High cholesterol, diabetes and, even obesity can be caused by the use of refined sugar. So in order to reduce the number of health problems in their lives, people are trying to avoid eating candy, pops, chocolate bars and other sugary products.

But, how can we avoid them when it is in our nature to eat sweets? There are some healthy products that can help us to substitute the unhealthy sweets with healthier sweet alternatives that include the sweetener called xylitol. But is it really healthy as it is supposed to be?

Healthy sugar-free products include the sweetener called xylitol

First of all, Xylitol is a crystalline alcohol, included in many healthy sugar-free products. It is a derivate of xylose which is a naturally existing sugar found in birch bark.

Xylitol can be noticed in a large number of healthy sugar-free products which are considered as a better alternative to products that contain sugar, such as protein bars, chewable vitamins, peanut butter, chewing gum, Ice Breaker candies and more.

Despite the fact that xylose does not go through the same refining process as the white sugar it does not make its derivative xylitol proper for human digestion.  Actually, to divide the xylitol from xylose, it has to go through the process of hydrogenation. It is the same process that cakes, cookies and other heavily refined food products go through.

  • The opposite than expected effects of the “healthy” sweetener xylitol

A large number of brands that use xylitol are taking advantage of the fact that this sweetener is known as sugar-free. In order to promote it, they claim that is a good sweetener for diabetics, but in fact, that is only a marketing trick and a big lie. In fact, xylitol can raise the blood sugar.

Not only xylitol is bad for diabetes, but, it can also cause digestive complications such as diarrhea, gas, and, bloating. Instead of being utilized as nutrients by the body, it passes through the digestive tract and it has a big reaction to the chemicals and enzymes that are produced by other organs in the body.

  • Monk fruit in exchange for Sweetener

People who are trying to lose weight or are diabetics can substitute unhealthy sweetener with monk fruit. Monk fruit or Luo Han Guo can actually lower the blood sugar despite the fact that is considered for being 150 times sweeter than sucrose.

Several studies on mice had shown that monk fruit extract has possible anti-carcinogenic properties.  Also, all studies found out that it slowed down the growth of tumors.

Despite the fact that many products are considered to be sugar-free, they can cause more trouble than the regular sugars. You should always inform yourself before you consume some food products and substitutes.