Xylitol has the same amount of carbohydrates per serving as sugar, but remember because xylitol is not broken down and metabolized well in our systems it has very little effect on blood glucose and insulin levels. Because of this xylitol is on a depending on the source on the glycemic index. Most individuals do not have problems with their blood sugar when using xylitol. However, there are exceptions.
If you peruse the Internet you can read comments from people that say it causes a rise in their blood glucose levels—not good. I have checked my blood glucose after using xylitol and ketones and it does not seem to have any negative impacts on me, but your mileage might vary. Because xylitol has approximately the same sweetness as sugar it makes it quite easy to substitute in existing recipes. Here are a few things you might want to keep in mind if you decide to try out xylitol:.
The major vice of xylitol, abdominal distress, appears to happen primarily in individuals that lack good gut health which is, unfortunately, quite a large number of people. I have used xylitol quite extensively and neither I nor anyone else in my family have experienced the aforementioned abdominal discomfort.
I do try to decrease the amount of xylitol I use when baking by combining it with pure stevia extract. If you are looking to introduce xylitol into your diet I would recommend starting out with a little and working your way up. Be sure to subscribe so we can send you free email updates and resources for raising strong families. So much to learn about sugar and its substitutes…thanks for informing me about xylitol. I feel like I understand it a little better now!
This is great. I only chew gum that is sweetened with Xylitol. The dental bennies. Thank you for all your research — I feel like I can make a much better decision about it now! Food for thought: The Medical industry and Dental Industry also think it was safe to put amalgam mercury in your mouth and floride in your water.
It does seem like a very good alternative to sugar from my research. If you ever look at how cane sugar is made, it is very questionable if you can call it natural. Same with beet sugar. If you get down to it, honey is likely the only real natural sugar, with maple syrup making a second. Stivia, now matter what they mix it with, always tastes bitter to me. I have thrown out too many things trying to use it.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, not a prebiotic. Interesting article. Thank-you for this. How should I substitute? These substitutions are not an exact science, unfortunately. I was just wondering how much xylitol would you use in a toothpaste application? I have made some with bentonite clay, baking soda coconut oil and peppermint E. I should also grind it, as your article suggests?
Thank you! You can always add more. Good luck! Yes, xylitol is a prebiotic. Here is a journal article you might be interested in regarding xylitol as a prebiotic. In this article, we look at the uses and potential health benefits of xylitol. We also cover its side effects, drug interactions, dosage, and alternatives.
Xylitol has a similar level of sweetness to sugar but with a fraction of the calories. It is a popular ingredient in a variety of products, including sugar-free gum and toothpaste. Xylitol sweeteners are available to purchase online. Xylitol has a low glycemic index GI. This means that consuming it does not cause spikes in blood glucose or insulin levels in the body.
For this reason, xylitol is a good sugar substitute for people with diabetes. Also, a study revealed that xylitol had significant blood glucose-lowering effects in rats that ate high-fat diets. Xylitol is an ingredient in many dental hygiene products, including toothpaste and mouthwash.
This is due to the fact that xylitol is non-fermentable, which means that the bacteria in the mouth cannot convert it into the harmful acid that causes tooth decay.
Plaque binds lactic acid against the surface of the tooth. This acid breaks down the enamel and leads to tooth decay. While it is normal for people to have some plaque on their teeth, excess amounts can lead to tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. A systematic review suggests that xylitol reduces the amount of S. A study examined the effects of xylitol on Porphyromonas gingivalis , which is the bacterium responsible for gingivitis, or gum disease. If left untreated, excess amounts of P.
In the study, scientists grew samples of P. They saw that xylitol increased the production of immune system proteins and inhibited the growth of the bacteria. The bacteria that cause tooth plaque can also accumulate behind the eardrum and cause infections of the middle ear. Doctors call these infections acute otitis media AOM. A systematic review found moderate-quality evidence that chewing gum, lozenges, or syrup containing xylitol can reduce the occurrence of AOM from 30 to 22 percent among healthy children.
However, a study found xylitol syrup to be ineffective in reducing AOM in children at high risk of the infection. These conflicting results indicate the need for more research regarding the use of xylitol as a preventive treatment for ear infections in children.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health , free radicals cause oxidative stress , which can lead to cell damage and may play a role in the development of several conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Laboratory studies show that antioxidants neutralize free radicals and counteract oxidative stress.
A study revealed that xylitol may have antioxidant properties. Diabetic rats who ate xylitol produced higher amounts of glutathione. This is an antioxidant that counteracts the harmful effects of free radicals. It is important to note that human studies are needed to validate these findings. Xylitol is generally safe, but like other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive issues such as bloating and diarrhea in some people.
