The Easiest Way to Cut Down on Empty Calories

Depending on how many cups of coffee or tea you may drink in a day, there is one easy change that you can make that can considerably help cut down your empty calorie intake.

Switch to a natural sugar alternative. I'm not talking about Aspartame or any of those nasty chemical substitutes. There are a number of natural sugar alternatives that are very low in calories and taste sweet. Taste-wise they are as good as regular sugar. We cover a few of the most popular ones.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol with a sweetness similar to that of sugar. Xylitol also doesn't raise blood sugar or insulin levels. However, some people may experience some digestive discomfort if taking too much.

It also appears to have some benefits for dental health, including reducing the risk of cavities and dental decay.

Furthermore, research shows that xylitol can increase levels of several compounds in the digestive tract to help support your gut microbiome.

Finally, if you have a dog at home, keep xylitol out of its reach, as xylitol is highly toxic to dogs

Erythritol

Erythritol is another low calorie sweetener. It's a sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits. Erythritol tastes very much like sugar, although it can have a mild aftertaste.

Erythritol doesn't spike your blood sugar or insulin levels, nor does it affect levels of blood fats like cholesterol or triglycerides.

It's absorbed into your body from your intestines, but it's eventually excreted from your urine unchanged.

Although it's often better tolerated than other sugar alcohols, it is still capable of causing digestive issue in some individuals. But Keep in mind that erythritol is much less likely to cause digestive issues than other sugar alcohols such as xylitol.

Stevia

Stevia is a very popular low calorie sweetener. It's extracted from the leaves of a plant called Stevia rebaudiana. This plant has been grown for its sweetness and medicinal purposes for centuries in South America.

Stevia is very sweet but has virtually no calories. It is important to note that you only need a very small amount to achieve the same sweetness as a teaspoon of sugar.

Additionally, a few human-based studies suggest stevia may have health benefits. Stevia may help lower high blood pressure in people with hypertension. However, it doesn't affect normal or only mildly elevated blood pressure levels. It may be a helpful sugar alternative for people with diabetes and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Many people greatly dislike the taste of stevia. The flavor depends on the brand, though, so you may need to experiment to find a type of stevia you like.

Monk Fruit

Just a very quick note on Monk Fruit sweetener. Monk fruit is a type of fruit native to Southeast Asia. It's often used to make a natural sweetener called monk fruit extract.

On any brand of monk fruit I've looked at, almost all contain 1% monk fruit and 99% erythritol.

The Final Word

There are a number of options for a healthy sugar alternative that can help cut down your calories and help you lose weight. See which one suits you best taste-wise, but avoid the artificial, chemical sweeteners as they can produce negative health outcomes.