[box]Have you heard of the most amazing alternative to sugar? Extracted from dense vegetation, it is a primarily alcohol based sugar called Xylitol. Aside from the simplicity of a 1:1 ratio to sugar when cooking, baking or adding to your coffee, Xylitol has oral health benefits and can even be helpful for Diabetics. Xylitol benefits are magnified when you are replacing your normal sugar intake with it, eliminating the harmful health effects while supporting oral health and balancing blood sugar levels. This most important switch you could make if you are a health conscious individual.[/box]
Xylitol Benefits Oral Health
Xylitol is a alcohol based sugar that is renowned for its amazing oral health benefits. Preventing tooth decay, cavities, bacteria and most astoundingly balancing the PH in the mouth. Acidic PH levels in the mouth are the cause of tooth decay and bacterial build up, by balancing the PH you are neutralizing the existing bacteria and preventing it from breaking down your tooth enamel. Neutralizing the bacteria in your mouth with Xylitol 2-3 times a day has extraordinary benefits, especially when compared the sugar, which has extraordinary detriments.
Cutting sugar out of your diet is the biggest step you can take to promote oral health, made easier than ever with this 1:1 ratio great tasting alcohol based sugar Xylitol. Xylitol benefits reach beyond oral health though.
Xylitol and Diabetes
Glycemic spikes can be hazardous to diabetics, the sudden rise in blood glucose as a result of a sugar filled treat or excessive carbohydrate consumption. This isn’t to say that the same glycemic spikes are not hazardous to people without diabetes, you want to balance your blood glucose and ensure no sudden rises followed by sudden drops occur. Xylitol and diabetes are therefore a fantastic match! Xylitol may taste just like sugar, and it will satisfy your craving the same way, but it won’t cause a sudden spike in blood glucose. In fact Xylitol will balance and regulate blood sugar, this is a very exciting prospect for anyone dealing with Diabetes who still has a bit of a sweet tooth.
Replace sugar in your day to day dietary choices with Xylitol to achieve all the benefits it harbors. In your morning coffee, baked goods, over your cereal and for your kids. I bet if you made the switch to Xylitol from sugar your children would not know the difference, and you would be promoting healthy teeth and gums as well as balancing their blood sugar levels, avoiding the spikes and drops that can lead to a lack of energy and focus.
Our Favorite Xylitol Products
Xylitol has recently made its debut in convenience stores around North America, the hype of this groundbreaking sugar alternative is causing a shift from sugar to Xylitol on the shelves of stores everywhere. The benefits of Xylitol are too powerful to ignore, food producers can see the potential and are quickly offering sugar free Xylitol alternatives to your favorite products.
You can even craft your very own Xylitol toothpastes and mouth rinses at home!
Check out our Xylitol Toothpaste Recipe.
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GlutathionePRO’s Favorite Xylitol Products
Xylitol Mints
Mints containing Xylitol instead of sugar may be the most common products containing Xylitol along with Xylitol gum. There are many to choose from, which may be confusing or daunting, but its simple! Check out the ingredients list, avoid artificial flavors, colors, added sugars or anything you can’t pronounce. Our favorite mints come from Xyla™, they have a wide variety of flavors and options with no harmful additives that others may contain.
Xylitol Gum
Chewing gum can be far more detrimental to your health than you may realize. While sugar filled gum has its own set of problems, mostly pertaining to tooth decay and oral health degradation. Sugar Free gum can be even worse for your health, filled with harmful artificial sweeteners like Aspartame, you might as well opt for the sugar filled gum which doesn’t contain the toxicity that Aspartame does.
That being said, it is one of the most common practices among us, a habit that is too tough to quit. Thankfully there is a healthy alternative that allows for fresh breath, improved oral health and satiates the craving to chew. Once again coming from Xyla™ they have a huge assortment of Xylitol gums, even selling in bulk for those habitual chewers out there!
Xylitol Beverages
Sports drinks and vitamin waters have become the biggest craze in decades, we consume an inordinate amount of these beverages and we assume they are healthy because of the intonation of “Sport” or “Vitamin”. This is far from the truth though, almost all of these drinks contain either high amounts of sugar, harmful artificial sweeteners and colors, and a myriad of different additives to increase shelf life and improve appearance.
Avoid the confusion and high priced sugar waters and make your own healthy sports drink! You can add a packet of Xylitol (flavors available) to your water bottle and get the same idea as a MioSport or Crystal Light, without the flood of chemicals and accumulation of toxins.
Xylitol Candies
If we are combating sugar then we need to satiate the sweet tooth while removing sugar from our diet. A seemingly impossible concept even a few years ago, not so anymore! Xylitol candy, lollipops and even chocolates are available now. Allowing you to indulge without the feeling of guilt afterwards, in fact you can rejoice that you are helping promote a healthy mouth and balancing your blood glucose all while sucking on a lollipop or diving into a chocolate bar.
Xylitol Condiments / Jams
Sugar finds its way into our diet in many different ways, often times it disguises itself as a healthy option or natural product. Juices, milk and all fruit jams all contain huge amounts of sugar, they are also thought to be healthy by a large number of people because of how they have been marketed. Cut through the veneer and simply read the nutritional facts on the back, look at the serving size and the sugar content. Any of these products have a similar sugar content to soda pop, but they are offered as a “healthier” alternative.
Well you can still enjoy your toast and jam in the morning without the huge sugar intake, because once again Xyla™ has your back! Offering Xylitol alternatives to your sugar filled jams and condiments. Whether you buy the no sugar added or not, the fact remains there is a huge amount of sugar in these products. Opt for the healthier alternatives and you won’t feel like you are depriving yourself whatsoever, you will feel better and benefit from the numerous Xylitol benefits while avoiding the pitfalls of sugar. [/box]
Go Give Xylitol A Try
Now that you have been bombarded with the health boons and countless options of Xylitol, go give it a try! Being skeptical of alternative sweeteners is a good thing, but don’t shrug this off until you give it a try. Try your favorite recipe with Xylitol instead of sugar, put it anywhere you would normally put sugar and you will not know the difference, but your teeth will!
If you are browsing different products containing Xylitol, check out the catalogue of products offered by Xyla™ on their Canadian or American website.
http://www.xylitolusa.com/
Bon Appetite! Remember to share your favorite uses for Xylitol with us in the comment section, yours may be the highlight of a future article!
