What is Allulose?
Allulose is a new sweetener — well, it’s new to the market but it’s actually a naturally-occurring sugar in fruit and even in human metabolism that’s been studied for decades. It’s a rare sugar. That’s a technical term but it was literally rare, because it had to be refined from figs, jackfruit or wheat. It cost upwards of $1000/g to do that, then in 2015 two companies figured out how to produce it at a commercial scale using an enzymatic process with fructose. The FDA gave it a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) so it’s now available as an ingredient in the US.
UPDATE: on May 1, 2019, the FDA excluded allulose as sugar and endorsed its nutritive value. We will be changing our labels soon to reflect this important news.
Allulose tastes like sugar because it is, but…
Although it’s classified as a sugar, it’s got negligible calories. It tastes just like sugar and caramelizes like it too, so we can use it for making candy. It’s quite expensive but the quality is worth it. I feel like candy made with sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners or stevia has always disappointed me. Not so with allulose – my big concern is that it’s too good! I was addicted to sugar and it was a big struggle to get clean. I really enjoy sweets occasionally though, as long as I can enjoy them in a healthy way.
The research on its health impacts is really positive, as is my personal experience. As a former diabetic I monitor my blood sugar, ketone levels, and insulin sensitivity like a hawk and it’s been nothing but good for me. We all have unique metabolisms so be careful when trying allulose and see how you react.
Geek out: Here is a list of the research I’ve come across:
Effects of allulose, a sugar substitute on adipocyte differentiation
The Fructose and Allulose Catalytic Effects (FACE) Trial
Anti-Obesity Potential of Rare Sugar D-psicose by Regulating Lipid Metabolism in Rats
Effect of Small Doses of Fructose and Allulose on Postprandial Glucose Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetes
d-Allulose enhances postprandial fat oxidation in healthy humans
Allulose acts as a functional prebiotic
One caveat I’d like to share… Allulose is mostly not digested, but it does serve as a functional prebiotic. This might be a good thing for gut health, but if you consume a lot and your gut bugs are the sort that really enjoy allulose, you might get some bloating or gas. Don’t overdo it!
But it has carbs, how does it fit into keto?
The current FDA guidelines require allulose to be listed as added sugar, but it is not metabolized like sugar. Treat it like you would treat a sugar alcohol like erythritol and subtract the “added sugar” carbs. So taking our Orange Peel Candy as an example, it is 13g carbs per serving, with 2g of fibre and 9g allulose, so 13g Total Carbs – 2g Fiber – 9g Allulose = 2g net carbs.
It’s our hope in creating intensely flavored candy that you will be satisfied with just a few delicious bites that flood your sensory-specific satiety, leaving you with sweet memories and without craving more right away — the opposite of Big Food snack products. However everyone reacts differently so if you do struggle with sugar addiction, please be careful. I hope you can enjoy our candies without guilt or fear of triggering disordered eating patterns. Being able to have a sweet, healthy treat once in awhile lets me reach my health goals without feeling deprived. It almost sounds too good to be true, but it has let me indulge my sweet tooth a little, without compromising my health or compromising on taste.
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