First things first: there is some confusion between “Splenda” (that you buy at the grocery store) and pure sucralose. Splenda uses bulking agents so that you can “measure it like sugar” – typically this will be maltodextrin which is simply a carbohydrate and no good for a Ketogenic or low carb diet. The maltodextrin in store-bought Splenda will absolutely spike your blood sugar. Pure sucralose, on the other hand, will not. Even if it did have an effect on blood sugar, there is simply too little of it to have any effect. In Keto Chow, we use 0.08g per serving. To put that in perspective: that is 1/64 the weight of a US nickel. Even 0.08g of actual sugar will only raise your blood sugar by 0.32mg/dL – essentially no effect.
You may also find people snidely referencing to sucralose as “chlorinated sugar” – assuming that any form of chlorine is bad for humans. This would be ignoring Sodium Chloride (salt) and other chemical compounds that contain chlorine.
OK, back to the question of why we use sucralose for many of the sweet flavors of Keto Chow. The short answer is: because stevia doesn’t taste very good to the overwhelming majority of our taste testers. Ultimately, stevia, monk fruit, erythritol, or any other “natural sweeteners” are not magical and cause the same reactions in humans as anything else that’s sweet so why not use the best tasting option? We actually paid a 3rd party to do a blind taste test and they confirmed that Keto Chow with sucralose tastes “more natural” than products using Stevia, Erythritol, or Monk Fruit.
- Erythritol and Allulose would seem a good choice but they DOUBLE the weight and volume of Keto Chow, instead of 21 meals you’d get 10 for the same price and shipping. That sucks.
- We do have the “Natural Strawberry” that does use monk fruit instead of sucralose. It costs more to produce and doesn’t taste as good (in my opinion).
- We have the “Base Powder” version which you combine with your choice of flavored/sweetened protein powder – lets you use whatever you’d like. Want to use egg white protein with Stevia? Go for it! You’ll still get all of the vitamins and minerals you’d normally get with Keto Chow.
- We have 4 savory soup flavors (you mix them hot!) that do not use any sweetener, because that would be gross.
Allow me to quote Julie from the Sofa King Keto Facebook group – she illustrates why we use sucralose really well:
Holy what the hell. Go buy Keto Chow. It is NO joke. I am not a packaged foods kinda gal but needed something to get me back on the Keto track. I was thinking, honestly, “ok, I can choke this down for a couple weeks.” Um. NOT EVEN CLOSE. This shiz is delicious!!! And easy to make! Holy wow!
I bought both the peanut butter chocolate and the raspberry cheesecake. I blended 1/2 c heavy cream and 1/2 cup coconut milk with ice with a scoop of chow. Thick like a milkshake. No weird malt “slim fast” taste.
(Chris here) I personally use Keto Chow for at least 2 meals a day, often 3. Instead of something that I have to suffer through, I want something so delectable that I’m sad when I run out. It should taste so good that I swish it around in my mouth, enjoying the flavor; not plugging my nose and chugging it as fast as possible. And I won’t sell something that’s gross or barely tolerable. It’s gotta be delightful and that’s what you get with sucralose: the best flavor possible. A meal replacement that doesn’t taste AMAZING isn’t helpful in its intended use.
What about the rat studies showing changes in gut bacteria when exposed to sucralose? Humans are not rats. Those rats weren’t consuming acacia gum. Those rats weren’t on a ketogenic diet. Even more important, is the DOSE that the rats received. The dosage is usually expressed in mg/Kg or how many milligrams of sucralose were given per Kilogram of body weight. In the US, it was estimated (top of page 3) that most people consume 98mg of sucralose per day resulting in a dose of 1.6mg/Kg. In a recent study to determine the effects of sucralose, the rats were given an average of 80.4 mg/kg. Let’s see how that compares to what *you* would get by consuming Keto Chow:
The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) level for sucralose was set at 5 mg/kg body weight per day (mg/kg/d) (page 10) in the US and 15 mg/kg/d in the EU. So you’d only be close to that using Keto Chow if you do it 3x a day and weigh 100lbs/45kg.
In a study published in May 2021, researchers exposed different bacteria to 3 artificial sweeteners (saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame) in Petri dishes (“in vitro”) and then measured their growth, how they formed colonies, and how effectively they can attack mammal intestinal cells. Of the 3 sweeteners tested, Keto Chow only uses pure sucralose. Saccharin modified bacterial growth and all 3 made it easier for the bacteria to form biofilms and to attack intestinal cells. Again, this was under laboratory conditions, not in living organisms – it also didn’t have the added benefits of acacia gum which are likely to erase all of the potential issues found.
One of the very interesting aspects of the study was the researchers also tested what would happen if a compound (zinc sulfate) that blocks sweet tastes was added. Adding this compound changed how the bacteria reacted, based on my reading of the study, that would indicate that it is sweetness causing many of the changes. If this is indeed the cause, that would likely indicate that ALL sweet substances would similarly affect the bacteria, including: stevia, monk fruit, sugar alcohols (like erythritol, allulose, xylitol, etc…), and regular plain sugar.
