Bonny Talks About Sugar Alcohols
Written by Bonny July 27, 2005

Most sugar alcohols are easily recognized by the "ol" ending in their names... such as mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. Isomalt is also included in this list, and xylitol is generally considered the most beneficial for your health and is known to aide in the prevention of tooth decay and provide other body support.

Xylitol looks, feels, and tastes exactly like sugar While sugar wreaks havoc on the body, xylitol heals and repairs While sugar is acid-forming, xylitol is alkaline enhancing In its crystalline form, it can replace sugar in cooking and baking Unlike many artif

Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, occur naturally in various berries and fruits and some trees including birch. The human body also makes small amounts of sugar alcohols / polyols. They resemble cane sugar and have the same weight as sugar, and also taste and are used for baking and cooking in similar ways. In other words, use sugar alcohols just as you would cane sugar and you will almost always have good results.

The chemical structure of a polyol will show it is an alcohol, but it contains no intoxicants and is derived from real sugar molecules. Sugar has six carbon molecules in a chain and a sugar alcohol has only five, so the polyol is metabolized slowly. This slower rate triggers only a small amount of insulin or does so very slowly, and there is no sudden blood sugar rise. Because they are CONSIDERED indigestible and pass through the body in a way similar to fiber, the traditional guideline for low-carb diets has often been to subtract all carbohydrates originating from sugar alcohols from the "countable" carb count, just as we routinely subtract fiber.

Ursula Solom, author of The Low-Carb Baking and Dessert Cookbook, and well-recognized low-carb cookbook and "Hold the Toast" e-zine / diet columnist Dana Carpender BOTH argue that scientists are now finding plenty of evidence to suspect POLYOLS ARE IN FACT DIGESTIBLE. To what extent, no one yet knows. Solom suggests an absorption (effective carb count) rate of 15% but concedes "this may be a tad low and bears watching".

So, the good old days of carelessly eating massive quantities of sugar alcohols with blatant disregard for carb count are probably over. Some researchers believe each type of polyol has an individual (estimated) absorption rate, and charts to help with this type of detail are becoming more available online.

Too overwhelmed to figure all this stuff out? So are most of us! Just keep in mind that although polyols are very low-carb, they probably should be considered in your carb "budget" when you use more than a few teaspoons of any of them in a serving.

There is another reason to consider the use of more than a bit of any sugar alcohol in a serving, too: the slower digestion rate means the ingredient stays in the stomach longer in a way comparable to beans. And in a similar way to the slow processing of beans, many people experience flatulence and diarrhea to lesser or greater extents. Eat a dozen sugar-alcohol enhanced caramels of taffies or peanut butter cups and you will very probably experience firsthand this misery. Some people are therefore very reluctant to even consider eating sugar alcohols. Be mindful of the adage: EBMV (Each Body´s Mileage Varies) and experiment with small amounts of a polyol when you are feeling well and have good digestion. EPMV (haha! but my coined concept is true: Each Polyol´s Mileage Varies) so what is true for one polyol may not be true for another.  Entertaining or socializing in several hours? NOT a good time to test a new
polyol!

Due to the sensitive and ever-changing nature of those with FMS, I suspect headaches can be part of a possible list of side effects but they are not specifically mentioned in summaries of sugar alcohols in low-carb cookbooks.

And, some low-carbers stall and fail to loose weight when using polyols or other alternative sweeteners because their bodies interpret the sweet taste as that of a true six molecule sugar and chemically proceed as if this misunderstanding were true.

Search the archives and you will find some guaiers are VERY sensitive to polyols or cannot tolerate even a wee amount of them. Other guaiers use them frequently, but almost always in small amounts. Many low-carbers think the fact that stomach distress often results from "over doing it" with polyols is actually a great benefit because we can still have enough treats-n-sweets to happily maintain our diets but remain mindful of poor habits resulting in overindulgence.

This is my attitude towards any polyol or alternative sweetener (such as Splenda or stevia / SteviaPlus with added FOS), too. A major motivation for me to maintain my low-carb / HG diet is knowing I am eating the most healthy, sane and responsible ingredients for the functioning and long-term health of my body that I consistently can. When I snack on hard candies or ice cream "sweetened with Splenda" or dive into my stash of xylitol to concoct ever-so-decadent
coconut oil chocolate candy bars, I use a small but effective amount of one or several sweeteners and taste test the mix before proceeding. Not sweet enough to be enjoyable? I add a bit more.

Ursula Solom mentions in her "Dessert" cookbook that many people use far less of the suggested amounts of sweeteners in her recipes with pleasing results, and I take my cue from her. Dana Carpender firmly insists that healthy low-carbers should return to the days when a treat really was a treat... a special item enjoyed occasionally instead of at every meal or every few days. Well... umm... Dana concedes to eating a small amount of sugar-free chocolate almost every day, and so do I!

Click here for a generous assortment of links regarding sugar alcohols.

Excellent Explanation of Net Carbs & Sugar Alcohols:

Dr. Atkins and other low-carb diet proponents explain that "net carbs" is the
total carbs of a food item AFTER carbs from fiber and sugar alcohols are
subtracted. Too good to be true? For an easy-to-understand explanation and chart
of "Glycemic Index and Energy Values of Polyols (sugar substitutes)" read this article and imbedded links by an author specializing in diabetes and healing.

Australian Guai'ers can click on the above logo to purchase Xylitol & Sugar Free Belgium Chocolate only.   Other products are blockers.

Anyone not following the Guaifenesin protocol can purchase any and all Xlear products.

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