Many of you may have noticed that in my recipes I have started using Monk Fruit sweetener. I like it because of its lack of after taste. Here is some information about it.

WHAT IS MONK FRUIT?

Monk fruit, otherwise known in China as “luo han guo,” is a member of the gourd family. The fruits are naturally sweet, but are such without fructose or sucrose.

Instead, the fruits contain something called mogrosides, which are naturally sweet but are chemically different than sugar.

WHY IS IT BETTER?

The reason monk fruit is one of the best sweeteners for anyone looking to reduce their sugar and carbohydrate intake is that it has no glycemic index.

Simply put, this means ingesting monk fruit has no effect on your blood sugar whatsoever. No rise in blood sugar is exactly what you are aiming for on a ketogenic or low-carb diet.

Without a rise in blood sugar, your body isn’t signaled to store the food you are eating as fat. This is one of the major factors in carbohydrate-based diets and weight gain.

I personally use a brand called Lakanto and these are some details about that brand. Their maple syrup is particularly good

BUT WHY LAKANTO?

Most sweetener brands use dextrose or another binding agent to attach the sweetener to. These binders can cause spike in blood sugar, much like regular sugar can.

Because of this, these brands, though using good approved sweeteners like monk fruit, are not fit for a keto/low-carb diet.

Unlike a lot of monk fruit based sweeteners you find in the store, Lakanto combines monk fruit with erythritol to form their sweetener. Like monk fruit, erythritol is also a non-glycemic sweetener.

Because of this, Lakanto is the best solution to get a wonderful sweetness, all while ensuring blood sugar levels don’t spike or rise.