Xylitol

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sweetbean
sweetbean Member Posts: 1,931
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

Anybody using this as a substitute for sugar in baking?  I am trying out a substitution of coconut palm sugar in my vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Coconut sugar is supposed to be low on the glycemic index.  But anybody have opinions on xylitol?

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited April 2012

    I use xylitol.

    I also use Lo Han.

    Rarely, I will use stevia.

    Xylitol is a 1 to 1 exchange and the granules look like sugar so the bulk of baked recipes will easily translate.  Lo Han is much, much sweeter and has a tiny hint of aftertaste; stevia is hard to work with for me because it is sooooooo sweet that if you use too much, it has a nasty (to me) aftertaste.  Makes it difficult to work with converting recipes.

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  • sweetbean
    sweetbean Member Posts: 1,931
    edited April 2012

    So Xylitol is safe?  I have to say, switching out the evaporated cane juice for coconut palm sugar didn't change the taste at all - those bad boys are delicious.  

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited April 2012

    Yes, it is safe.  It is an alcohol-sugar. If you eat too much, gastric distress can occur, but normal portion sizes have no effect.

    Mannitol is another alcohol sugar, but people complain about GI issues with this one.

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  • cheery
    cheery Member Posts: 311
    edited April 2012

    I love coconut palm sugar. There are 2 types of coconut palm sugar, dark brown and pale yellow. Dark brown's from Malaysia/Indonesia while pale yellow's from Thailand. They taste very different. 

    Edit : deleted an attached article that may not be suitable

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  • sweetbean
    sweetbean Member Posts: 1,931
    edited April 2012

    Hmmm...not sure I agree with the article.  Most of the progressive integrative oncologists say that you should absolutely avoid Equal, Splenda, etc.  They're down with stevia and agave nectar, though.

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  • cheery
    cheery Member Posts: 311
    edited April 2012

    Oh, ok..I'll delete that article then..Sorry!

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  • Wabbit
    Wabbit Member Posts: 1,592
    edited April 2012

    Don't usually pop in here but noticed xylitol in the title.

    Just thought you all would like to know that this sweetener is extremely toxic to dogs ... so you don't want to be feeding your doggies any goodies made with it.

    Here's one article on the subject that I could find quickly and there are more out there if anybody is interested.   http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2011/feb/xylitol_now_in_drugs?sms

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  • sweetbean
    sweetbean Member Posts: 1,931
    edited April 2012

    Hmmm...toxic to dogs, huh?  That's disconcerting!

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  • Wabbit
    Wabbit Member Posts: 1,592
    edited April 2012

    Well grapes and chocolate are toxic for dogs too and we people love them both Wink 

    I wasn't trying to say anything bad about the xylitol itself ... we humans can process a lot of things that dog or cat systems can't.  We just need to know what to keep away from our dogs and from what I am reading this can be fatal to them even in small quantities. 

    It's in a lot of gum and mints.  I read that right after my dog died ... and she had loved eating my Altoids.  I was afraid I had killed her with the mints but it turned out they didn't have xylitol in them.  That they are using it more and more now scares me because my dogs definitely do like  people food 'treats' and my hubby likes sweet 'treats' and the dogs have him trained to share with them.  

    For all the non dog owners ... please forgive this interruption to your regularly scheduled program Smile

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    WR - thanks for info RE: dogs.  Never knew about the chocolate...how can they be so happy without chocolate.

    Well, seriously - I DO have a question on Agave.  Have bee using it for ages in my green tea, I drink a lot of it, and can't stand the Stevia - after taste no matter how littile I use.  NOW,  been "hearing" stuff about Agave NOT BEING GOOD FOR US too.....that it was mostly "marketing hype."  Anybody heard anything negative about Agave????

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  • sweetbean
    sweetbean Member Posts: 1,931
    edited April 2012

    Yes, you have to be careful which Agave you buy.  It is apparently a very corrupt industry - it comes from the tequila plant, so you are basically dealing with the alcohol industry.  Cheap agave has often been found to have corn syrup in it, believe it or not, which spikes your insulin levels, etc. they do that to cut costs.  Real agave, which tends to be more expensive, is pure agave and has a low glycemic index.  I try to buy Ojio - it's authentic and the owner is very scrupulous.

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  • starella
    starella Member Posts: 159
    edited April 2012

    What do you think of truvia?

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