Hello. I'm Deb, a GT3 Teacher Nonnie Does anyone know if we can use Xylitol? Or are there threads on Xylitol? Thank you

If you use it, I'd recommend finding some that's not derived from corn

We have a brand in the UK that's organic and derived from Beech and Birch tree sap - I'd try and get something of that nature if you can find it.

Andy

Yes, I buy mine from California and it is from the Birch tree. Is Xylitol ok for us to use?

Just keep checking later purchases, as a company here whose product was made from birch, changed their source to corn (cheaper) without advertising the change

I wouldn't recommend it personally, especially with you being a non-secretor-we are extra sensitive to chemically/toxic food things. The body is only able to absorb and digest quite a low amount of any sugar alcohol consumed-so to me that says it is not something we're designed to eat. Also what is the rest of it getting up to in the body... I get very severe diaharrea and gas from it, there are other common side-effects like headaches and feeling unwell. You could try a small amount however, and monitor for any reaction. You may have no problems. Just looked up on the type-base and you can have agave, honey, molasses, and maple syrup-any of which might be worth considering as healthier alternative sweeteners.  

here deb.....
build your own opinion
http://www.bing.com/search?cp=1252&FORM=FREESS&q=Xylitol&q1=site%3Adadamo.com

look into vegetable glycerine...how does it rate?

Tessie, honey is the only thing of your suggestions that I can have. Xylitol is a natural product and, it doesn't give me gas or headaches .

Lola, thanks for links . Vegetable glycerine I can have. It's the "ratio" in baking with the Xylitol vs. vegetable glycerin, works better.

Possum, thanks. The Xylitol I used to use was corn based. It is very important to use the birch tree Xylitol

being a teacher Sweeteners are not particularly beneficial for GT3 Teachers, since they tend to turn the metabolism towards the acidic spectrum, and encourage bacterial overgrowth. If you occasionally use them, stick with acceptable sugars. In particular, avoid corn syrup, which is an ingredient in countless processed foods and soft drinks.

Quoted Text

Dr D: "Polyols, such as xylitol, can block the effects of aldose reductase, and as such may create complications down the road from using it as a lifelong, complete substitute for all other sugars
. Aldose reductase interference is involved in many of the long term complications of diabetes, such as cataracts, neuropathies, etc. If you plan to use xylitol as a major long term sugar replacement, you may want to incorporate a quercetin supplement, or increase the BTD compliant quercetin containing foods in your diet."

Quoted Text

This study found the same results that I observed; "diarrhea and flatulence was found to depend on the individual physiological responses of each volunteer."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/en.....;itool=pubmed_docsum

Now, it would be great to find out what determined the 'individual physiologic response'. It might be secretor status or ABO group, or whatever.

Yes, forget about the corn syrup!

Question? So, does that mean it can "cause" diabetes, cataracts...etc? or it "interferes" with you if you already have diabetes...etc?

I have been taking Quercetin for a couple of years now (before Xylitol)

Thanks for your help Lola!

One more question or scenerio.. with me being a Nonnie and I'm not supposed to have gluten & sugar...being I have always eaten both and am trying to do better. In your opinion, which would be better for me to focus the most on eliminating...gluten or sugar?

Not sure who you were asking, but imo I would say both, however, if you have to choose, decide to first eliminate the one that causes the most damage...That will be different for you as it is for all of us

I have become really interested in xylitol recently as I heard it was ok (along with stevia) for candida sufferers. This seems too good to be true! It's probably best not to have a sweet tooth at all, and I guess xylitol could promote a continued love for sweet things, but when I come across quotes like this -

'Xylitol is not only a safe, natural sweetener without the bad side-effects of sugar and artificial substitutes, it's also good for your teeth, stabilizes insulin and hormone levels, and promotes good health'

from various sources, I can't help but be tempted  

those sources are not ABO focused

Quoted from Possum

Not sure who you were asking, but imo I would say both, however, if you have to choose, decide to first eliminate the one that causes the most damage...That will be different for you as it is for all of us

They both do lol! For me, the immediate feeling is the gluten  

Quoted from Niagreen

I have become really interested in xylitol recently as I heard it was ok (along with stevia) for candida sufferers. This seems too good to be true! It's probably best not to have a sweet tooth at all, and I guess xylitol could promote a continued love for sweet things, but when I come across quotes like this -

'Xylitol is not only a safe, natural sweetener without the bad side-effects of sugar and artificial substitutes, it's also good for your teeth, stabilizes insulin and hormone levels, and promotes good health'

from various sources, I can't help but be tempted  

I agree   Maybe we can get Dr. D to do some studies on it.

i avoid all the processed sugars.

xylitol is a manufactured sugar alcohol... the amount of processing required makes it immediately suspect to me. Here is an excerpt from a website on xylitol:

Originally made from birch bark, and hence associated with the very natural, nutritious and traditional birch syrup (similar to maple syrup), xylitol is anything but a natural product. The manufacturing process goes like this:

1. Obtain some source material containing xylan. one commonly used source is corn cobs imported from China.

2. The xylan needs to be broken down, either through a chemical process called acid hydrolyzing or through microbial fermentation. (Genetically engineered bacteria have been proposed for this step.) The results of this process are xylose and acetic acid.

3. The acetic acid, described as “very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. . . hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, permeator), of eye contact (corrosive),” must be removed.

4. Next the hydrolyzing acid and organic residues must be removed, which is done by heating the mixture and evaporating it.

5. The resulting syrup is now free of acetic acid, hydrolyzing acid, and other residues.

6. The syrup is crystallized by stirring ethanol into it.

7. The crystalline xylitol is now separated in a centrifuge. The ethanol is separated from the sorbitol remaining in solution.

8. voilà! you have xylitol.

(here is the link if you want to see more: http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Tooth_Decay/xylitol_tooth_decay.htm it's about 1/2 way down the screen)


Stevia is not much better IMO. From stevia.com:

Q) How are Stevia extracts prepared?

A) Extracts of Stevia leaves can be prepared by a number of methods some of which are patented. One researcher states: "Production of Stevioside involves water extraction from the dried leaves, followed by clarification and crystalization processes. Most commercial processes consist of water extraction, decoloration, and purification using ion-exchange resins, electrolytic techniques, or precipitating agents."


This article has more information on stevia processing: http://www.livestrong.com/article/47655-stevia-made/

this part makes me go hmmmm:

Purification

The Berkeley Electronic Press says crude stevia extract is brown in color and has a bitter taste accompanied by an unpleasant smell. These unappealing traits necessitate a purification process of the extract for the final product to satisfy commercial quality standards. According to HealthSweet.com, purification measures can include ion-exchange resins (separating out certain elements) and decoloration (removal of the brown color, bleaching).



The amount of work it takes to make xylitol and stevia usable makes it suspect to me.

the more natural the better i say.

No wonder we react to it??!!

i know!

how they can get away with calling it natural is beyond me!

Yeah I guess these days, you can call anything "natural"...if its origins were once natural, even if they no longer still resemble that fact??!!