What's the best sugar substitute?
In theory, the perfect product would have the sweetness of sugar without the hit to your waistline. Splenda, stevia, Sweet'N Low, and Equal are effectively zero calories, yet they're hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. By comparison, honey and agave are only slightly sweeter and are more caloric. So if your goal is weight loss, the first four win. As for which of those is best, only your tongue can tell. "People differ in their number of tastebuds," says Steven Witherly, Ph.D., a professor of food science at California State University at Northridge. "Supertasters are the most sensitive to sweet and bitter tastes and typically dislike fudge and broccoli; nontasters are the least sensitive, and normal tasters are in the middle." Use the menu above to find a match for your palate. Oh, and if you're worried about safety, research still hasn't proved that artificial sweeteners cause cancer in humans.
Stevia Origin: The dried leaves of a South American shrub Taste: Ultrasweet, with a licorice-like aftertaste for some people Best for: Nontasters
Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) Origin: Two amino acids combined with methyl ester Taste: Sugarlike, but with a faint bitter aftertaste Best for: Normal tasters and nontasters
Honey Origin: A fructose-glucose mix regurgitated by bees Taste: Varies depending on where it's harvested, but no aftertaste Best for: Everyone
Agave Origin: Nectar from the same Mexican cactus that yields tequila Taste: Light versions have a floral taste, while dark agave is more like molasses Best for: Everyone
Sucralose (Splenda) Origin: Chlorine atoms are substituted for hydrogen-oxygen groups in ordinary sugar Taste: The closest to sugar, with virtually no aftertaste Best for: Everyone, but especially supertasters
Saccharin (Sweet'N Low) Origin: Sulfur and other components combined in a chemically complex stew Taste: Cloyingly sweet; leaves a metallic aftertaste Best for: Nontasters