Allulose vs Stevia: What a Diabetes Dietitian Wants You to Know -

Sugar alternatives like allulose and stevia often show up in foods labeled as net carb, low sugar, or low calorie. As a dietitian living with type 1 diabetes, I am very familiar with using these sugar alternatives.

Allulose and stevia do not raise blood sugar levels, so both are good choices for people with diabetes. But, there are other pros and cons to these sugar alternatives that we’ll cover in this article, so you can choose the best option for you.

***Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored in any way. If you end up purchasing a product from any of my links in this post, I may earn a small commission through the Amazon Affiliate Program at no extra cost to you.***

What are sugar alternatives?

Sugar alternatives, also known as sugar substitutes, are used in place of regular sugar to lower the sugar and calories in food products. These can include artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and non-nutritive sweeteners.

What is allulose?

Allulose is a sugar alternative that occurs naturally in certain foods such as raisins and brown sugar. Allulose can also be chemically made from the sugar, fructose (1).

What is stevia?

Stevia rebaudiana is a shrub from the Asteraceae family, and is known as sweet weed, sweet leaf, sweet herb, and honey leaf.

What we know as the natural sweetener, Stevia, on store shelves comes from the leaves of the plant (2). There are many sweet compounds made from the leaves of the Stevia plant.

For example, steviol glycosides are purified extracts from stevia leaves, unlike the leaves themselves. The main types used as sweeteners include stevioside, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside M, and enzyme-modified steviol glycosides (3).

Nutritional comparison

Nutritionally, allulose and stevia are very similar. Both are virtually calorie free, contain 0-1 grams of carbohydrates (carbs), and provide zero vitamins, minerals, etc.

How does the sweet taste of allulose and stevia compare to sugar?

While allulose and stevia are nutritionally similar, there is a huge difference between their sweetness levels.

Allulose is around 70% as sweet as table sugar (sucrose) but contains significantly fewer calories. While table sugar has 4 calories per gram, allulose only has 0.2-0.4 calories per gram (4).

Stevia is much sweeter than allulose and sugar. The sweetness level of Stevia ranges anywhere from 50 to 350 times sweeter than regular sugar (5).

Allulose vs stevia impact on blood sugars

Both allulose and stevia have a glycemic index score of zero. This is because our bodies cannot break them down for energy like regular sugar.

Does allulose raise blood sugar?

Even though it tastes sweet, allulose will not raise blood sugar, but instead, may even help to lower it.

Studies indicate that allulose can help reduce post-meal blood sugar levels in healthy adults and those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes when consumed with meals.

Participants showed significantly lower blood sugar spikes compared to standard diets with the same calorie content (6).

Does stevia raise blood sugar?

No, stevia does not raise blood sugar. Research shows that using steviol glycosides instead of sugar helps manage blood glucose without negative effects.

Long-term studies (3 months to 1 year) in both people with and without diabetes found them safe and neutral on fasting blood glucose, insulin, and hemoglobin A1c at doses up to 1500 mg/day.

They may also help lower blood sugar after meals and improve insulin sensitivity. More studies are needed to confirm these benefits (5).

Taste and texture

Allulose has a similar taste, texture, and function to sugar and unlike other sugar alternatives, doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste in your mouth (7).

Stevia sweeteners have been known to have a bitter and metallic aftertaste, but more companies are now using enzymes to improve their taste and quality, making them more acceptable (8).

I personally prefer the taste of allulose over stevia as I find allulose to taste almost identical to sugar. Of the stevia products I’ve tried, there is a bit of a strange aftertaste.

Health benefits and concerns

Below are answers to common questions surrounding the health benefits and concerns of allulose and stevia.

Weight management

Replacing sugar with allulose or stevia in foods and drinks can give a sweet taste without adding calories.

With global recommendations to cut down on dietary sugar, allulose and stevia provide an easy way to reduce sugar and calorie intake which can be beneficial for weight management.

Does allulose help with weight management?

Not only does the replacement of sugar with allulose cut down on some of the calories in certain foods, but it appears to impact certain hormones as well.

Some research has found that allulose supports the release of certain hormones from your stomach that helps control appetite (9). Appetite control is one method for losing or maintaining weight.

Can stevia cause weight gain?

A common myth surrounding the use of sugar alternatives is that your body will “crave” sweet foods more frequently, leading to excessive calorie and sugar intake and weight gain.

Currently, no scientific evidence exists to support that consuming foods with stevia increases appetite for sugary products (5).

Therefore, stevia based sweeteners are valuable for reducing sugar and calories which may be helpful for diabetes and weight management (5).

Digestion

Some sugar alternatives can cause digestive issues in some people, especially if a large amount is eaten.

Does allulose cause diarrhea?

