Xylitol is all natural and is found in birch wood, corn, strawberries and plums as well as in the human body. Xylitol has the same sweetness as sugar yet has a low Glycemic Index. With all the health problems that come with sucrose usage (diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity just to mention a few), why not turn your sugar bowl into a xylitol bowl. Replace sugar with equal amount of xylitol. For baking it exhibits all the functional properties of sugar, it's great in hot and cold beverages and cereals all with minimal need for insulin. Excessive use of xylitol may produce a laxative effect in unadapted individuals. Our family bakes exclusively with xylitol and neither the adults or the children have had a laxative effect from using xylitol but we are all different. Crystalline xylitol melts rapidly and produces a cooling effect when it dissolves in the mouth. The taste is clean and sweet with no aftertaste. Xylitol has minimal effects on insulin levels since only a portion is converted to glucose. Xylitol is converted to glucose slowly for a steady energy release with minimal effects on insulin and blood sugar levels. If you are diabetic or border line diabetic, you owe it to yourself to try xylitol and see for yourself that it works. Xylitol has a glycemic index of 7. The glycemic index is a measure of how much various foods influence blood sugar levels. 100 is the highest level on the index, 0 is the lowest. The higher the rating the more that food affects blood sugar levels. You can buy a list of over 800 foods and their glycemic index from the Glycemic Research Institute at 202-434-8270 or online at glycemic.com.
The average American consumes 68.5 pounds of sugar per year. This excessive sugar consumption is a major reason why we don't live as long as European & Asian people. Consider the epidemic of diabetes (type I and type II) in America. This problem is rare in other countries because they don't consume sugar in excess. Naturopaths and homeopaths across America are calling sugar "the slow death" and they are right. Replace sugar with healthy xylitol sweetener and enjoy better over all health, you deserve it!