Xylitol??

[kashendel]

Does anybody else use xylitol as a sweetener? Its supposed to be even better than stevia since stevia has been linked, in at least one study, to memory loss. Xylitol does have calories, however, but eating this way we're not counting calories anyway, right?

[Naiad]

Does anybody else use xylitol as a sweetener? Its supposed to be even better than stevia since stevia has been linked, in at least one study, to memory loss. Xylitol does have calories, however, but eating this way we're not counting calories anyway, right?

When I gave up sugar, I discovered agave nectar and got my (diabetic) mom hooked. After a bottle exploded in her bag that she carried around, she did some research and came across Xylitol.

I personally love the stuff, but, I mostly use it for keeping packettes in my bag in case I want tea outside of my place. I much prefer agave nectar for home use and in large doses for baking/etc.

[Lay-Lay]

is it considered raw? What is it derived from? I love agave nectar and dates for sweetner. I do not use Stevia.

[Naiad]

is it considered raw? What is it derived from? I love agave nectar and dates for sweetner. I do not use Stevia.

It's from plant sources. Originally trees and specifically birch. Xyli I believe is greek for tree and the tol is sugar, ala malitol, etc. It was discovered by scandinavian scientists during one of the world wars. They could not get sugar cane delivered to their countries and went about trying to discover a replacement sweetener. They came up with Xylitol from birch bark and noticed that it had lots of beneficial effects such as preventing tooth decay and had a very low glycemic level, thus making it great for diabetics.

Alot of companies make a lower and cheaper grade xylitol from corn. Either way, it's not raw. Or, least I'm almost certain it is not.

However, it feels and tastes almost identical to sugar and is a terrific product.

*Edited

Why then hasn't such a wondrous product become more well known and popular - money. Most people, especially ones who don't feel poorly, would rarely want to shell out $7-$10 for a bag of Xylitol or a box of packettes when a similarly sized package of sugar would be under $1.

Last Feb, doing nothing other than replacing sugar in my coffee with Xylitol and giving up soda, I went from 135lbs to 125 by early April.