Artificial sugar substitutes (such as Stevia, Sweet 'n Low, etc.) seem to save the day by adding few or no calories to foods, but it is not such an easy fix.

 

As reported by the Harvard Medical School Health Blog, researchers argue that these substitutes may have similar effects on weight because we simply trade the sugar calories for equally empty calories to briefly satisfy our hunger or cheat with other sugary foods. Additionally, repeated use of artificial sweeteners increases our desire for heavily sweet foods, and they exhibit similarly addictive effects as sugar itself.

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Verdict: If you're going to have a sweet treat, it's best to use sugar itself.

Additional note: Honey and maple syrup can be substituted for sugar and provide some nutrients (such as vitamin B6, vitamin C, and fluoride in honey and varying amounts of riboflavin, antioxidants, iron, potassium, etc. in both) as well as calories, according to Livestrong. However, these should still be used consciously and moderately because of the high calorie count.