I have read many articles on xylitol's effectiveness as a sugar substitute. Xylitol is a 5 Carbon sugar alcohol, Prokaryotes and Fungi can only use 6 Carbon sugars as an energy source (glucose which is obtained from metabolizing sugar). Also xylitol has been found to have "antimicrobial" effects. What this means I am not sure, especially since the sites that cite this property also sell xylitol (good marketing strategy ). I was curious as to why xylitol was banned from the candida diet. Stevia is plant based sweetener and does not taste anything like sugar. However, xylitol is corn based and tastes exactly like sugar, with the bonus of being "unusable" by bacteria and fungi such as candida. Thanks for your help!

-CC

I've been wondering about this too. I was doing the body ecology diet and loved that they 'allowed' xylitol- I was able to chew spry gum which made me very happy! But, then again, the diet didnt work for me and thats why I'm here
I'll be waiting to read the response to your question.

I sort of answered this in your birthday treat thread before I saw this. Sugar alcohol is the issue--that's it. And, I believe, it does spike your blood sugar.

thanks Kay! I'll stay away from the gum...drats! In stead I've been using occasional drops of cinnamon essential oil or peppermint e.o.- just to change the taste in my mouth- this is OK, right?
I was using the tea tree tooth picks, but it is just so tacky to have a tooth pick hanging out of my mouth when I am out and about, lol.
-Sara

Actually, xylitol doesn't spike blood sugar that is why diabetics use xylitol as a substitute for sugar. Also the ADA (American Dental Association) highly recommends ~12grams of xylitol per day to reduce plaque because xylitol has been shown to inhibit plaque formation. Many scientific studies have been conducted on xylitol specifically to determine whether or not it was useful as an antiseptic. In one study, xylitol gum was chewed for a year by women and it was determined that people who chewed xylitol gun compared to those who did not had lower levels of anaerobic bacteria in their mouths. From what I understand xylitol would be a better subsitute than stevia because 1) it tastes better and 2) it actually prevents bacteria growth and possibly fungal growth and 3) it does NOT affect blood sugar, in fact if xylitol is substituted in place of sugar it would lower blood sugar.

So why is xylitol on the "Bad Foods" list?
Thanks for your help!!!

-CC

One more thing, the reason why xylitol does not contribute to blood glucose levels is because it is slowly absorbed by the body meaning that large amounts of it are not absorbed at once. Since the body uses glucose so readily, the xylitol that is absorbed into the blood at any given time is low.

Also xylitol has a low glycemic index (7).

You can pull up some old posts on xylitol for some past discussion on this. The key reason I recommend caution is because it is a sugar alcohol and it is hard on the kidneys. It can also cause inflammatory reactions for some.The main concern is just that it's not a healthy food. Yacon syrup may be a better alternative for some though it's super expensive

Cheers,

Tarilee