xylitol… but is it natural?

off the beaten path here

So I’ve been hearing some rumblings about xylitol, and decided to really look into it.

Is it natural? Is it a chemical? What’s the deal?

The truth seems to be that while xylitol is an organic substance found occurring in nature, it is a processed product. So all the  xylitol we buy is is “produced by the industrialised process of sugar hydrogenation.   In order to hydrogenate anything, a catalyst is needed, and in the case of xylitol, Raney nickel is used which is a powdered nickel-aluminum alloy.” (ref http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/xylitol-not-as-sweet-as-its-cracked-up-to-be/)

Sadly, most xylitol is made from GMO corn, so be on the look out for Birch Xylitol if you can – at least you’ll be avoiding GMOs… Remember, if you have too much, xylitol can have a laxative effect. And it is toxic to our pets 😦

That being said it does have it’s virtues – it doesn’t raise your blood sugar levels like normal cane sugar does, and it’s good for your teeth!

Personally, I’ll keep having a spoon in my coffee in the morning, but it’s good to be more informed about what we’re eating.

According to their websites:

• Sweet Nothings xylitol is made from the corn cob
• MojoME xylitol is made from the birch trees

References

• http://www.sallyanncreed.co.za/site/Xylitol.htm
• http://www.sweetnothings.co.za/about-xylitol/
• http://www.mojome.co.za/shop/xylitol-sweetener/
• http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/xylitol-not-as-sweet-as-its-cracked-up-to-be/
• http://www.naturalnews.com/043857_xylitol_artificial_sweeteners_digestive_distress.html