Weekly Dietitian Tip: What’s the difference in colored sugar packets?

Have you ever wondered which small, colored packet you should add to your coffee and what the difference is anyway?

  • The white packets are table sugar, they pack in extra calories and added sugar.

The other colors are non-nutritive sweeteners, meaning they are calorie and sugar-free:

  • The blue packets are aspartame, the most popular brand name being Equal. Aspartame is about 200X sweeter than sugar.
  • The pink packets are saccharin, otherwise known as Sweet N Low. Saccharin is about 300X sweeter than sugar.
  • The yellow packets are sucralose, also known as Splenda. Sucralose is 600-800X sweeter than sugar.

Their tastes vary in sweetness, so it’s a personal preference on which to pick. Each of these sweeteners is safe to consume as part of a healthy diet.

~Kaylee Brown, Registered Dietitian

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