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If you have a sweet tooth but want to lose weight, it can be difficult to enjoy the things you love and appease your cravings. After all, we all know that consuming too much sugar can lead to serious consequences on your health, including weight gain. And although artificial sweeteners may seem like a decent solution to this issue, research has shown that those come with their own fair share of risks and could also result in extra pounds.

So, what does that leave us with? Experts agree that natural sweeteners are the best way to go, but even many of these, such as sugar alcohols like erythritol, could have negative effects. That’s where sweet proteins come in. Yes, you read that right: sweet proteins are sweeteners that taste like sugar but digest like a protein, and they can do wonders for your overall health when you swap them with sugar. To learn more about these small but mighty proteins, we spoke to dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES author of 2 Day Diabetes Diet and consultant for Oobli, a brand that’s making the most of this innovation by adding it to delicious teas and chocolates. Read all about the amazing benefits below!

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Benefits of sweet proteins

A healthy sweetener may sound too good to be true, but according to Palinski-Wade, sweet proteins, which come from the fruit of plants, could be the key to enjoying sweet treats while shedding pounds and keeping your gut microbiome in great shape. In fact, she says they’re up to 5,000x sweeter than sugar, without all of the health risks, such as blood sugar spikes.

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“Since sweet proteins are protein and not sugar, they have little-to-no impact on blood sugar and insulin levels,” she tells us. And since these proteins are so sweet, she points out, “very little is needed to sweeten foods and beverages, providing minimal calories.” That means that you can enjoy sweet treats without loading your body with calories, making sweet proteins a fantastic secret weapon on your weight loss journey.

If you’ve been trying to kick your sugar habit, sweet proteins can also be a great way to do that. “Sweet proteins can go a long way in reducing our dependence on added sugar in the diet,” Palinski-Wade says. “These proteins can replace as much as 70-90% of the sugar in most food products.”

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Plus, unlike many alternative sweeteners out there, which can do some serious damage to your digestive system, “sweet proteins don’t disrupt the gut microbiome. In fact, they never even reach the gut during digestion,” Palinski-Wade goes on. “Sweet proteins are derived from the fruit of plants and contain no carbohydrates or chemicals and act like any other dietary protein during digestion.” Incredible!

Oobli

Oobli Sweet Tea is a healthy sweet beverage

Beverages that are healthy and sweet are hard to come by. “Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as traditional sweet teas, can lead to an excessive intake of added sugar and calories in the diet,” Palinski-Wade warns. “Consuming too much added sugar, especially from sugary beverages, increases your risk of weight gain and can lead to visceral fat accumulation, which is associated with conditions like diabetes and heart disease. In addition, excess sugar in beverages has been linked with an increased risk of dental caries and tooth decay.”

That’s why Oobli has created a sweet tea that eliminates all of that thanks to the power of sweet proteins. Oobli’s Sweet Teas are the world’s first and only drink on the market to make low-sugar drinks without alternative or artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols like erythritol. Although these teas do contain small amounts of sugar, they make a fantastic alternative to sugar-laden options and are far better for you than artificially-sweetened drinks. We’ve tried them for ourselves, and we can confirm that they’re seriously delicious.

So, there you have it: The future of sweeteners, right there in a little can of tea.

READ MORE: 4 Healthy Snacks You’ll Actually Want To Eat–& They Help With Weight Loss

The editors at SheFinds wrote this post on behalf of Oobli Sweet Tea and received compensation as part of our agreement.