Sweet Spot Review: PAL Sweet

You can never let go of your sweet tooth even if you have the D. This is especially true for individuals like myself who have grown up surrounded with sweets.

Thus, since I was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, I have been on the lookout for the perfect sugar substitute as I can never really live without any sweetness. One of the more reliable brands out there that I continue to use is Ajinomoto's PAL Sweet.

PAL Sweet derives its sweetness from the use of Aspartame, a protein-based amino-acid naturally found in such foods such as fish, grain, green veggies, and dairy products like milk and cheese. It's also a favored sweetener in several diet sodas.

While there is ongoing debate regarding the definite "healthy" aspects of artificial sweeteners including aspartame, as with other food and food items, moderation is the key in its use. According to the Ajinomoto site, a 60-kilogram individual can safely consume 20,000 mg of Aspartame daily without any side-effect but why go overboard in the first place?

PAL Sweet is one of the earliest sweeteners I was introduced to and up to now I still use it. One sachet of PAL Sweet is as sweet as 2 teaspoons of sugar but being a sweet tooth, I tend to use at least 2 sachets for my daily caffeine fix. It leaves no after-taste unlike other sweeteners I've tested and blends well with just about any liquid like coffee or tea. I've yet to see it used as a sugar substitute in cooking so I can't give an opinion on that (unlike Splenda or Equal that are readily available as cooking ingredients). But if you're food needs a little sprinkling of sweetness, I think reaching for a PAL Sweet won't be a problem.

There are two types of PAL Sweet available -- as 1-gram powder form sachets and as tablets. And in terms of price, its less expensive than Splenda.

How do you use a PAL Sweet? Well, the label says it is best added to your food or drink after cooking. I usually add two sachets to my coffee or tea after I've stirred the coffee and creamer with hot water. I've also done it reverse, PAL Sweet first, then hot water then coffee and creamer and I've experienced no difference in the taste. It might be a different matter though if cooking was involved.

My take on PAL Sweet? For diabetics, safe to use, in moderation, of course.


Product Stats:

Manufacturer: Ajinomoto

Availability: PAL Sweet is readily available in most groceries and supermarkets. Available in sachet packs and as tablets. Sachets have a net weight of 1 gram (packed in 50s and smaller sizes) while the tablets are packed in 100s in ready-to-dispense containers.

Ingredients: Lactose and Aspartame (40mg for each sachet, and 20mg per tablet). For the tablet, additional ingredients include Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose and L-Leucine

Sweetness: 1 sachet or 2 tablets = 2 teaspoon of sugar