Xylitol Sweetner

[DB2]

Is Xylitol Sweetener acceptable on LDL?

Faye

[niki]

hi faye....xylitol is sorbitol if i'm not mistaken...not a good choice......you can use splenda,aspartame and stevia, the stevia being the best from a healthy standpoint....when i started reading all the nasty things about this stuff,i started squeezing limes into filtered water and gave up crystal light and all other artificial sweeteners.....niki   

[joecaracappa]

Sorbitol is great stuff if you need to clean out your colon........otherwise, I'd avoid it.

[abundantlyblessed]

Although Xylitol is a sugar alcohol it is not sorbitol. 

Here's some info that I've gathered:

According to Wikipedia, Xylitol, also called wood sugar or birch sugar, is a five-carbon sugar alcohol that is used as a sugar substitute. It can be extracted from birch, raspberries, plums, and corn and is primarily produced in China.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol

http://www.xylitol.org/

http://www.truestarhealth.com/Notes/1957006.html

Having said all that, I do use a little bit of it.  I do NOT like Stevia at all.  I've tried to like it for years and just do NOT.  I use about 2 tsps each day in my cup of tea.  Generally I only have one cup of tea a day but when I'm not feeling well, I may have more than one, in which case I use more Xylitol.  I have used it in a few recipes that called for splenda or sugar or such.

I hope that helps some,
Michele

[niki]

i just went on these links(thanks,michele)...i see that xylitol and sorbital are in the same category of sugar alcohols....i,personally,wouldn't use them......michele,have you been craving free and have you been able to consistently follow let's do lunch?....the one time i ate something that i shouldn't have,i found that i needed to eat more to be full...i never really came to the point that i had cravings...i didn't wait that long....i threw it in the garbage......i hated that feeling.....
  so it's everyone's call.............niki

[DB2]

Thanks, Michele, Niki, this helps.  I almost bought some but after I read the ingredients and saw alcohol, I thought I had better check it out more before I went ahead and bought it.  I don't think I would be afraid to use it.  I don't want to use too much.  I may buy some at a later date.  I know I don't want to use artificial sweeteners.  I do have some of the SweetLeaf Stevia.  I do use Xlear, a nasal wash, with Xylitol in it.  I haven't had a sinus infection since I started using it.  I don't use it very often.

If and when I get some I will let you know how it does.  I plan to be careful.  I like being able to be around sweets and not be tempted.

Faye

[abundantlyblessed]

You're welcome Niki.

Yes, I've been craving free.  Of course, if I start thinking about all those things, like I did before Thanksgiving, I do end up starting to lust after it, conjuring up old memories.  But normally speaking, yes, I'm craving free.  Hallelujah! 

And yes, I have been able to consistently follow LDL.

I just heard about another sweetener called agave. Is this allowable? Maybe I'll give it a try if it is allowable.

Michele

[niki]

hi michele...i was just looking at info on agave and see that it is from a cactus like plant from mexico....i read info on it's glycemic index and it LOOKS like it is a little better than honey,but i don't see anything comparing it to stevia.....
  i've reached my goal and i would be reluctant to try it....i don't use ANY artificial sweeteners..actually,what it is,is that all the things i would use it in,i have no desire to eat.....waffles or pancakes or muffins....i have no desire to eat ANY of that stuff,so why would i?....i used to have a MAJOR sweet tooth...and LOVED all the other stuff as well.....but let's do lunch has freed me from the hold that stuff had on me....so free that i have been getting rid of clothes as soon as they're loose on me...that stuff means NOTHING to me now and i have no desire for it....
  because i have an underactive thyroid,i don't lose weight easily...if i ate that extra stuff,i wouldn't have lost weight..i lost weight because i was strict with myself...i guess once i had the KEY to free myself,i had my eye on the goal and nothing else..and as it was,being strict with myself,i lost an average of 4 pounds a month,going a couple of months at a time showing NO loss....i was on it for at least 6 months before i started eating raisins with soynuts...for a number of months,the only snack i ate was popcorn..
  so i would recommend caution and stick to the stuff that you know works......BUT,this is just my opinion........niki