There is simply no sugar substitute around like Xylitol, the healthy, natural sweetener. Not possessing a bitter taste like Stevia, not tooth-rotting or blood-sugar elevating like real sugar, not artificial and questionable like Aspartame, Xylitol is almost too good to be true.
What Xylitol is and Where Xylitol Comes From
Xylitol is what is known as a sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates whose chemical structures partly resemble that of sucrose (sugar) and that of alcohol. Technically, sugar alcohols like Xylitol are neither sugar nor alcohol, but this is where the name comes from. They occur naturally in plants, and can be extracted from them, but most are manufactured from sugars and starches. Sugar alcohols contain less food energy per gram (calories) than actual sugar, and unlike sugar, are often not completely absorbed by the body. While sugar alcohols share many traits, each type is processed very differently in the body in terms of glycemic index reading and actual calories dervied. Sugar alcohols can be found in many foods on grocery store shelves.
Xylitol originally comes from Finland, where it was first dervied from birch trees during the late 1800s. It has since been popular in Europe as an alternative sweetner safe for diabetics due to its very low glycemic index of only 13 (as compared with 100 for regular sugar). In addition, while one teaspoon (five grams) of sugar contains 15 calories, Xylitol only has 9.6.
Xylitol is in fact present throughout nature, in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables as well as hardwoods, in small amounts. It exists in foods like fruits and berries, corn husks and cobs, oats, and mushrooms, to name a few. Xylitol is so natural, in fact, that our bodies manufacture up to 15 grams of it daily from our dietary intake.
The Many Wonderful Benefits of Xylitol
Xylitol sweetener has so many good side-effects, it's hard to know where to begin. Likely most prominent among them, however, is the fact that numerous studies have confirmed that xylitol not only prevents new tooth decay from occurring, but it can stop and even reverse existing decay. Xylitol is so tooth-friendly because it works like sugar to attract harmful micro-organisms, and then proceeds to effectively starve them, as xylitol does not contain what they need to survive.
Another huge benefit to xylitol as a sugar substitute is that it is low-calorie and low on the glycemic index, so diabetics needn't have any fear in consuming it.
Yet another often-touted benefit of xylitol is the fact that xylitol gum has been shown to help prevent ear infections. This is due to the simple act of chewing working in tandem with xylitol's ability to prevent the growth of bacteria in the tubes connecting the ears and nose.
Finnish researchers have found evidence in lab rats that xylitol can prevent weakening of the bones and increase bone density, making xylitol a potential aid in preventing osteoporosis.
Xylitol has also been demonstrated to help fight and prevent infections in various ways.
Cooking with Xylitol
Although xylitol tastes a lot like sugar, cooks must be aware of the ways in which this sugar substitutes chemical composition causes it to behave differently from sugar. It is true that xylitol is to be used just like sugar in a 1:1 ratio in most recipes, but that does not speak to its behavioral differences. One important difference is that xylitol absorbs a lot of moisture, so recipes which depend upon moisture will definitely have to be adjusted, such as cookie and brownie recipes, for example. Another important thing to note is that xylitol does not caramelize, so forget about melting it and pouring the delicious brown goodness over your favorite flan recipe, it won't work. Additionally, xylitol is not to be used in baking yeast-based products, as the same properties of xylitol which make it so good at fighting tooth decay also make it poor at making yeast rise.
Despite the above-mentioned limitations, xylitol is fantastic as a sugar substitute, natural, healthy, and can indeed be used in most recipes, with little adjustment in amount compared with sugar, depending on the recipe. Pure xylitol produces a cooling sensation in the mouth when consumed, but it'll warm your heart just knowing all the great benefits you're getting from it.
Anthony Bufort - Biography Anthony (a.k.a. Tony) has held great appreciation for the written word since he was a boy. He received much encouragement ...
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