All About Allulose: The Sugar Alternative

All About Allulose: The Sugar Alternative

Mar 01, 2023Hannah Logan

For the health-conscious, finding the right sweetener that works with your lifestyle can be a challenge! If you've been searching for a low-calorie option that won't spike your blood sugar or kick you out of ketosis, you might want to consider trying allulose. This sweetener occurs naturally in certain fruits like kiwifruit, jackfruit and raisins, and we think it’s perfect!

So, what's so great about allulose? For one, it's incredibly low in calories, with only 0.4 per gram - approximately 1/10th of the calories of table sugar. Plus, it has a glycemic index of zero, meaning it won't spike your blood sugar levels or cause an insulin response. 

Allulose has a clean, sweet flavour with no aftertaste. It’s an ideal sugar substitute in a variety of recipes, from baked goods to beverages to ice cream. Whatever your sweet tooth has its eye on, allulose can probably bake it happen! Because allulose measures and behaves so similarly to table sugar, it’s really easy to swap into most conventional recipes.

Allulose is a natural sugar that is similar to fructose and is created by converting fructose with a non-GMO enzyme. The body doesn't recognize the structure of allulose, so it passes through the body and is absorbed by the small intestine, to be excreted in urine. This means that only a small amount of allulose makes it to the lower intestine, where it isn't significantly metabolised. Although the nutritional panel may show that allulose has a high carb count, it actually has zero net carbs because it isn't absorbed as a carbohydrate!

Is allulose safe?

As with any ‘new’ sweetener on the market, there can be concerns around safety. Fortunately, allulose has a 10 year + history of safe usage in the United States. In both 2012 and 2019, the FDA recognized allulose as generally recognised as safe (GRAS). Since then, allulose has been used and consumed by millions of people. What’s more, some studies suggest that allulose may have additional health benefits, such as improving insulin sensitivity and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Allulose has also been shown to have prebiotic effects, which may benefit gut health.

However, it's important to note that allulose is considered a novel food by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). While it's allowed to be sold in its raw form, it still needs to be approved before it can be used in pre-made food products. Allulose is currently under assessment and it's expected to be approved this year.

If you're excited to try out allulose, you might be wondering where you can get your hands on some. The answer is here - at Low Carb Haven! It's been our mission since we opened to bring our customers the highest-quality foods at premium affordability. The launch of our home brand, Haven Foods, has allowed us to create and stock allulose to the market in an affordable, accessible way we know our customers deserve!

Allulose is a fantastic sweetener for anyone following a diabetic friendly, keto or low-carb diet. With its low calorie count, zero glycemic index and clean taste, allulose is an excellent option for sweetening your favourite foods and beverages without compromising your health or your diet. So go ahead, indulge in those sweet treats with confidence. Let us know what you think!

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