The Slimming Pool Weight Loss Blog: Hey, I was Eating That!
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Splenda Brown Sugar Released
Finally, SplendaŽ Brown Sugar. I've hunted the stores for months trying to find DiabetiSweet Brown Sugar Substitute to no avail. Evidentially it didn't sell well enough for stores to stock it, but now we'll see how the new Splenda Brown Sugar Blend fares.
The brown sugar in the product (what they've added) allows consumers more of the browning, rising, texture, moistness and molasses-like flavor characteristics of baked goods made with brown sugar. Consumers need to use only one-half cup of Splenda Brown Sugar Blend to replace the sweetness of a full cup of brown sugar.
Okay, let's think about this a minute. If Splenda Brown Sugar Blend is Splenda mixed with brown sugar, why couldn't we do this ourselves? I hate when I pay extra for something I could mix up myself, so if anyone is experimenting, let me know.
Brown sugar Splenda is a proprietary blend of brown sugar and Splenda Brand Sweetener, or sucralose. In other words, it's sugar. It's also important to realize that despite all claims to the contrary, Splenda is not calorie free. The US labeling laws allow a claim of zero or "no calories" if the calorie count is less than 5 per serving. That explains why sometimes that packet of candy will claim to serve 2.3 people! So when you consume more than one serving, guess what; you're eating lots of real calories.
Yes, Virginia, Splenda contains approximately 4 calories per teaspoon, and .9g carbohydrate. Not a huge amount, but if you enjoy an occasional Splenda packet for a snack, and plenty of people do because they think it's calorie free, you are getting lots of unwanted calories. Five Splenda packets equals 20 calories, and so on. Every calorie counts, so don't consume empty calories even in the form of Splenda.
If you want a snack, have an apple; 80 calories of wonderful, juicy goodness and crunch.
Splenda's Recipe: Brown Sugar Substitute 1 cup artificial sweetener* 1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup
Mix ingredients well. Replaces 1 cup of regular brown sugar to be used when baking.
*Use type of sweetener that measures 1 cup to 1 cup of granulated sugar like Splenda, duh.
I note this recipe isn't using brown sugar but maple syrup. I want to know how much real brown sugar they use to mix with the granulated Splenda so we can all save bucks and just mix our own. Home chemists alert! Let's get on this detective work because this is not rocket science. The first person to crack the code wins a free t-shirt.
Remember, sugar free is not calorie free. If you make a recipe using a sugar substitute, still enjoy the same portion you would have otherwise. Don't fall victim to the trap of thinking you can eat all you want, just because it doesn't have any sugar.
One cup of Splenda contains 96 calories and 24g carbohydrates. One cup of sugar contains 770 calories and 192g carbohydrates. You can see how this one substitute could equal big changes in your weight. Splenda.com or 1-800-777-5363
