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WHAT IS ONE SERVING?

For Sugar Substitutes

If you wonder why sometimes a serving means "as sweet as 1 teaspoon of sugar" and other times, it means "as sweet as 2 teaspoons", read this.

What is a Serving Size for Sweeteners

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  • A serving size for sweeteners is an amount recommended by the manufacturer and is based on the product's sweetness. You will find it declared on the Nutrition Facts label.

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  • By law, a serving reflects the amount customarily consumed per eating occasion (reference amount). For sugar substitutes, it is defined as the "amount equivalent in sweetness to one reference amount for table sugar".

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  • Manufacturers are required to convert this reference amount in a familiar unit such as teaspoon (tsp), followed by the number of grams (g). Examples: _tsp (_g) for solids; _drops _squeezes (_g) for liquid; _piece (_g) for individual packets, cubes or tablets.

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  • Because manufacturers have to compare their product with table sugar, you might ask: what is the amount customarily consumed for table sugar? Most manufacturers consider 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar. However, it varies. Here are some examples where a serving may be the amount equivalent in sweetness to one and a half or four to five tsp of sugar or even a tablespoon (equal 3 tsp) of sugar. 

What is one serving

IS "ONE SERVING" EQUAL TO 1 OR 2 TSP OF SUGAR?

 

  • In most products, one serving is the amount (in a teaspoon, packet, stick, drop, squeeze) of sweetener with sweetness equivalent to 1 or 2 tsp of sugar. But you will need a conversion chart to know how a serving compares to teaspoons of sugar. It is not always clear and I had to contact many manufacturers to figure that out.

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  • Why is that important? Let's say you have a sweetener with 100 servings per container. Those 100 servings may be equal to 100 or 200 tsp of sugar, depending on how the manufacturer defines one serving. See the images below to understand what I am saying.

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  • If you are tracking nutrients, keep in mind: (1) all nutrition information you see on the label is based on one serving; (2) the size of the serving influences the number of calories and all the nutrient amounts listed. You will need to adjust accordingly if you measure cups, for example. Note: one cup has about 48 teaspoons.

A Serving of Stevia
One Serving of Monk Fruit

The examples above compare serving sizes of Whole Earth Blend of Stevia & Monk Fruit, Truvía Naturally Sweet Stevia, Natural Mate Monk Fruit and Enlight Monk Fruit 4X.   

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