Affiliate Note: Hi, friends! Just a a quick reminder - some of the links on this site are affiliate links, and so I may earn a little cash on qualifying orders. It doesn't cost you anything extra, and is a nice way to help support this site! I also want to point out that I don't promote products I haven't actually tried or products that I don't trust. :)
So, you’ve probably noticed that I tend to only use stevia here, and you’ve probably wondered to yourself, “why would she use a sweetener in baked goods that doesn’t mimic the texture of sugar?” Yeah, I know. Sugar does more than just sweeten: it adds moisture, helps to bind, browns and aids in the texture of baked goods. A lot of artificial sweeteners (like Splenda) do those things, too. Stevia… does not.
So, why am I not sprinkling sucralose and aspartame all over every keto cookie recipe? Well, put simply, because I don’t necessarily think it’s the healthiest choice. Why not? Well, if you want to read the details, you can check out my post on my more nutrition-centric blog, but if you just want a bulleted list, here you go…
Artificial sweeteners…
- tend to make individuals eat more than sugar-sweetened foods, leading to weight gain
- disrupt your body’s hormones
- have been shown in studies to be neuro-toxins
- kill the good bacteria in your gut, impeding digestion and leading to weight gain
- have been show to be carcinogenic in studies
So, that’s why when baking low carb treats, I’d rather err on the side of working around a texture issue than using artificial sweeteners.
