Sweet taste, slim impact

Allulose sees a boost in demand as a low- calorie, fat-cutting sugar alternative

- Pramita Bose

Adding a pinch of sweetness to one's life is important as it makes it rich and more exciting.

But introducing lumps of sweetness to one's diet beyond measured proportions could harm his/her health. People with diabetes must keep the granules and cubes of sugar at bay to keep their condition in check. It is imperative to have a balanced intake of sweet. And to achieve a stable physical state, amending and altering the diet chart becomes necessary.

A catalogue of natural and artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes like sucrose, sucralose, fructose, saccharin, sugar free pellets and tablets, plus stevia leaves has already flooded the grocery market. Among these, allulose is currently gaining ground as a low-calorie, fat-cutting sweet component.

Health ally

Is allulose natural sugar? One wonders. "Allulose is a rare type of natural sugar found in small doses in foods like figs and wheat. It's often called 'nature's minimal-calorie sweetener' because it tastes like regular table sugar (refined white sugar commonly used as a domestic sweetener and primarily consisting of sucrose) but doesn't spike the blood sugar levels," informs clinical nutritionist, consultant dietician and diabetes educator Kanikka Malhotra.

Here's how allulose is different from sucrose, sucralose, fructose, stevia or other organic and artificial sweeteners:SUCROSE (table sugar): High in calories, spikes blood sugar.

FRUCTOSE (fruit sugar): Sweet with moderate calories and a lower blood sugar effect.

SUCRALOSE: Artificial sweetener with zero-calorie and a possible gut impact.

STEVIA: Zero-calorie, plant-based and leaves a herbal aftertaste. It is basically a shrub that grows in tropical and subtropical regions of America. Its leaves can be used as a calorie-free sugar substitute.