My brother (who has a T1 diabetic child) brought me a 3 lb container of "Keystone Pantry" brand allulose as a gift about 18 months ago. He knew we were eating low carb and thought that since hubby is a T2 diabetic, we might want to try it rather than using completely artificial sweeteners. Especially as it does not spike blood sugar levels the way sucrose does.

Allulose is a naturally occurring sugar, which should appeal to those of the mind that "natural" is automatically better than "artificial." It also has the advantage that it performs very much like sugar. Baked good brown properly. You can make caramel sauce with it. etc.

However, I question the "70% as sweet as sugar" claim... or at least whether that is a universal effect. Both hubby and I had a hard time discerning any sweetness when using it in coffee, until we added amounts equal to maybe 2 to 3 times the supposed sweetness factor of the splenda we normally add to our coffee. I wonder whether or not this is one of those compounds that some people can taste easily and others can't. Maybe there is a genetic component to one's ability to taste it. In any case, at about $10/lb, it seems a bit expensive for everyday use.

However, I have used allulose successfully two or three times to make special treats but also added a few drops of liquid splenda to boost the sweetness factor. For example, it made a fabulous pecan pie for Christmas with a custard that was practically indistinguishable from one made the traditional way with Karo syrup. And since made with an almond flour crust, hubby was able to enjoy one of his favorite desserts again for the first time in years without any bump in blood sugar. (We still cut the pieces small!)

I also used allulose to make caramel for a low-carb turtle cheesecake that turned out quite nicely.

But, day-to-day, we find it better to just not use sweeteners or to use them only in very very limited amounts. After 18 months, my original 3 lb container of allulose is still half full! And, a 100 pack of Splenda typically lasts the two of us about a month.

Some people are able to give up sweets entirely and I applaud them. For the rest of us, it's good to have multiple options. We just need to be careful not to overdo on ANY of them.