Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Carb Free All Natural Sweetener

Looking for a calorie free sweetener that is all natural and doesn't leave a nasty taste in your mouth? Look no more, Emerald Forest makes a erythritol sweetener which looks and tastes just like sugar minus the calories and carbs which pack on the plump (or fluff as we women like to call it). What is erythritol? It is a sugar alcohol which is extracted from plants and can be used for a variety of things. I use it in my tea and also for cooking & baking. It is 70% as sweet as sugar, but if you have eliminated cane sugar and artificial sweeteners from your diet, I find it is sweet enough. Artificial sweeteners are riddled with many cancer causing chemicals as well as damaging your taste receptors. There's many reasons to stay away from artificial sweeteners as I have learned from personal experience as well as documented scientific studies and research. Other sweeteners and sugar alcohols (even natural ones) can cause digestive upset, but erythritol is a smaller molecule and is absorbed into the small intestine and excreted through the urine, which is why it doesn't have an effect on blood sugar. This sweetener has been used in Japan since the early 1990's and even though it has 0.2 calories per gram it is labeled as calorie free. You can buy both powdered or granulated erythritol. I bought the granulated and pulverized it in my coffee grinder, this helps with using it in recipes like frosting and muffins. 

2 comments:

Through the Storm said...

Hi Angie, So where did you get this stuff? Was it at the health food store? Do you think that Freddy's would have it in their health section? I usually go to Freddy's for other natural stuff, like Meyers and tampons, but I don't recall ever seeing this. I am a natural if at all possible girl. That is why I have been sticking to sugar and honey and agave. I hate all artificial sweeteners.

Unknown said...

Hi Susan, I bought it at Lifesource and it is pretty hard to find otherwise. I have even had trouble finding it online in a smaller bag. I paid 9 bucks for a small bag, but I highly reccomend trying it out in package samples which they sometimes have at the counter to see if it is right for you. Sometimes sugar alcohols upset peoples stomachs. I love the Now brand organic liquid stevia for drinks and use the erythritol for baking. I can always share some of mine too!