Like most people around us, I keep hearing about how ‘bad’ sugar is for you, and I find myself constantly telling Master 5 and Master 7, for better or worse, that “sugar makes you crazy!” But I also know that a lot of alternative sugars, and sweeteners like aspartame not only make you put on weight, but they also are linked to cause cancer amongst other things.
So what is an alternative?
Xylitol; an alcohol of sugar. You may have heard of it, since it is now contained in most toothpastes because it modifies the saliva in your mouth – so if you eat meals, desserts, or jams & condiments made with Xylitol, not only does it not cause cavities but prevents cavities by promoting the remineralisation of tooth enamel. If you eat it straight, just for fun, it kinda has a ‘cool’ effect on the tongue, it’s unique for sure!
What I also love about xylitol is it contains 40% less calories than sugar, and 75% less carbohydrates. It has a VERY low GI of only 7 – which is great for kids at school that don’t have access to food whenever they get hungry. It is also so slowly absorbed that it has almost no effect on blood sugar levels for people who have diabetes (or young boys!). Therefore I have started making diabetic friendly jams & condiments – that we as a family choose to use instead of the same products I make with normal sugar (and master 5 and master 7 haven’t even noticed the difference!). Yes, there are sugars in the fruits of our products, but our business is making jam at the end of the day… – So we say diabetic friendly, not diabetic perfect!
Now you’re thinking surely this product is too good to be true! Sometimes we think it is too!
Use it in the same proportion as you use regular sugar, it even looks like sugar…Ok so there is one downfall, and something that years ago I may have made an issue about, and yes it’s the cost. I nearly fell over when I bought my first 20kg bagful for almost $200!! (20kg sugar approx $18) But when you break it down to a jar of jam, it only adds a $1 to a jar of jam, and with there being 60 teaspoons of jam in a jar – this is less than 2c per teaspoon. Peanuts really!
Come visit and try our range of diabetic friendly jams and condiments that have no white cane sugar added in our processing! Yummo!
Rachel.
We are able to make any products in our range with Xylitol- Just ask!
