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There is no denying the allure of sugary food. The sweet flavor is a constant source of joy and happiness for many, be it in the form of ice cream, shortcakes, or cookies. Unfortunately, traditional sweeteners are directly linked to several nasty health issues and diseases. These include relatively mild stuff like tooth decay to life-threatening issues such as obesity and diabetes.
That said, you'd be pleased to know that you can avoid these issues without completely bailing on any sweet food. All you have to do is replace regular sweeteners in your food with the leading zero-calorie sweeteners of 2024. These low-calorie sweeteners are also an effective tool for folks on a weight loss journey. Not all alternative sweeteners are equally effective, though, and that's why we've picked out some of the finest examples for you. Take a look!
Comparing the Top Zero Calorie Sweetener of 2024
Durelife Zero Calorie Sweetener — Best Overall
Key Features
- Available in three sizes
- Great for keto diets
- Made from erythritol and monk fruit extract
- Tastes exactly like cane sugar
- Gluten-free and safe for diabetics
Switching from regular sugar to zero calorie sweeteners can be quite expensive. Durelife eliminates this worry with its monk fruit sweetener bag. The biggest contributor to this sugar substitute's value is its price, which is around half of the other similarly-sized substitutes. But that's not all. Just being cheap isn't good enough; quality matters just as much, and this option delivers on that front as well. In fact, this is a safe alternative to sugar with a 1-to-1 ratio for taste and potency. It's so high quality that it comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee, making it the best overall on our list.
Truvia Zero Calorie Sweetener — Most Affordable
Key Features
- Divided into 240 convenient packets
- GMO and gluten-free ingredients
- Ideal for carb-conscious diets like keto
- One packet equals two teaspoons of sugar
The zero-calorie sweetener from Truvia is ideal in almost every way. For starters, it tastes amazing thanks to its natural plant-based stevia sweetness. A complete lack of any artificial sweeteners further enhances its flavor and makes it stand out from the rest. This sweetener is also prepackaged in smaller packets that are equivalent to two teaspoons of sugar each, which is not only convenient for quick measurements but also provides better control over your sweet consumption habits.
Equal Zero Calorie Sweetener — Easy to Use
Key Features
- Each box comes with 800 packets
- Gluten-free and kosher parve certified
- Ideal for folks with diabetes
- One packet equals two teaspoons of sugar
Equal makes the transition from traditional sweeteners to zero calorie ones as smooth and easy as possible. A large part of this is its taste and compatibility — you can use this sugar substitute in everything, from drinks like coffee and smoothies to dessert recipes and homemade cakes. Its composition is also ideal for folks with diabetes, who can switch over to this zero calorie sweetener without any issues. Most convenient, though, are the perfectly sized packets that are weighed to be just right for most day-to-day uses. Not to mention the clever box design that opens up like a drawer for hassle-free access.
Purecane Zero Calorie Sweetener — Perfect for Baking
Key Features
- Available in three sizes
- Doesn’t come in individual packets
- Diabetes and keto-friendly
- Made from sustainably sourced sugarcane
Most zero calorie sweeteners are fairly successful at recreating the taste and feel of sugar, but its consistency is a different matter altogether. Purecane tackles this issue head-on and delivers a zero calorie alternative that not only tastes like sugar, but acts like it. In other words, you can use this sweetener for stuff like baking, which often has ultra-specific parameters for its ingredients.
The best part about this zero calorie sweetener’s texture is that it doesn't rely on any artificial chemicals either — everything in this sweetener is completely natural. In fact, one of the most pivotal ingredients in its production is sugarcane itself, which nicely explains its sugar-like taste and texture.
Whole Earth Sweetener Co. Zero Calorie Sweetener — Natural Composition
Key Features
- Available in 1 and 4-pound pouches
- All-natural composition with erythritol corn extract
- Crystalline structure fit for baking
- Low glycemic index prevents weight gain
The zero calorie sweetener from Whole Earth is as high quality and natural as it gets. Its key ingredient is 100% erythritol which is derived purely from GMO-free corn. The biggest benefit of erythritol as an alternative sweetener is that it behaves just like regular sugar; this is especially true for tasks like baking, where texture and consistency matter just as much as taste. One attribute of this sweetener that you won't see in many other options is its reduced intensity. This means it has a nearly identical taste to regular cane sugar but with 70% potency. So, if you're a fan of subtle sweetness, this substitute is the one for you.
Buying Guide: Zero Calorie Sweetener
Navigating the world of sugar substitutes can be a bit rough at times. There are tons of genuinely useful alternatives available on the market, but you'll also encounter a bunch with exaggerated claims and confusing compositions. Luckily, navigating these options to find the right one is not difficult, as long as you're informed.
Here's what you need to know before buying zero-calorie sweeteners.
The Benefits of Zero Calorie Sweeteners
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding the benefits of sugar substitutes, and many of these false positives sound plausible enough to mislead most folks. These are the actual advantages of switching over to zero-calorie sweeteners.
Help with weight loss
One of the biggest downsides of consuming sugar is its direct connection to obesity. Sugary drinks and dishes will make you fat, so you might have to avoid them entirely when starting a diet. Unfortunately, the sweet stuff is fairly addicting, and having to forgo it entirely will make your weight loss journey much harder than it needs to be.
Zero calorie sweeteners resolve this issue by giving you the sweet taste without any connections to weight gain and obesity. With these, you can enjoy a moderate amount of sweet delicacies without worrying about ruining your diet.
Use for diabetes patients
Diabetes is a terrible health condition that affects almost every part of your body, from the immune system to your heart. Medication can suppress it to some extent, but you also have to forgo all sweet food to see tangible positive results. The thing is, this ban on sweet food and beverages is not because of the sweet flavor itself, but rather the chemical compound that forms traditional cane sugar.
Zero calorie sweeteners utilize this concept to bypass the issue and allow diabetic folks to enjoy sweet food without putting their health at risk. Just remember that there are many different types of sugar substitutes, and not all of them are safe for diabetes patients.
Better control
Sugar is super addictive, making it exceptionally difficult to control your consumption. You might start with an occasional sugary drink here and a sweet dessert there, but before you realize it, you'll be consuming them regularly. Many high-quality alternative sweeteners don't have these addictive attributes. So using these instead of traditional sugar will allow you to quit whenever you want and have better control over your day-to-day consumption.
Better health
The health benefits of zero-calorie sweeteners go way beyond just preventing obesity. Most of these are made from plants with all-natural formulas. These plants are also GMO-free in most cases, and the final sweetener is almost always gluten-free as well. While too much of anything is bad for your health, consuming GMO-free, natural sweeteners is much better than using calorie-loaded, heavily processed traditional cane sugar.
What to Look For in Zero-Calorie Sweeteners
Ingredients
The most important step is to learn about the ingredients that make up a substitute sweetener. These can be basic monk fruit extracts, sugar alcohols like erythritol, or a blend of refined cane extracts and other compounds. Just make sure that they're all natural and that there are no artificial sweeteners in the mix.
Flavor
There are two main types of zero-calorie sweeteners. Some taste exactly like regular sugar, while others put a twist on it. The choice between these two is completely up to you.
Pouch vs. packets
A pouch or bag is a large container filled with the sweetener, while packets have smaller, pre-portioned amounts in them. Pouches are the right option if you need the sweetener for baking or other cooking tasks. Packets, on the other hand, serve as the perfect option for beverages like tea or coffee.
