Have you ever tried a mojito? It’s that Cuban cocktail of “muddled” mint, lime, sugar, and rum with sparkling water. But they’re often way too sweet and can spike your blood sugar and insulin. So, I’ve come up with a version using allulose, a sweetener that doesn’t cause a rise in blood glucose.
And that’s a good thing, because table sugar (sucrose) and its artificial cousin, high fructose corn syrup, have led to widespread metabolic dysfunction and an epidemic of diabetes and obesity.
Since only 12% of Americans are considered metabolically healthy and 88% are prediabetic or diabetic, it’s time we find an alternative sweetener that doesn’t negatively impact our health.
Allulose appears to be just such a sweetener, when used in moderation. Allulose is naturally occurring sugar found in small quantities in fruit, like figs, raisins, and jackfruit. (Chemically, it’s very similar to fructose but differs in spatial arrangement around a single carbon atom). That small structural shift adds up to big metabolic changes.
Like fructose and sucrose (table sugar), allulose is absorbed in the small intestine. But instead of rapidly entering the bloodstream, 95% of it is excreted by the kidneys without being metabolized.
As a result, allulose doesn’t cause a spike in blood glucose, or trigger the release of insulin. Preliminary research suggests may actually help lower blood sugar by pulling glucose out of the bloodstream.
In 2014, the FDA deemed it GRAS (generally recognized as safe) and ruled that it doesn’t need to be listed as an added sugar on labels in 2019.
Now that may be a problem, because it allows the fast-food industry to integrate it into everything. And it doesn’t allow us to control our intake of allulose when it can get added to countless products without our awareness.
But if you’re working to reduce your intake of sugar by eating a whole foods diet and want to use an ounce to sweeten a drink on occasion, allulose:
Has only 10% of the calories of sugar (0.4 calories per gram)
Does not raise blood sugar or cause insulin secretion
Does not contribute to insulin resistance
Pulls glucose out of the body, further reducing the risk of diabetes.
Decreases liver production of fat, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NFLD) and obesity.
Appears to be a safe, neutral tasting, very low-calorie sweetener with a positive impact on blood glucose and metabolism and our health.
Extensive animal research has shown that allulose appears to be a safe, with a positive impact on blood glucose metabolism and our health. Only small human studies have been done and no side effects were shown unless very high amounts (54 grams) were consumed, which led to bloating, gas, and abdominal pain in some participants. There is some indication it may minimally alter the gut microbiome, but the jury isn’t in on that yet.
Allulose is available in major grocers nationwide as a liquid sweetener that works well in coffee, tea/chai, and cocktails, and in a powdered/granulated form for baking. @Wholesome Foods.
If you’re looking for a frosty clean drink to sip this hot summer weekend, give this mojito a try. I suggest serving it with my Simon and Garfunkel Herb Rubbed Grilled Chicken and Quinoa Tabouli Salad.
For a deeper dive into the chemistry and metabolic effects of allulose, read these sources: