Xylitol is a white crystalline powder that looks and tastes like sugar. It has no odour, and no aftertaste.
It has the same sweetness as sugar, but with 40% fewer calories.
Xylitol can be obtained from fruits, lettuce, mushrooms, corn cobs, straw, some seaweeds, and hardwood trees such as white birch. It is also produced naturally by the human body while digesting food.
It is used in chewing gums, syrups, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and medicines.
It is very popular in Finland.
Cooking Tips
Xylitol can be used in baking and in soft drinks, and in jams.
Nutrition
The reason Xylitol “has” fewer calories is because your body doesn’t actually process it all.
Very large amounts (30 to 40 grams) eaten all at once can give you gas and diarrhea, from the parts of it that the body doesn’t digest.
Your body doesn’t need insulin to metabolize Xylitol.
Reputedly has many benefits for the teeth, including reduced cavities and gum disease.
Don’t feed to pets.
History Notes
Discovered by a German chemist named Emil Fischer in 1891. Has been approved for use in America since the 1960s.
Reaffirmed as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1986.