Meet the “Rare Sugar” Allulose

You’ve seen it in the ingredient list for your favorite keto desserts. What is allulose, and how can a form of sugar have zero net carbs? Here are five things to know about this sweetener that’s growing in popularity. 

1. Allulose is a sugar, but it’s different from table sugar.

The term sugar actually refers to two different things, one of which is a type of the other. Feeling a little lost? Let’s break it down:

• Sugar can refer to a whole category of carbohydrates with a sweet taste. You’ve probably heard of fructose (present in fruit) and lactose (present in milk), to name a couple.
• Sugar also refers to a specific type of sugar, sucrose (also known as table sugar)—this is the sugar you’ll find on the table at a diner, or in a sack in your cabinet.

Allulose is a sugar in the sense that it’s a sweet-tasting carbohydrate, but it’s very different from sucrose and some of the other sugars in how it’s processed by the body. For this reason, you can subtract allulose along with dietary fiber and sugar alcohol when calculating the net carbs for your favorite treats. You can find this calculation on the packaging for all of Enlightened's keto desserts!

2. Allulose is a “rare sugar.” 

You’ll often hear allulose described as a “rare sugar.” They’re not calling it a collector’s item: This just means that allulose is only found naturally in a few different foods, compared to a sugar like fructose that’s found in many different fruits and vegetables.

3. It’s found in some foods that you already know. 

Small quantities of allulose can be found in foods that are already in your pantry, including wheat, figs, and raisins.

💡 Feel-Good Fact: Fresno, California’s original minor league baseball team was called the Fresno Raisin Eaters.

4. Allulose has 90% fewer calories than sugar.

Because allulose isn’t processed by the body in the same way as other sugars, it has way fewer calories. According to the FDA, “Allulose is different from other sugars in that it is not metabolized by the human body in the same way as table sugar. It has fewer calories, produces only negligible increases in blood glucose or insulin levels, and does not promote dental decay.”

5. Allulose helps make Enlightened desserts sweet (without all the sugar).

With a clean, sweet taste like sugar but only a tenth of the calories, allulose helps us create desserts that are every bit as craveable as their high-sugar neighbors in the freezer case. The next time you enjoy Enlightened keto ice cream, cheesecakes, or Dough Bites, you’ll know that the rare sugar allulose is an important part of that sweet experience.

💡 Looking for details on other ingredients in Enlightened products? Get the full scoop on erythritol, soluble corn fiber, and high-fiber wheat flour.