Unlike olestra, Z-Trim cannot be used in fried foods such as potato and tortilla chips. Olestra is made from table sugar and vegetable oil but has no fat itself. It was approved by FDA for use in chips, crackers and cheese puffs and has the potential to replace the fat in a wide variety of foods. A low-calorie sweetener provides consumers with a sweet taste without the calories or carbohydrates that come with sugar and other caloric sweeteners. For example, because aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sucrose, the amounts needed to achieve the desired sweetness are so small that aspartame is considered virtually non-caloric.
Recent studies support the effectiveness of low-calorie sweeteners in controlling caloric intake.
Of course, to lose weight, you must have the willpower to resist consuming the calories that have already been saved, either during the same meal or in the same day. Foods and beverages sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners provide a variety of benefits to consumers. Many people consume low-calorie foods and beverages simply because they enjoy the taste and don't want extra, unnecessary calories. People use these products for many reasons in addition to dieting. In fact, most low-calorie product consumers are not on a diet.