If you’ve been dreaming of a world where eating sweets doesn’t wreak havoc on your body, you may get your wish. The health and nutrition fields have been abuzz about allulose, the latest low-calorie sugar substitute to hit the market. Also called by its chemical name psicose, allulose — produced by Tate & Lyle, the company that created Splenda — is labeled a rare sugar, since it is found naturally in small quantities and in a limited number of foods, including wheat, jackfruit, figs, and raisins, as well as caramel sauce, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
According to the nonprofit organization The Calorie Council, allulose looks, bakes, and tastes like real sugar without making blood sugar levels spike. And although it has 90 percent fewer calories than regular sugar, it doesn’t have an artificial aftertaste like other substitutes.