Nothing exemplifies the promise of having your cake and eating it too quite like sugar substitutes.
All the problems associated with sugar (addictive, empty calories that can lead to diabetes, obesity, candida, and tooth decay) have inspired numerous products designed to have all of the sweetness with none of the consequences. But it seems as soon as we’ve discovered something that hits that elusive sweet spot, it invariably invites a whole new set of problems.
In the cost/benefit analysis of sweetener choices, xylitol fares better than most. Over the past few years, it has gained a good reputation with consumers and food manufacturers because it looks and tastes like sugar, with 40 percent fewer calories. It also has several health benefits not normally associated with sweeteners.
The xylitol name comes from the Greek word “xylon” meaning “wood.” This sweetener is often associated with birch trees since that’s where a German chemist discovered it in 1891. European countries began to embrace xylitol following World War II due to a sugar shortage.
