Experts have been trying to crack the code on no-calorie sweeteners for decades. Many of the earliest sweeteners, from Sweet N’ Low (carcinogen) to Splenda (neurotoxin) proved to be detrimental to our health. Then Stevia came along, and everyone rejoiced. In the last decade, some new sweeteners have come into favor such as Monk Fruit and Erythritol. Although Monk fruit seems to be healthy, the science and consensus on Erythritol has been shaky. This blurb from foodbabe.com cites some new research on erythritol that’s pretty damning:
A breaking new study in Nature Medicine links a popular sweetener called Erythritol to heart attacks, stroke and death.
I made a video showing all the popular products with it: WATCH HERE
There’s a BIG debate amongst the health community about this study, and it is very controversial. Here’s my take:
I have been very skeptical about erythritol for a long time. Researching how it is made, you can see it’s a very processed product and far from real food. Although it’s a naturally occurring sugar sometimes found in fruit, food manufacturers don’t actually use the natural stuff. Instead they often start with GMO corn and then put it through a complex fermentation process to come up with chemically pure erythritol, a white granular powder. It is nowhere near a natural sweetener at this point.
This is why I avoid erythritol in my diet. It’s not real food. And now I have an even bigger reason to avoid it.
What do I use?
Instead of erythritol, I usually use organic maple syrup, coconut sugar, or raw honey as sweeteners. These are natural and minimally processed. I’m also a big fan of using fruit to sweeten treats, such as dates and bananas. You can see how I do that here. I also buy products with organic monk fruit as a sweetener as long as it doesn’t have erythritol added. Also, you should know that when we were sourcing organic monk fruit for Truvani products, I made sure it did not contain any erythritol. It has been one of the original banned ingredients in our product development guidelines from the start!
Watch the video on the NEW STUDY here and tell me what you think in the comments!
You might think twice about consuming erythritol too, but as with anything, it’s always your choice.
Xo,
Vani