It is worth noting that xylitol can be very toxic to dogs. It is vital to store products containing xylitol in a safe place that pets cannot reach.
Anyone who thinks that their dog has consumed xylitol should call their veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center immediately. Currently, xylitol has no known interactions with prescription or over-the-counter medications. Used for baking: Some sources said yes; others said heat caused it to lose its sweetness.
The latter, in fact, is true. The cake I baked was not sweet. Neotame is made by Nutrasweet. The newest of the artificial sweeteners, it is about 40 times sweeter than aspartame making it 8, times sweeter than sugar and is metabolized like aspartame.
Used for baking: It is said to be much more stable than aspartame for baking and cooking. Since it is not available in retail outlets, I did not test it. Saccharin or benzoic sulfimide , the oldest of the artificial sweeteners, was accidentally discovered by a chemist working on coal tar derivatives more than years ago. Depending on its use, it can be to times sweeter than sugar. Used for baking: Yes. Although the cake I baked was dense and lumpy, it was surprisingly tender and very sweet, with that unmistakable metallic Sweet'N Low aftertaste.
Sucralose or chlorinated sugar was accidentally discovered in by a researcher and was approved for use in the U. It is times sweeter than regular sugar and is marketed as a sugar substitute that can fill in for the real thing in any capacity, including cake baking.
Used for baking: Splenda is popular because it can retain its natural sweetness when heated to high temperatures. The cake I baked had a biscuit-like texture, consistent with that of cakes baked with the other artificial sweeteners.
The aftertaste is not as strong as Sweet'N Low's but is noticeable. Stevia is a virtually calorie-free sweetener that is times sweeter than sugar; it has been used for centuries as a sweetener in South America. In the s, tests on stevia had problematic results: Animal studies linked stevia to a negative impact on fertility and possible genetic mutations. As a result, pure stevia is categorized as a dietary supplement not approved by the U. Food and Drug Administration. Even though it is derived from a plant, some consider it artificial because it is so highly refined.
For pure stevia, head to a health-food store or vitamin shop. Used for baking: Yes, but like many of the artificial sweeteners, pure stevia doesn't have the bulk to deliver appealing baked goods. The cake made with Truvia was acceptable, but there was a mild vanilla aftertaste that is apparently added to disguise the more obvious licorice finish. Stirred into a drink, the Nectresse brand blend most closely approximates sugar and was one of my favorite no-calorie sweeteners.
Nectresse performed similarly to the other no-cal sweeteners, producing a cake that was tender but lumpy, dry, and biscuit-like. Not all non-nutritive sweeteners are artificial. Since they are not completely absorbed by the body, these plant-based sweeteners have fewer calories than sugar does. The body absorbs sugar alcohols more slowly than it absorbs sugars, so these products are lower on the glycemic index.
It's easy to identify sugar alcohols on packaging labels because most of them end in "ol"—glucitol, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, glycerol, lactitol. Many of them have a cool, fresh finish associated with mints, gum, and cough syrups, so it's no surprise that these are the sugars used to sweeten those products.
Products containing sugar alcohols can be labeled "sugar free" or "reduced calorie," so be aware that sugar free does not necessarily mean calorie free. The two most common sugar alcohols available to consumers are no-calorie erythritol and reduced-calorie xylitol, both of which baked up into very respectable cakes. Although there was some criticism that sugar alcohols don't brown when heated, I didn't find it to be true.
Perhaps it was from the butter and milk, but both the erythritol and the xylitol cakes were golden brown. Erythritol has the calorie advantage over xylitol—zero calories compared with xylitol's nine calories per teaspoon. Of all the zero-calorie sweeteners, erythritol was my overall favorite in its baking performance and clean flavor.
Used for baking: Yes—the erythritol-sweetened cake was a runner-up in my personal baking contest. Though not as good as the xylitol-sweetened cake, it was far superior in taste and texture to the cakes made with other zero-calorie sweeteners. Xylitol is five percent less sweet than sugar, but it has 40 percent fewer calories 9 calories versus sugar's 16 and a low glycemic index. It can be made from many different things, but it's primarily extracted from corncobs and hardwoods.
It is increasingly difficult to find the better-for-you xylitol made from hardwoods. The bulk of xylitol is made from corn and imported from China. Used in baking: Yes. Xylitol looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, and responds like sugar in baking. Among the sugar substitutes, xylitol is my favorite. Though it was not as sweet as the cake sweetened with sugar, the xylitol cake's texture was tender and cake-like and the flavor was pure. Tagatose is a new naturally occurring sweetener found in milk.
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