ALLULOSE
• 2024 BUYING GUIDE •

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• Is allulose better for you than sugar? It's important to understand that allulose meets the chemical definition of a sugar, just like sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Allulose has the same chemical formula as fructose and glucose but its atoms are arranged slightly differently, which makes it behave very differently in our bodies. Like fructose and glucose, allulose is completely absorbed in the small intestine. However, as opposed to traditional sugars, it's not significantly metabolized, providing only 5 to 10% of their calories. So, it offers less calories per gram — 0.4 calories versus 4 calories for table sugar. Unlike common sugars, it's not associated with an increased risk of cavities, and does not cause an increase in blood glucose and insulin levels after it's consumed. 

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• Is allulose a zero-calorie sweetener? Technically, allulose is not really zero-calorie like high-intensity sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, stevia, monk fruit). But by law, it can be labeled as such because it provides a small amount of calories per serving, which can be rounded to zero. Here's the actual amount: 0.4 calories per gram =1.5 cal/teaspoon = 70 cal/cup. As opposed to table sugar's 4 cal per gram = 15 cal/teaspoon = 770 cal/cup.
   

• What's the glycemic index of allulose? What are allulose's net carbs? Allulose has zero glycemic index and zero net carbs. Most of the allulose we ingest is excreted in urine and does not impact blood glucose or insulin levels. Since 2019, allulose can be excluded from "total sugars" and "added sugars" on nutrition facts labels and may carry the "no added sugar" claim. Here's what you need to know if you're tracking your carbs intake. Allulose is technically a carbohydrate and counts towards the total carbohydrates on the nutrition facts label, but it's not available for digestion, so it has zero net carbs. Net carbs are digestible carbs that break down into glucose and raise blood sugar levels.​

• How to use allulose? Promoted as the perfect sweetener, allulose provides the culinary benefits of regular sugar with fewer calories. It browns, looks, and dissolves like table sugar. It offers bulk (body & weight) to recipes. So, as said before, you can typically use the same amount as table sugar to achieve desired results in your recipes, but they will be less sweet. In baking, allulose makes a great substitute for table sugar, resulting in soft, moist baked goods, but not crispy. Okay, you've seen all the benefits, but what's the catch? Scroll down to "What are the disadvantages of allulose?." 
   

• Where can I buy certified organic allulose? Until the summer of 2023, there was no certified organic allulose in stores. As one manufacturer told me, one reason is that allulose is refined using ion-exchange and absorption resin processes to filter. By law, organic sweeteners must be processed, handled, and packaged according to a long list of rules established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture—the National Organic Program (NOP) — and ion-exchange filtration may not be used in the processing of organic foods, unless in exceptional cases. A second reason is that certified organic allulose cannot come from processes that involve genetically engineered microbes. However, in October 2023, two companies started selling the first certified organic allulose I've seen on the market. Check out both products Pyure and Slender Zero.
   

• What are the advantages of allulose? Allulose has no aftertaste and provides almost zero calories per serving (one teaspoon). It offers bulk to recipes, browns, and caramelizes. It dissolves quickly (even faster than table sugar), making it perfect for drinks and cocktails. It refrigerates and freezes well, resulting in smooth, scoopable ice cream. It does not recrystallize like erythritol.
   

• What are the disadvantages of allulose? Allulose is less sweet than sugar, so if you want to keep the sweetness level, you can't swap cup for cup (unless you buy blends, which are as sweet as sugar). It costs over 10x more than table sugar. Allulose is a FODMAP—an acronym for carbohydrates associated with negative gastrointestinal effects such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, and nausea [The Center for Science in the Public Interest asked the FDA to require a label warning about that]. It browns and caramelizes faster than white sugar, so you might remove your cookies & cakes from the oven before they are fully baked OR get an overly brown baked good. It results in softer, puffier cakes and cookies. It does not crisp up your baked goods like table sugar.

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• Get all the details on how to choose and use allulose by checking out my Sugar Swap Starter Kit — Learn how allulose compares with erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit. See the do's and don'ts of allulose. Discover when to use and avoid it in cookies, ice cream, bars, cakes, and more.