‘Tis the Season for Sugar Substitutes
The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and the urge to bake a cozy late-night treat is stronger than ever. When I think of Fall, I immediately conjure up dozens of ideas for a homemade treat: apple crisp, banana bread, pumpkin cookies. Anything with a touch of apple, pumpkin, or anything cinnamon is usually a win for me. With a sweet treat of course comes sugar. During the colder months, many individuals worry about sugar consumption and weight gain due to the amount of busy holidays lined up, since these holidays usually bring large social meals, and of course, a hoard of delicious desserts. Some individuals try to cut down their sugar consumption by replacing real sugar with lower calorie or non-nutritive sweeteners, such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin. These low-calorie sweeteners have become some of the most common food additives in regular and functional products. The use of these sweeteners seems to be at an all-time high with around 140 million American...