Unfortunately, the researchers stopped short of testing the logical next step which would be using “natural” sweeteners (including stevia, monk fruit, and actual sugar) as a control to contrast against, they only tested the 3 artificial sweeteners against no sweetener. Because there isn’t a legitimate control in the experiment, it’s currently not possible to derive any conclusions about whether artificial sweeteners cause substantially different results in humans compared to other sweet compounds. This is one of the reasons why it’s important that you not rely on the “news” version that’s been enhanced with incendiary headlines but actually read the full text of the published papers.
Why not use sweetener like BochaSweet from the bocha squash (a super food)? It’s 100% natural. No blood sugar spikes and closest to sugar in taste than any other sweetener.
In addition to being excessively expensive, that’s covered in the article
Thank you for Really covering this. I am highly sensitive to artificial sweeteners- but I am willing to see if this One is ok. Thank You for skipping aspartame! That stuff is evil and gives me seizures.
There is no such thing as a plant superfood. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
The closest thing we have to a superfood comes from the animal kingdom and it’s the group of foods Dr. Weston Price recommended for optimal health: bird and fish eggs, dairy fat from properly-fed animals, and liver.
If you’re not getting those, a squash ain’t gonna do diddly for ya.
Just tried my 1st KetoChow shake – WOW – absolutely delicious!!! And i’m personally very happy that you do not use erythritol – because – HIVES ARE AWFUL and I already had to give up HaloTop – immediately after finding it… cant imagine having to give up this too! :)
Thank you for not using stevia! I’m highly allergic (it’s from the same family as ragweed) and it’s in everything else these days.
You just can’t make a formula to suit every person. I have a lot of friends and we like our Keto Chow just like it is. We don’t all like the same flavors. We have had lots of fun tasting and trading around. Its a great product.
“Swerve” I’m glad they don’t use it. I’m mildly allergic. I didn’t connect the dots until I tried a second product with erithyol. First one was a Bai drink. Halfway down and halfway home I started to get the weirdest headache. Thought it was sinus probs and throat felt raw like I had thrown up. Again shrugged it off. Tried Halo ice cream. Had a quarter cup maybe, started happening again and I knew that was the culprit. I’ve caught it one other time in a matcha drink. It actually has a distinct taste and smell…
I love the Keto Chow shakes, and I fully understand that you use a pure sucralose. I actually buy it from Canada, it is called Sweetzfree. All you need is a drop or two to make something taste wonderful. I love the Peanut Butter Chocolate shake the best, I hope you will keep that one around forever. It is very filling when made with the heavy cream. I don’t mind the sucralose, it is better than the erythritol since it doesn’t cause me digestive upset. I don’t refrigerate mine after I make it, I just use my nutribullet. I use the cream first, then ice, then the coconut milk then the keto chow and I add a scoop of bone both protein to up my protein and water to bring it up to the level on my jar. I blend it well and enjoy. The only flavor I don’t care for is the vanilla, I will have to doctor that one. I will buy this again.
I just wanted to let you know I have ordered your electrolyte drops many times but haven’t tried the shakes due to the sucralose. I don’t prefer strawberry (the 2 stevia shake) but would try some other flavors if they had stevia, monk fruit, or erythritol instead.
I’m allergic to beef. On your video you said you use beef protein in some of your products. Is that in the shakes? It seems like you said you use it in your soups. I need to steer clear of it. Please let me know. Thank you!
Beef soup base, Creamy Tomato Basil, Taco Soup Base. All the rest use milk protein isolate.
Has anyone had problems with their hair fallen out after being on this diet?
If you start to experience hair loss, that is typically a clear indicator that you need more protein. Make sure you are getting a good amount, typically that would be 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight OR per pound of your goal weight. Meaning that if your goal is 150lbs, target 150g of protein per day. More information about protein and other macronutrients can be found at https://old.ketochow.xyz/keto-chow-preparation/using-the-calorie-calculator/
Hello – I have been reading the comments & explanation about why you use Sucralose. I have had reactions to sucralose in other products, & I know maltodextrin gives me the same problems, however I don’t know if those products had both in them. I am willing to try your product, but I would urge you to also make more flavors with stevia, monkfruit, or bocha sweet. Regardless if you had to charge slightly more for those flavors there is obviously an untapped market using natural sweeteners. Since you already have the basics down, I think your sales would explode by marketing to people who can’t or won’t do Sucralose. I hope to hear you will be exploring this option in the near future.
We actually have created a flavor using monkfruit, it’s our Natural Strawberry. We introduced it to “test” the market and although it is delicious and we still offer it we did not get a large enough response to warrant additional flavors. However, we are always testing and trying new things and options. Thanks for the feedback. Let us know if you have the chance to try out the Natural Strawberry!!
interesting, sounds like I’m in the minority! Sucralose to me has a funny bitter aftertaste and I’ve come to far prefer stevia and monkfruit so I will be excited to try the natural strawberry ASAP. My first sampling was today, the pistachio, and it was good (I love the consistency!) but the sucralose really almost ruined it for me. I have four other flavors to try: root beer float, lemon meringue, cookies and cream, and key lime. I expect I won’t get them again because of the sucralose. Like I said, though, I can’t wait to try the natural strawberry, and I hope you guys consider making other monk fruit or stevia sweetened ones. Torani is doing a few syrups in their premade zero sugar line, and they are excellent. Fun product!