Sugar substitutes are becoming increasingly popular. People tend to eliminate sugar from their diets for various reasons. It could be because of weight loss or because they’re diabetic. As a result, most turn to alternatives, such as erythritol, to keep some sweetness. It may mean you can lower your sugar intake. However, it also raises other questions such as whether erythritol is really a healthier alternative and what the potential side effects are, if any. Where can you find erythritol? Many low-carb and/or sugar-free products contain erythritol. It’s a natural ingredient of other everyday foods such as watermelon, grapes, wine, soy sauce, and pears. It’s useful in baking because high temperatures don’t affect it. It assists in extending the shelf life of baked products and can also add volume to dairy items. Benefits of Erythritol It fits into a low-carb diet. If you’re on a low-carb diet or have diabetes, then erythritol is a great alternative. It’s a sugar alcohol that looks and tastes like table sugar, but doesn’t have the four calories per gram. …

Vegetables—we all know that we have to eat them. But for those who really don’t like them, it can be really difficult to get in your daily servings. To help make sure that you hit your veggie intake, while still looking forward to meal times, Certified Clinical Nutritionist and Pharmacist Aaron Slotkin shares some of his best tips on how to eat more vegetables, even if you hate them. Why are vegetables so important? We’ve all heard it before, “eat your greens because they’re good for you” (thanks, mom!). But how exactly are they good for us? Slotkin explains, “Vegetables are excellent sources of various vitamins and nutrients that the body needs. [Some] examples are carotenoids and folates.” But, that’s not all that they’re important for. He also highlights how vegetables are a rich source of fiber, which is extremely important for gut health and the gastrointestinal tract. It promotes the growth of good gut bacteria in our bodies. How to sneak vegetables into your diet If you’ve tried your hardest to eat more vegetables, …

When people start to follow a healthy diet, one of the first steps is to try to lower their sugar intake. Sugar comes in many forms—natural and refined. You’ve probably heard you should avoid refined sugars as much as possible. To help you better understand refined sugars and learn what to look for on a label, we talked to Megan Casper, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., dietitian and owner of NYC-based Nourished Bite Nutrition. Read on to find out how these sugars affect your health and how to keep them (mostly) out of your diet. How does refined sugar differ from natural sugar? Sugar is a carbohydrate, but there are different types of sugars you should pay attention to. First up, natural sugars. “Natural sugars are made up of carbohydrates, fructose, and glucose. [They] are used for energy, just like refined sugar,” Casper explains. A natural sugar becomes refined when it has been modified or processed. “The main difference between natural and refined sugar is the packaging. Foods that contain natural sugar, like fruit, also are packed with fiber, which slows down the …

Maltodextrin is a common ingredient that you most likely have seen on a nutrition label; however, despite its familiarity, most people don’t really know what it is. To help clear things up, we asked Mary Jane Detroyer, MS, RDN, CDN, to explain more about maltodextrin, what it is, and whether it’s safe to consume. “[Maltodextrin] is a powdery substance made from grains, wheat, corn, [and] potato, that is added to foods,” Detroyer says. It’s a polysaccharide, a form of carbohydrate, that is artificially produced and used to bind ingredients together, as well as to thicken food. However, unlike other types of carbohydrates, maltodextrin has no nutritional value. What does maltodextrin do? Maltodextrin is an inexpensive food additive that increases the shelf life of a product, adds volume to processed foods, and is a sugar substitute. Popular foods and liquids that contain this ingredient include beer, dairy products, salad dressings, and sauces. You’ll also find them in sugar-free foods. “There are different types of maltodextrins; certain forms are digestible and some are not,” Detroyer informs. Resistant …