Keep the gas give me the sweet!

Ever try a sugar free recipe that left you feeling bloated and needing to be closer to the restroom then you wanted to be?

If you ever had the chance to try some sugar free chocolates or maybe a sugar free chocolate cake, chances are it was made with Maltitol.  Chances are you also ended up with gas or the urge to use the restroom a little more then usual.  Today we will be going over Maltitol and finding out why this particular sugar substitute gives you the nasty side effects.

Let me start by telling you what Maltitol is first just to get an idea where it comes from.  Maltitol is known as 4-O-α-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol, a sugar alcohol or a polyol that has a lesser effect on the blood glucose level and tooth decay.  This sugar substitute is about 25% less sweeter then sucrose or table sugar.

Now that we both have an idea what it is, lets see if we can understand why it gives you gas.  From what I have researched, I noticed that not many sites offer a clear understanding on why Maltitol causes such side effects.  In fact I only came across one that explained Maltitol was an extract from fruit and other plants such as wheat and corn.  Indulging in these things can cause the negative side effects for many of us because in small portions it actually helps the intestinal system.
  
I guess its the way nature helps us keep a clean colon.  If you enjoy Maltitol or haven't even tried it, don't be scared because only 5% of people have the negative side effects associated with it.  I myself had little effects, but I only tried a very small portion of dessert.

So give it a chance and see what you think, but just try it in small amounts at first so you're not fooled like many others! Come back again and see what we find out what there is to know about sucralose.

Artificial or Not! Does this make me look FAT? pt. 2

Continue on, don't be afraid to try new things.  Sweet treats and sugar free, need the knowledge then follow me...

Here we go again with another beautiful day.  Let us continue to explore this amazing world of sugar substitutes.  We left off last time with a little bit of information on how many types of sugar substitutes there are.  Today I promised you a recipe of my choice that you can try for yourself.  I went through this recipe using different types of sweeteners to see just how much of a change there could be in the finished product.

Here is a very simple recipe that I use.

Chocolate oatmeal cookies - no bake

1 cup butter
2 cups xylitol
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups rolled oats

• What you need to do is take a sauce pot and melt the butter.  
• Then add the xylitol, cocoa and the milk, heat until the xylitol is dissolved completely. 
• Now add the vanilla.  
• Put the rolled oats in a bowl, metal or a bowl that will not melt from the hot mixture.  
• Pour the contents of the pan over the oats and mix together.  
• Once the mixture is combined together just scoop little balls out onto a parchment lined sheet tray or cookie sheet.
• Let the cookies cool and harden, then enjoy!

You can add little amounts of chocolate chips or coconut to this if you would like to.     Also, keep in mind that these cookies will be very fragile and may fall apart slightly, do not be discouraged, it's normal.

This recipe is not only sugar free but gluten free as well because it has to flour in it.  Now I tried this recipe with three different sweeteners and xylitol seemed to work the best so far.  First attempt was with Equal (aspartame), the second being xylitol and the third was sucralose.

The first attempt works OK but the Equal does not seem to bring out the sweetness I was looking for and it dissolves instantly in the milk mixture making it hard to judge when it is ready.  The third attempt was very similar to the first as these sweeteners are very similar.

When you try this recipe with normal sugar, it comes out very similar to the one containing xylitol.  I think the only difference I found was in the sweetness.  If you have tried both sugar and xylitol within the same period of time, you know what I mean, very subtle but it is still there.

Please enjoy and if you have tried a recipe similar to this and have any feedback or would like to give feedback on this particular recipe please do so.  I hope you enjoyed this information and will join me again next time as we stroll further more in depth with sugar free delights!