I love Just Like Sugar Table Top was my favorite natural sweetener, made from chicory root. A zero-calorie, zero-carb granulated sweetener is hard to find, one we can enjoy with no blood sugar rush or insulin response.
Sadly, Just Like Sugar is no longer available. The company’s brilliant owner and inventor, Michael Sylver, recently passed away. Perhaps his partners will be re-launching the product or something similar. I don’t know.
For the moment, Click here to se my favorite recommended healthy sweeteners.
After testing hundreds of sweeteners I used Just Like Sugar because it dissolves easily, it tastes delicious and is easy to measure cup for cup—like table sugar. It gently sweetens everything, and I get no glycemic rush or aftertaste from it. The Table Top version gives the best sweet flavor and texture in desserts. It is also great for coffee or tea. I am not paid or endorsed by Just Like Sugar in any way – I just love their product.
Just Like Sugar Table Top is a blend of crystal chicory root that is 96% dietary fiber, mixed with calcium and vitamin C. Its sweetness comes from orange peel. Chicory root is high in sweet carbohydrate dietary fiber called inulin (IN-you-lin) not to be confused with insulin. Because of the structure of the inulin molecule, it is not digested in the human body, and does not metabolize as a carbohydrate. This means effectively that although it tastes sweet, it does not affect blood sugar levels, and it does not cause weight gain.
The health benefits of Just Like Sugar are unique among sweeteners:
1. Just Like Sugar is high in chicory root dietary fiber. Clinical research shows that a diet high in dietary fiber greatly benefits digestive functions.
2. Nutritional facts per the manufacturer’s label: A 100 gram serving contains 0 calories, 0 Sugar, 0 Fat, 0 Cholesterol, 0 Sodium, 0 Net Impact Carbohydrates and 0 Protein.
3. Just Like Sugar is not fermentable and will not promote tooth decay.
4. Just Like Sugar acts as a prebiotic in the body, meaning it helps to stimulate the growth and activity of healthy digestive bacteria.
5. Chicory root is often used to control blood sugar levels. It can be used to help stabilize the body blood sugar levels for diabetics and non diabetics alike
6. It is gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free and vegan safe. It does not contain soy, yeast, animal derivatives or preservatives.
You may experiment with other sweeteners in my recipes. Do this at your own risk of course. However I can tell you that any sweetener measured cup for cup like sugar should work just fine. You might miss out on the low-carb benefits of chicory root, but you’ll have a delicious dessert.
Buy it online from JustLikeSugarInc.com, or Netrition.com. Make sure you ask for the Table Top version in the one-pound green bag for my recipes, not the Baking, because it is measured differently. I love Just Like Sugar and I think you will too.
Note: The sweeteners I recommend are suitable for the vast majority of people, including most people with gluten intolerance, celiac disease and diabetes. However every person’s digestion is unique, therefore they may not be suitable for everyone. A few people suffering from IBS may not tolerate chicory root fiber. Before starting any new diet, please check with your medical practitioner.
16 Replies to "Just Like Sugar - Table Top Sweetener"
Laurie Campbell March 7, 2023 (8:40 am)
I cannot find it anywhere!
Jane Barthelemy April 1, 2023 (1:09 am)
Hi Laurie
Thank you for your message. You cannot find it anywhere because it does not exist anywhere anymore. It’s a sad story of power, money, betrayal, and manipulation. the pendulum is swinging toward the good now. As soon as this corporate control nonsense is finished, we can get about our work of healing humanity with healthy sweeteners. In the meantime, consider this, my list of favorites: 5 Top Healthy Sweeteners: https://janeshealthykitchen.com/5-top-paleo-sweeteners/
Thank you again and best wishes for your delicious health!
Jane
Jamillah February 21, 2023 (10:43 am)
What do you think about date syrup as a sweetener?
Jane Barthelemy February 21, 2023 (6:00 pm)
Hi Jamillah, Thanks for your question. Oooooh! Date syrup is one of my favorite sweeteners from a flavor viewpoint. However, when you check the total sugar content of date syrup, it is extremely high in fructose and glucose, which means it will adversely affect health. Fructose is processed in the liver, and glucose goes straight to the bloodstream. Both are at the root of inflammation, diabetes, and body acidity, the cause of many diseases now chronic among humanity. These sugars are as addictive as cocoaine, which makes us irrationally want what harms us. Ha Ha! I am looking for a sweetener that is non-toxic to the body, and which can be used in recipes to give a sweet taste without harm to the body. Sadly, date syrup does not pass that test. To answer that question for any sweetener, look at the nutrition facts and read the total sugar content. We do not really NEED sweeteners, so I control my health by eating no sweets and no processed foods. Thanks again! Best wishes for your delicious health! Jane
Kathryn Wolfe September 18, 2022 (1:26 pm)
Aloha dear Jane,
Back when I explained to you re to JLS not operating. A friend just gave me another bag that he is supposed to have bought at Amazon, but I could not find any links to that. Do you know if it is available for purchase anywhere now?
