya know from the produce section.

OH and  aspartame is not vegan.

Answer 3

I like Splenda. To me it's the most sugar-like of the fake sugars (because, I assume, that it is actually twisted sugar molecules).  

Answer 4

Hey Prill ~

My Dad has to watch his sugar & this is what he uses!

Stevia is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. The species Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.

With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Stevia also has shown promise in medical research for treating such conditions as obesity[1] and high blood pressure.[2][3] Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, even enhancing glucose tolerance;[4] therefore, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets.[5] However, health and political controversies have limited stevia's availability in many countries; for example, the United States banned it in the early 1990s unless labeled as a supplement. Stevia is widely used as a sweetener in Japan, and it is now available in the US and Canada as a dietary supplement, although not as a food additive. Rebiana is the trade name for a stevia-derived sweetener being developed jointly by The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill with the intent of marketing in several countries and gaining regulatory approval in the US and EU. Truvia is Cargill's consumer brand of Rebiana-based sweetener.

STEVIA EXTRACT: Low glycemic index sweetner powder

All natural herb used successfully for over a century*

100-300 times sweeter than sugar*

No bitter after-taste*

Low glycemic index food that will not raise blood sugar levels*

Will not contribute to tooth decay*

Convenient easy to use packets that can be used anywhere.

Healthy and Sweet

An All Natural Pleasant Tasting Sweetener From Lo Han Kuo Fruit That Safely Replaces Refined Sugars and Chemical Sugar Substitutes.

Answer 5

Splenda contains CHLORINE... something you do NOT want to eat!

Go with liquid or crystallized Stevia. Its a little bit expensive, but very potent, so you don't need to use much. I put 2 drops into my coffee every morning (maybe an 8oz cup) and I can't tell its not sugar!

Answer 6

You might try splenda is is made out of sugar but without the effects and sugar alcohols as sugar.  But you are right aspartame like nutrasweet and other artificial sweetners containing aspartame are "sweet poison"  

what do you need sugar it for, I assume cooking?  I dont beleive that sugar alone brings on the onset of diabetes. In fact genetics and weight are more likely to bring on diabetes.  If you are vegan, than honey would be out of the question. If you need a sugar sub, go with splenda, otherwise just eat fruit. There is some kind of natural sweetner that you can find at herbal shops, not sur eof the name, but I guess it is 100 time sweeter than sugar so you dont need to uses a lot and doesnt have the effects sugar does with bloodsugar.  When you are hypoglycemic, doesnt that mean you NEED a lot of sugar? I think it is the opposite of diabetic, so you might get luck and be right in between the 2 genetic abnormalities. Just eat healthy and watch your weight, otherwise there is nothing else you can do to prevent diabetes, it may just be in your DNA.  Good luck though.

Answer 7

Fruits and vegetables have natural, health sugar in it.

  

Answer 8

Dry sweetners: cane sugar, beet sugar, date sugar, stevia powder.

Liquid sweeteners:100% Fruit juice concentrate, liquid stevia, agave nectar, barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, maple syrup (free of animal products).