BochaSweet & Allulose

[PetuniaPuddleDuck]

I am wondering what your take is on these natural sweeteners in relation to the WFPB diet. I have not tried Allulose yet, but Bocasweet (https://bochasweet.com/product/bochasweet), made from Kabocha squash works well in recipes and is about 70% less sweet tasting than sugar with no after taste. A Doc recommended it for my Dad when he had cancer. I would think it would be a better alternative than the maple sugar, agave, sucralose, or sugar! that I see in many of the recipes on this diet, especially since the body doesn't absorb it (pentalose) and there are no calories. Thanks, Leigh

[Lyndzie]

Sugar is permitted on this diet. Weird chemicals that your body doesn't absorb are not food, and not recommended. Just eat food.

[Ejeff]

I am thinking that the best sweetener is dates. It’s a whole food right? Better than maple syrup? I am asking because it is easy to make date syrup. I do use sugar too, but would like opinions on the best.

[Lyndzie]

I am thinking that the best sweetener is dates. It’s a whole food right? Better than maple syrup? I am asking because it is easy to make date syrup. I do use sugar too, but would like opinions on the best.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

[JeffN]

Dates, when consumed as dates, are a whole/minimally processed food, though calorie (and sugar) dense.

When you make them into date syrup, you now have a concentred sweetener, not much different then honey or, maple syrup. (it is a little less calorie/sugar dense then honey and a little more then maple syrup).

I cover this in the article, A Date w/Disaster: The Pleasure Trap of Whole Natural Foods.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=30338

The calorie density of dates is around 1260 cal/lb and sugar density of dates (and date syrup) is about 300 (depending on the amount of water used), and can easily trigger the pleasure trap.

In Health
Jeff

[JeffN]

PS the first one mentioned, BochaSweet is basically Erythritol, which I covered here

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=47279

In Health
Jeff

[Ejeff]

Thanks Jeff, that’s a very good article. It is true I personally have been falling into the pleasure trap and consuming too many oatmeal cookies with dates. In comparing the sugar content of bananas it would be much better to be using those to make cookies...which is what I had been doing. Of course better yet, is to consume just fresh fruit.