Twin and other Sugar Substitutes
 

I've been using Twin. Today we ran out, and for some reason, I decided to read the box.

It's made of dextrose and sodium cyclamate. Dextrose, dextrose, didn't I learn about dextrose in high school biology or somewhere? Isn't it a sugar? Sure enough, I looked it up in a nutrition book I have, and it says that dextrose is another name for glucose! Should I be eating it?

I looked at the calorie content. It looks good at 2 calories per packet. However that's 250 calories per 100g. Table sugar has 385. It is a saving, but not nearly as much as I thought. Not that the calories matter. I'm not counting calories.

The big question in my mind: is it really any better for me than table sugar?

Dextrose is used to give the product some "fluff". It can be as bad for as real sugar if you come to depend on it. If you can be moderate and use a little in your coffee or tea - if that's what your using it for - it can be OK. It's when you get into artificially sweetened desserts on a regular basis that you might find yourself in trouble.

Over a year ago, I realized that I was thinking longingly about my afternoon coffee that I drank with artificial sweetener and lots of whipping cream. I was focussed on it in the same way I used to focus on sweets. Realizing that I would eventually get into big trouble with that kind of thinking, I weaned myself onto black coffee.

As many people will tell you, it's a your mileage may vary thing.

We were just having a discussion on a very similar topic Click here.

Karen

ALL of the powdered artificial sweeteners use a carbohydrate to "fluff" or fill it out. Some use dextrose, a simple sugar. Some use maltodextrin, which is spun from highly refined cornstarch. Some use a combination of both.

The actual sweetener itself .. the cyclamate, sucralose, aspartame, saccharine or whatever .. is so concentrated, that it would only take a tiny dot to give the sweetness of a teaspoon of sugar. Well, it's kinda hard to measure a "tiny dot" ;) .. so manufacturers add the carbohydrate filler to give it bulk, and make it easier for consumers to use. Be aware that the bulk product that you buy in a box or jar, and measure with a spoon like sugar has the exact same weight of carbohydrate filler added as there is in the little paper packets/ sachets -- it's just been fluffed up more to make it easier to measure. If you read the label of the little packets, you'll see that one packet equals the sweetness of 1 or 2 tsp. sugar, yet there's only 1/4 tsp or less of powder in there. It's more concentrated, so you don't measure it in the same way as the fluffy bulk powder.

For example, SugarTwin packets = 2 tsp sugar. 3 packets would = 6 tsp of sugar, which is 2 Tbsp. Yet, there'd be less than 1 tsp of powder to give that much sweetness.

Some artificial sweeteners are available in liquid or tablet form. The liquid forms have ZERO carbs added, since the sweetener is dissolved in water, there's no filler required. The little tablets usually are made with lactose .. yes, a sugar carb .. BUT, a very small amount, usually each tablet is 0.5 calories or less, which translates to 0.125g carbs :)

The thing to remember is .. (in Canada at least :daze: ).. the carbs that are contributed by the dextrose and/or maltodextrin are accounted for on the label .. for Cdn SugarTwin, which is cyclamate, it's 0.5g per packet .. or 2 calories. The cyclamate itself has no calories or carbs. In the US, manufacturers are permitted to label a product as "zero" carbs if the "serving" has less than 1 gram.

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Just to further clarify on your question of comparing SugarTwin weight for weight to real sugar ...

• 100 grams of sugar measures 1/2 cup for 385 calories
• 1/2 cup equivalent of SugarTwin weighs barely 3 grams, and has 6 calories ;)
• 100 grams of SugarTwin would sweeten as much as 500 tsp, or 10½ cups of sugar ;)

Hope this is helpful for you.

Doreen

Thanks Doreen and Karen,

I found both your replies very helpful.

I only use the Twin in my tea and oatmeal, and I guess I'm using less than a teaspoon a day because it is so concentrated.

Your explanation of how concentrated it is was just wonderful Doreen. So I'll stop worrying about it, and continue to use it as I have been. :)

I didn't think to do a search for this, but it has been very helpful.