All about Monk Fruit Sweetener

A majority of people around the globe use low calorie sugar substitutes. With an increased health awareness, more and more people are seeking healthier and non synthetic sugar substitutes. While Stevia is quite popular amongst the health conscious population there is one more product that is free of calories and safe to use. Read on to know more about the monk fruit extract.

Monk fruit extract is quite sweeter than the table sugar… actually, 250 times sweeter, as reported by the FDA. Mogrosides are the chemical compounds responsible for this extreme sweetness that is characteristic to monk fruit extract.

Monk fruit or Luo Han Guo is a fruit resembling melons and native to South Asian countries of China and Thailand. The zero calorie sweetener from this fruit is prepared by turning the juice of this fruit in to crystals or keeping it in the liquid form. Though the source of this extract is fruit itself, it is quite often combined with other types of calories laden sweeteners such as sugar or molasses. Sometimes, erythritol is combined with monk fruit extract that may not increase the calories of the product but takes away the safe to use or health quotient of monk fruit extract as this added substance or erythritol may lead to gastro intestinal complications such as diarrhea or gas, particularly in people with IBS.

Though this product does not impart any calories to the food preparation it is added to, nevertheless, our goal should be to try and minimize the consumption of desserts and sugar based preparations in our diet. Controlling the use of sweeteners, natural or artificial, limits the intake of alternative sugar products that at times may taste up to a hundred times sweeter than the natural sugar. Like in this case, monk fruit extract tastes up to 250 times sweeter than the usual table sugar we use every day. This fruit grows on a vine and as recommended by FDA, this zero calories containing extract of monk fruit does not raise the blood glucose levels like the sugar does.

So, opting for monk fruit extract as an alternative sweetener is a viable option for people with diabetes. However, one has to be watchful to check the labels correctly as the extract must not be combined while sugars while it is being processed.

You may comfortably use minute quantities of monk fruit extract to your food or drink preparations to sweeten them and make them taste appealing. We insist that you use it sparingly as monk fruit extract tastes many times sweeter than the sugar and may ruin your beverage, baked preparation, dessert or the bowl of oatmeal.