Equal (sweetener)

Have you ever tasted something really sweet, like candy or a sugary drink? Well, sometimes people can't eat too much sugar because it's not good for their bodies or they have a medical condition that won't let them. That's where "equal" comes in!

Equal is a sweetener that people can use instead of sugar. It comes in little packets just like sugar does, but instead of white crystals, it has a little pink or blue packet. When you open the packet and pour it into your food or drink, it tastes sweet just like sugar!

The difference is that equal is made with something called "aspartame" instead of sugar. Aspartame is a really small molecule that's made up of amino acids (the building blocks of protein). When you eat or drink something with aspartame in it, your tongue sends a message to your brain that it tastes sweet.

The cool thing about equal is that it doesn't have any calories like sugar does! Calories are like little units of energy that give your body fuel, but too many calories can make you gain weight. Since equal doesn't have any calories, people who can't eat sugar can use it to make their food or drink taste sweet without worrying about gaining weight.

So that's the story of equal, a sweetener that's made with aspartame and doesn't have any calories!