Easy Sugar Substitutes to Decrease Energy Intake & Drop Body Weight
If you haven’t made the switch – you should!
Water has always been known as the “athletes champagne” however, when it comes down to energy intake, dropping weight and keeping sane during strict diets, the real hero could be Low Energy Sweeteners (LES). You might be thinking, how I can say this? It’s because I trust in the facts!
When you compile all the results from scientific studies done on LES together, they show that consumption of LES can help reduce both energy intake and body weight. The reason they conducted this compilation of results (which is
known as a “meta-analysis”) was because there was so much uncertainty around this topic. Low energy sweeteners have been in the spotlight for some time now with many myths and criticisms circulating. The myth that LES cause overeating and obesity has been busted; we now know that they do the exact opposite!
The rationale behind it, is simple; energy intake is decreased when you switch from sugar to low energy sweeteners and in turn this makes weight loss achievable. This is because the energy out (from daily activity) is greater than the energy in (from food).
In Australia, LES have been tested thoroughly and the verdict is that they are safe to eat! They can be viewed as a way for you to control kilojoules and even carbohydrate intake.
Successful weight loss maintainers give credit to LES beverages for helping them with their achievements and in 2014 a trial showed that for weight loss, diet beverages are even better than water!
“Add Variety & Flexibility” - Diabetes Australia
LES are supported by Diabetes Australia as they can add variety and enjoyment to eating plans. Yet although supported by such organisations, there remains concerns about potential adverse metabolic effects, on appetite, satiety and our brains neural pathways. Attempts have been made to explore these concerns however, results are unconvincing. Additionally, as declared by the DAA – Dietitians Association Australia – the research that raises these concerns is typically conducted on animals; not humans and the amount of LES they are giving the animals is far greater than what we would possibly eat or drink.
- Current Science Supports LES -
So, what should you do with this information? Firstly, be aware that LES will remain a hot topic of debate; especially as individual studies are released. There will always be ‘news stories’ which selectively report on the findings from a singular study. We see it with chocolate all the time – one day its good for us and the next day its bad – but are the media just capitalising on us? It’s common to have gaps in our knowledge and understanding of what goes into these ‘scientific studies’ and how they related to us in real life. My advice, try to stay open minded when you hear the latest nutrition breakthrough being blitzed over the evening news.
The focus, should not be on the constant flip flop of are they ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Rather focus on how you may be able to use them effectively to achieve your health goals.
- Making the switch to LES -
I must say it, but when it comes to beverages specifically, water would still be the number one choice! Men need 3-4 Litres of water a day and we all know it 's an integral part of our body and its function. But that’s not what you’re here for…
[endif]--The main time to utilise LES is if it's a choice between ‘sugar-sweetened’ and the ‘diet’ version. The weekend has rolled around; social events and alcohol are on the cards… don’t let this interfere with your health goals! Use LES as an alternative to still enjoy the environment associated with ‘knock off drinks’ or a friend’s birthday party! You will be surprised how much you enjoy the night and you will feel a million times better for it the next day! When you’re at the movies and its tradition to get the popcorn and drink combo – opt for LES! You’re out for dinner and it just doesn’t seem festive to order tap water for the table – LES! Post football recovery sports drink– LES! You’re at work and the 3:00pm sugar binge hits … you know it! ![endif]--
What are these LES options I am talking about? The following table with give you some ideas of the swaps you can make.
This switch may be your saving grace during your health journey. There are lots of food options you can swap, you just need to know what you are looking for. I’ve included some foods which I personally have swapped and enjoy in my everyday life. Often ‘no sugar’ foods get a bad rep for their taste yet I find these products are not too dissimilar from the full sugar version and they are known to be well accepted by you – Coke Zero has even been nicknamed “Bloke Coke”.
If you switched yogurt, BBQ sauce, Powerade and Coca-Cola for their ‘sugar free’ equivalents you could save yourself 20.5 teaspoons of sugar a day or 1600kJ aka 400 calories! If you reduced your energy intake by this much a day you could lose 0.4 kilograms a week – that’s 19 kilos over a year!
If you don’t typically eat these types of food products, then no need to rush out and make bulk purchases of them. However, you may find that if you are often tempted by the sweeter side of life, they may successfully settle your cravings and make weight loss easier for you.
My Final Top Tips !
It’s important to not fall into a “reward” mentality. Where you tell yourself its ok to have a donut because you’ve been making healthier choices all day. Compensating like this may stop you from achieving weight loss because it’s throwing out balance. Remember, energy in must be less than and energy out for weight loss.
If you are using caffeine already as a supplement in the gym, remember some LES products may add to your daily caffeine levels. If you’re having too much caffeine this can keep you awake until all hours of the night, making it impossible to get to sleep and that’s never a good thing.
Read the label to check the other ingredients and nutritional values. It may contain LES and be labelled as ‘No Added Sugar’ however, it may have a very high fat content for example. These products should not be eaten in large quantities.
Some LES can cause laxative effects. if you experience this, drop back your consumption – moderation is still key!
At the end of the day, think of LES as your ‘nicotine’ as the switch from sugar to LES may help with cravings, energy intake reduction and weight loss.
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- Charlene
Disclaimer: This blog was created for my University Masters Nutrition Communication and Behaviour subject, it is not a paid endorsement and can be considered a perspective article. This article has taken a view in support of Low Energy Sweeteners however, it is understood and appreciated that research in this field in continuously developing and we are gaining more insight into how our bodies reacts to the artificial sugars.
