If you've got Type 2 diabetes, non-nutritive sweeteners can let you have your cake and eat it, too.  It's easier than ever these days to satisfy a sweet tooth without spending a lot of calories as ordinary table sugar (or sucrose) has been joined by a staggering array of non-nutritive sweeteners. Some are mainly for sprinkling over cereal or stirring into coffee, while others can be used in baking. All of the sweeteners described here are considered safe to eat in moderation - they've all been approved by the FDA. Some are no-cal and others are low-cal, so be sure to read the labels on sweeteners so you'll know just what you are getting.

To give you some perspective on how many calories and carbs you're saving by using a no sugar or low sugar sweetener, keep in mind that a teaspoon of sugar has four grams of carbohydrates and 16 calories.

Is one non-nutritive sweetener better than another? "They are all safe, so it's really a personal choice," says Beverley Manganelli, RD, CDE, manager of community nutrition at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey. "Try a few and learn which you like the taste of."

Below is a guide to the sugar-substitutes and how to use them.

  • Aspartame, found in Nutrasweet and Equal, was approved by the FDA in 1981. It's not heat-stable so should not be used in baking. "Some people get headaches from using this but it's recognized by the government as safe," says Lara Field, MS, RD, at the University of Chicago Medical Center. "I recommend using it in moderation."

  • Sucralose, sold as Splenda, was approved by the FDA in 1998. Some 600 times sweeter than table sugar, it works well in cooking and baking, although it can change the texture of baking recipes. Try using half Splenda and half sugar when you want to modify a baking recipe.

  • Saccharine, sold as Sweet 'N Low, has been on the market since 1957 and is one of the oldest non-nutritive sweeteners. In 1977, the FDA proposed a ban on saccharin use but repealed the warning in 2001. Of all the non-nutritive sweeteners, this is the most widely used. It's not recommended for baking.

  • Stevia, sold as Truvia , Stevia in the Raw, and PureVia,  is used as a sweetener and also is found in Sprite Green and some juice drinks. It is made from the leaves of a South American shrub and can be used for baking.

  • Sugar alcohols, which include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, isomalt and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, are low-calorie sweeteners that contain some carbs and calories. Used in chocolates, chewing gum and some commercial baked goods, these can cause gas, bloating or diarrhea when eaten in large amounts. "It depends on individual tolerance level," Manganelli says. "But if someone comes in and is having problems with their stomach, we always took at food intake to see if the person is eating a lot of food with sugar alcohol."

Though all the sweeteners are FDA approved, it's probably not a good idea to get overly reliant on them. In the long run, you may be better off weaning yourself from so many sweets.

"Using any of the non-caloric sweeteners doesn't teach people that they need to be eating healthier by eating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables," says Keri Gans, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "These sweeteners aren't really going to solve our problems with obesity."