Mahalo,
Jane Barthelemy September 18, 2022 (5:10 pm)
Hi Kathryn, WHAT???!?!?! I have no idea. Just be grateful for your personal miracle! I heard Mike Sylver passed on. I thought the company stopped operating, although no one directly communicated that to me. His former partner is trying to start up an operation, and that was a year ago. This is great news! Best wishes for your delicious health! Jane
Marcia Burrows July 2, 2021 (2:46 pm)
I like your recipes. But I’m almost out of “Just Like Sugar” and since the company went bankrupt I can’t buy more. Is there another brand that is similar that I could purchase somewhere?
Jane Barthelemy July 3, 2021 (9:59 pm)
So sorry, Kelly, The JLS President my friend Mike Sylver doesn’t answer my calls or respond to emails. My intuitive sense is that he’s waiting out the world situation and may come back. Who knows? For the moment better use a different sweetener. I’m in Bali so we don’t have alternative sweeteners. I just skip all sugar and flour, and I’m fine! Try this link for my favorite JLS alternatives: https://janeshealthykitchen.com/5-top-paleo-sweeteners/
Best wishes for your delicious health! Jane
Jane Barthelemy July 3, 2021 (10:01 pm)
One of their companies went bankrupt. The other did not. But don’t hold your breath. Try this link for my favorite JLS alternatives: https://janeshealthykitchen.com/5-top-paleo-sweeteners/
Pam June 28, 2021 (11:44 am)
I just tried to access their website and was unsuccessful. Is ‘Just Like Sugar’ still in business?
Jane Barthelemy July 3, 2021 (10:16 pm)
Hi Pam, Thanks for your question. I don’t know. Let’s wait and see. Like so many other things it’s not clear. Check the many other comments on this page for link to other non-glycemic, non-fructose sweeteners. Or look for SWEETENERS on my navigation. You’ll find some good suggestions. Best wishes! Jane
Johnna Jones June 10, 2021 (12:41 pm)
Please help me understand.
If I am understanding correctly, the “Just Like Sugar – Table Top Sweetener” is also a processed product like you are saying stevia is. Why is this product any better for our bodies? I am new to all this and trying to understand what is safe and why.
Jane Barthelemy June 22, 2021 (11:23 pm)
Hi Johanna, thanks for your comment. Just Like Sugar is chicory root inulin, orange peel, and calcium, grown without chemicals. Stevia is also a natural plant, grown with chemicals. More importantly, but because of its strong aftertaste, it is processed with toxic chemicals, which are not removed. The choice is yours.
A. Woozle November 29, 2021 (1:59 pm)
I have been using SweetLeaf stevia for about 18 years. You list inulin as one of the ingredients that is not natural, but JLS is primarily getting its sweetness from inulin (I suspect that like SweetLeaf stevia, the sweetness from the orange peel isn’t enough, so inulin is used). Why is JLS given a pass?
Jane Barthelemy November 29, 2021 (5:29 pm)
Hi A. Woozle, Thank you for your comment. I am a medical intuitive, as well as a cookbook writer and researcher. I am not always right. I have reason to believe all refined stevia to be laced with toxic chemicals. I suspect stevia has been produced in ways that harm global health, and my health improved when I stopped using it. There are many different production methods for stevia and some of them may be safe.
Just like Sugar is made from chicory inulin grown without chemicals in Brazil. Chicory inulin is a prebiotic that aids digestion in most people, and is slightly sweet, about 30% as sweet as table sugar. JLS other ingredients are calcium, vitamin C and orange peel. Orange peel in this form, I am told, is a high intensity sweetener about 600 times sweeter than table sugar, and this gives JLS its sweetness. I feel fine when I eat JLS. I have never had stevia or JLS analyzed for toxic chemicals in a lab, although that would be a wonderful idea! Ha Ha! We are all responsible to do our research and consume what we feel is best. I don’t have all the answers. Thanks again for your comment and best wishes for your health! Jane
Anne June 4, 2021 (1:46 pm)
loved reading your website and information…but, I have been searching for a tonic water that does not have very high sugar and added sugars…so disappointed the zevia tonic water also will not be a good choice.