Xylitol: A Great Tasting Sugar Substitute for Diabetics
Xylitol is one of the natural
sugar substitutes as opposed to artificial sweeteners such
as aspartame and sucralose. It is derived from fruit such as
plums, pears and strawberries and birch bark or corn husks with approximately the same sweetness and taste as sugar.
In fact, xylitol tastes really great, more like sugar than any other sugar substitute!.
It has been approved for use in foods, oral health products and
pharmaceutical products in over 35 countries around the world.
The only known side effect of xylitol is that excessive consumption can cause diarrhea.
Another unique quality of xylitol is
that it prevents plaque on the teeth thus helping to prevent tooth
decay. It has bactericidal properties and does not create an acid
environment in the mouth.
But there's more, xylitol can help to prevent
and cure nasal infections. In a medical study of this
remarkable sweetener, using a nasal spray prepared with this
sugar substitute, helped to clear up infections in children.
More About Xylitol
Because xylitol is slowly absorbed by the
body, it does not cause an excessive rise in blood sugar or
insulin response. One of the best qualities of this
sweetener is that it
can be substituted in many recipes for the same amount of sugar.
One teaspoon has only 10 calories with a glycemic
index of 7.
Of course the results in baked goods will not be
exactly the same as with sugar but in most cases, xylitol makes a
very good alternative to
artificial
sugar substitutes for diabetics. |
