A few years ago I tried the Ideal Protein diet with much success. I won’t go into all the details but it was basically a low carb, low calorie diet with prepackaged food. Most of my success on this dietI feel, was owed to journaling and meeting with a counselor/doctor every week for a one-on-one check in. This accountability was the biggest reason I lost weight…that and the fact that it was a also a bit expensive so I didn’t want to waste my money and therefor stuck to it. So it was from my Ideal Protein days that I was introduced to some cool sugar free products.
Most of the recipes I played around with were low carb sweet recipes. I love sweets more and more as I get older. Really love them. So while on Ideal Protein I would find various message boards where other Ideal Protein dieters shared their favorite recipes and along the way I found out about the following. If you are diabetic, low carb or just trying to watch your calorie intake, I think you will enjoy these products. I’m a big Amazon shopper so I’ve added my affiliate link for you but if there were other places I have bought the product I have added that too. On to the first one.
It’s amazing how creative people can be when they are forced to limit what they eat. I learned about these delicious flavorings from various people who made one minute muffins (check out my recipe here). They add flavor but there is no sweetness. None. So they are NOT a flavored sweetener such as the Torani syrups below. For example if you would taste the Chocolate Caramel Nut drops pictured above, you will taste chocolate caramel nut minus any sweetness. Capella has over 50 flavors to choose from and they last a long time because they are highly concentrated. They contain no fats, calories or carbs. They also sell flavored stevia drops but I have never tried them. My favorites were Maple Pancakes, Marshmallow and Fudge Brownie but as I said, they have over 50 flavors. These are great for baking or if you are making your own candies.
Where You Can Buy Them.
- You can buy them on Amazon.com by clicking this link: Capella Flavor Drops
- Or you can buy them at Capella’s online store.
My whole family uses Torani syrups. My husband recently discovered them when I used the Peach flavored syrup in his oatmeal every morning and now he likes to add the Vanilla to his chai tea in the winter. They are Splenda based and very tasty. You can combine flavors or just pick from their 37 different flavors. Many coffee houses use them in their coffee and tea drinks. Here are a few things I use them with:
- Fruity blender ice cream (fruit, almond milk, Torani in a blender makes delicious ice cream)
- Smoothies (add flavor without calories)
- Fruit topping for cheesecakes (cook down frozen fruit in a saucepan and add a little Torani for sweetness)
- Flavor oatmeal
- Flavor tea or coffee (iced or hot)
- Great for blender coffee drinks
- Make your own soda (just add to sparkling mineral water or seltzer)
- Make crushed ice drinks (blend ice and Torani)
- Make your own jello
Those are just a few ideas off the top of my head but believe me when I say that I use them a lot and that they are delicious. They have everything fruity from Black Cherry to Mango. Everything holiday from Gingerbread to Pumpkin Pie. And they have all the coffee house favorites from Salted Caramel to Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Some of my favorites are Belgian Cookie, S’Mores, Salted Caramel, Mango, Peach, Raspberry, Black Cherry and Vanilla. Ones that I didn’t care so much for are the Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Lemon. They weren’t bad but they weren’t my favorites. Note that these syrups are thin and not super sweet. You will have to play around to get your desired sweetness levels.
Where You Can Buy Them.
- You can buy Torani syrups on Amazon.com by clicking Torani Sugar Free Syrups.
- Or you go to Torani.com and buy them directly from them.
- I have also found a few in my local grocery store and Walmart. However those selections were very limited… usually just Vanilla, Hazelnut or Irish Creme.
I learned about Swerve from a couple of bloggers I follow who have adopted a low carb lifestyle. They have all settled on Swerve as their favorite sweetener for cooking and baking. It contains erythritol and oligosaccharides which are naturally derived and it works much like sugar in recipes. I use it primarily for baking.
What’s great about Swerve:
- Tastes great.
- Measures cup for cup like sugar.
- It’s made from a combination of erythritol and oligosaccharides which are derived from fruits and vegetables.
- No artificial ingredients, preservatives or flavors.
- Non-glycemic and safe for diabetics.
- Great for baking with the ability to brown and caramelize.
This is a great product to have in your arsenal. I don’t use as much as the others because I don’t bake that often but when I do, it’s my go to product. I haven’t been able to find it in my grocery store but I usually buy in on Amazon.
Where You Can Buy Them.
- You can buy on Amazon.com by clicking Swerve Sweetner
- Or you can buy it on Vitacost.com by clicking here.
I like stevia. It’s an acquired taste because it can be bitter or have a strong artificial taste. But it’s sweet and it relatively natural so I tend to use stevia a lot in my drinks. One summer I decided to make my own lemonade with lemon flavored drops and a few slices of lemon. It was fabulous! I drank it just about everyday. That made me expand my collection of stevia drops. I like Sweet Leaf the best and they have a variety of flavors to choose from. Recently I’ve been giving my son some sparkling mineral water with Sweet Leaf’s Root Beer Stevia drops. He loves it! And why not, it tastes like a can of root beer. Hey, I just got an idea. Next time I’m going to add a few drops of the Vanilla Creme … perhaps that will taste like a root beer float! Oh how I wished I liked root beer.
These little bottles last a long time. I use them mostly for water drinks, teas and smoothies but you could use them for baking too. It might be hard to convert recipes though so I only use it for baking when a recipe suggests liquid stevia. They also fit nicely in your purse (if you carry one) so you can use it on the go.
Where You Can Buy Them.
- You can buy them on Amazon.com by clicking Sweet Leaf Drops.
- Or you can buy them at Vitacost.com by clicking here.
I really like the Vanilla Creme, Root beer, Lemon and English Toffee. I have not tried them all though but so far the only one I don’t care too much for was the chocolate.
So these are my favorite sugar free products that I use just about everyday. What are some of yours?
Kandy
Thank you for this particular article! I had never heard of Capella drops and am excited to get a few of their flavors for my water and coffee! Love the looks of your low carb recipes also!
Denise
Thanks Kandy! They are pretty cool, inexpensive and comes in a LOT of flavors.
SueR
Denise~ Just want to thank you for posting the low-carb recipes and for all the information! I was on Nutrisystem twice – once about 20 years ago, once recently. I lost a lot of weight both times – and ended up putting it all back. I am diabetic, and am now trying to stick to low-carb food. Wish me luck – please!
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Hi Sue, I was on Ideal Protein a few years back and lost 30 lbs. It felt so good but I too gained it back. I’ve recently started low carb because it’s easy and it works. I’ve lost 8 lbs very easily and I’m never hungry. I’m glad you like the recipes. Please let me know how you are doing on your journey.