Added sugar can be surprisingly sneaky, hiding in products you wouldn’t expect and adding empty calories. Sugar alternatives offer a similar sweetness without the sugar.
Ahead, let’s explore the different types of sugar alternatives and learn more about the alternatives in your favorite sugar-free Nature’s Way products.
What are sugar alternatives?
Sugar alternatives are substitutes for sugar that still taste sweet, but do not contain any actual sugar. They usually contain less calories than sugar, with some containing no calories at all. There are three different categories of sugar alternatives: sugar alcohols, nonnutritive sweeteners, and novel sweeteners, which are also referred to as plant-derived noncaloric sweeteners.
The different types of sugar alternatives
Sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols are nutritive sweeteners that are a type of carbohydrate. Most sugar alcohols are lower in sweetness and caloric value than sugar (sucrose). They work as a sweetener but can also help with product preservation and texture. Sugar alcohols can be found naturally in some fruits and vegetables, like berries and asparagus.
The seven different types of sugar alcohols that are characterized as nutritive sweeteners are sorbitol, mannitol, isomalt, maltitol, lactitol, xylitol, and erythritol. Of these seven types of sugar alcohols, the sweetness levels of xylitol, erythritol, and maltitol come the closest to sucrose. Due to this, these are the three sugar alcohols that are generally the most widely used as sweeteners.
Novel sweeteners (plant-derived noncaloric sweeteners)
Novel sweeteners, or plant-based sweeteners, are derived from natural sources. They are less processed than artificial sweeteners. Stevia extract and monk fruit extract are two examples of the most popular plant-based sweeteners. Monk fruit extract comes from the fruit of the Siraitia grosvenorii plant, which is native to southern China. Stevia extract comes from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, a perennial shrub that is native to South America, and is also called “honey leaf.”
Nonnutritive sweeteners
Most nonnutritive sweeteners are created from chemicals. These sweeteners have no calories or sugar. They can be up to 700 times sweeter than sugar, so only small amounts need to be used to provide sweetness.
Which Nature’s Way products feature sugar alternatives?
Nature’s Way sugar-free products contain either sugar alcohols or plant-based sweeteners. Nature’s Way Zero Sugar Gummies contain zero sugar—not even sugar alcohols. Instead, these gummies are formulated with plant-based sweeteners like stevia extract and monk fruit extract so you can still enjoy the sweet taste of your daily gummies.
The same products you’ve come to know and love, only now with a new zero sugar formula. Shop our three zero sugar gummy products today:
- Sambucus Zero Sugar Immune Gummy
- Alive!® Zero Sugar Women's Gummy Multivitamin
- Alive!® Zero Sugar Men's Gummy Multivitamin
Nature's Way Zero Sugar Gummy formulas contain a small amount of naturally-occurring sugar expressed as 0 g of total sugar per 2-gummy serving per U.S. Food Labeling Regulation.
Nature’s Way also has a variety of other sugar-free products that are formulated with sugar alcohols. Here are some of our favorites:
Explore our full selection of sugar-free products here, and find a sugar-free way to wellness today with Nature’s Way.