Sugar Free and No Sugar Frappuccinos (Part 4 of The Skinny Frappuccino Series)

For years we have heard of the dangers of aspartame derivatives and sugars, so most of us believe there is no hope to find a tasty and healthy alternative to those delicious little white crystals. But if you are struggling to bring your diabetes under control, and that Frappuccino is looking oh so tempting, here is some information that just might cheer you up. Carbs are the culprit when it comes to diabetes – so a low sugar recipe could be a special indulgence on a rare occasion. Let’s first look at some popular frappuccino sugar content and then some no sugar/ sugar free/ low sugar alternatives.

How Much Sugar is in a Frappuccino?

Let’s take a quick look at the most popular Starbuck Frappuccino’s on the market:

Starbucks.com reports:	Calories	Carbs	Sugar Content
Caffe Espresso Frappuccino	370	57 g (20%)	53 g
Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino	430	72 g (25%)	69 g
Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino (light)	180	40 g (14%)	39 g
Caramel Flan Frappuccino	390	62 g (21%)	60 g
Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappe	440	63 g (22%)	62 g
Chocolate Cookie Crumble Frappe	460	66g (23%)	60 g

Dangers of Sugar in Our Coffee Fraps

According to the American and Canadian Diabetes Associations, it is not the amount sugar that affects the diabetic, it is how it interacts with carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that is the real culprit. The process of digestion creates blood sugars, and it is the blood sugar that need insulin to convert it into energy. When we overdo the intake of raw sugar and carbohydrates we overload our systems to the point that our pancreas over-produces insulin, which often causes insulin-resistance, then diabetes. Less than 25% of your daily caloric intake should come from the added sugar in food – fructose – the sugar in fruit, sucrose – table sugar, and lactose – the sugar in milk

The key to having your Frappe and drinking it too is to is to find the flavor without the carbs and sugar.

How to Make a Sugar-Free Frappuccino?

WebMD reports that there are alternative sweeteners that are all natural, and actually are comparable to sugar in flavor:

Stevia grows naturally in Central and South America is up to 40 times sweeter than sugar, but because of its bitter licorice-like after-taste, never really caught on. 

The makers of Truvia and SweetLeaf have now solved this problem by a process of extracting only the sweetest parts of the plant in their products. These products are now sold in most natural-food sections in grocery stores and at health food stores. According to Nutritionist Jonny Bowden, PhD., “Right now, it looks safe. It tastes just like sugar and has almost no glycemic index, which means it won’t spike your blood sugar.”

In a study by the National Institute of Health in 2010 it was found that stevioside, a component in the sweet extract from the plant, lowered postprandial insulin levels! More studies are now being conducted to establish advantages in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

You can also try mixing in cocoa, honey or coconut oil to your homemade frappuccino if you are looking for a lower sugar, more natural recipe!

MMMM – A Frappuccino actually good for you! I bet if you made your own frappe from the alternatives we’ve talked about in this series you could go on a Skinny Frappuccino diet that would actually work! I challenge our readers to it – Just write us after a month, let’s see how it goes.  

Previous Skinny Frappuccino Posts:

Part 1: Intro – The Skinny on the Best Skinny Frappuccino
Part 2: Low Fat and Non-Milk Frappuccino Options
Part 3: Healthy Coffee Makes Healthy Frappuccinos