A study found that consuming up to 0.4 grams of allulose per kilogram of body weight is safe for most people without causing digestive issues, such as diarrhea, bloating, and gas (10).

For someone weighing 68.2 kilograms (150 pounds), this means they can consume about 27.3 grams of allulose at once without potential digestive issues (10).

So in other words, your stomach should feel fine unless you consume more than the recommended amount all at once or you’re more sensitive to sugar alternatives.

Can stevia cause gas?

Human studies with high-purity steviol glycosides have shown no negative gastrointestinal side effects like bloating, gas, diarrhea, nausea, or stomach rumbling; side effects that can sometimes occur with other sugar alternatives like fructose, sugar alcohols, and allulose (5).

While stevia itself may not lead to digestive issues, many stevia products include other ingredients to dull its intensity, and you may experience some intolerance to those.

Are allulose and stevia safe?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labels both allulose and stevia as GRAS, or ‘generally recognized as safe’.

There is a catch though with stevia. It must be a highly purified 95% extract for it to be FDA approved as GRAS. Products with current FDA approval include brands like Truvia®, PureVia®, and Enliten®.

Daily intake amount

There is no acceptable daily intake, an amount based on body weight that can be consumed daily without health risk, for allulose.

Current research supports consuming stevia as a sweetener at recommended doses of 4 mg/kg is safe and does not cause health risks such as birth defects or cancer (8).

Baking and cooking information

Replacing sugar in foods and drinks is difficult because sugar provides essential texture, thickness, and taste that many sugar alternatives can’t fully match. In baking, sugar also adds crispness, structure, browning, tenderness, and shelf life, which all impact the final product (5).

How much allulose can replace sugar?

Allulose behaves like sugar when browning, baking, and caramelizing. It also helps to thicken and stabilize foods like breads, biscuits, and meat dishes.

Because allulose is not as sweet as sugar, you need to use more in recipes. For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, you should use about 1 and ⅓ cups of allulose instead (7).

Can you use stevia for baking?

When reducing sugar in baked goods, ingredients like maltodextrin, sugar alcohols like erythritol, fibers, hydrocolloids, or proteins are combined with stevia to ensure the right texture, sweetness, and flavor (5).

Stevia is also heat stable and can enhance flavors in baked goods, such as salt, spices, and brown aromatics (5).

Before baking with stevia, check the food label to see if any ingredients, such as maltodextrin or erythritol, have been added to tone down the sweetness intensity. This will influence how much you’ll use in your recipes, and most stevia products will tell you the ratio of stevia that can replace sugar.

Availability and cost

Sugar alternatives almost always cost way more than regular sugar due to the time, energy, and resources put into making them.

Here is a cost comparison of regular sugar, stevia, and allulose found on Amazon:

Personal considerations

Considering the significant price difference between sugar and alternatives like stevia and allulose, you can choose what best suits your health goals and budget.

If buying “zero net carbs” or “keto” products isn’t feasible or appealing, that’s perfectly fine! There are still plenty of ways to enjoy sweets while managing diabetes and blood sugar levels.

Here are some ways you can manage diabetes and still enjoy a sweet treat:

Go for a walk or do some light stretching/yoga before or after eating to help cells take in that sugar
Eat the sweet WITH a meal that has protein and fiber to help slow digestion and reduce blood sugar spike
Choose a smaller portion. Instead of a regular size candy bar, try a ‘fun size’. Less of the sweet = less carbs = less of a rise in blood sugar

And just know that you won’t get it right every time. It’s ok to learn from it and move on.

Dietitian recommended products that contain allulose or stevia

While I enjoy eating “the real thing,” I sometimes opt for blood sugar-friendly alternatives and diabetes snacks. However, I understand that I don’t always have to choose these options.

As a dietitian living with type 1 diabetes, here are some of my personal favorite products that use allulose or stevia:

So, which is better, stevia or allulose for diabetes?

When it comes to diabetes management, both stevia and allulose do not raise blood sugar levels, making them equally good options in that regard. Setting blood sugars aside, choosing between the two depends on your personal needs.

Stevia has no calories and is very sweet, but some people don’t like its bitter aftertaste. It’s also usually cheaper and easier to find in grocery stores.

Allulose has very little calories, tastes more like regular sugar, and works better in baking, but it can cause stomach issues if you eat too much.

When deciding between the two, consider your personal preferences, how your stomach reacts, and your budget. Stay informed as more long-term research emerges, and, as with everything, enjoy sugar alternatives in moderation.

Need more help with diabetes nutrition? Check out these resources:

Megan Warnke, RDN, CDCES

Megan is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, and a Certified Insulin Pump Trainer. She has a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Iowa State University. She has had type 1 diabetes since she was 11 years old and has taught diabetes education for many years.