In the keto community, erythritol is one of the most popular forms of sugar free sweeteners, due to it's close resemblance to sugar. In this day and age, there is no longer any excuses to consume sugar and it's dramatically going out of style. Sugar has been linked to all kinds of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, strokes, heart disease and various cancers. Therefore, there has been a quest in recent years to find an alternatives - erythritol may be the answer!
- What is Erythritol?
- Does Erythritol have any calories?
- What's the difference between Erythritol and other sweeteners?
- What does Erythritol taste like?
- What are the side effects of Erythritol?
What is Erythritol?
Pronounced "ear-RITH-ri-tall", it has been around for a very long time. Erythritol is a type of carbohydrate called a sugar alcohol that people use to replace sugar, mainly in baking. Erythritol was first discovered in 1848 by a Scottish chemist named John Stenhouse. Japan has been using erythritol since the early 1990s in candies, jellies, jams, chocolate (including the common chocolate bar), yogurt, beverages and as a natural sugar substitute. It has gained more popularity in the USA, and now Europe / UK recently.
Does Erythritol have any calories?
Unlike sugar (which has 4 calories per gram), erythritol has zero (0) calories. This is because your small intestine absorbs it quickly and gets it out of your body through urine within 24 hours.
What's the difference between Erythritol and other sweeteners?
The difference is Erythritol's sweetness comes from sugar alcohols. Your body does not break down sugar alcohol and therefore doesn't create an insulin spike when they enters the bloodstream. Erythritol also doesn't feed harmful bacterial in your mouth and doesn't promote tooth decay.
What does Erythritol taste like?
Erythritol is close to the taste of sugar, although it has a fresh taste and a slight cooling effect.
What are the side effects of Erythritol?
Erythritol is considered safe. The World Health Organization (WHO) approved erythritol in 1999, and the FDA did the same in 2001. However, as Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, consuming too much can lead to bloating and an upset stomach as it's only absorbed partially by the intestinal tract. Although there is no official guidelines on consuming erythritol, the general advice amoungst the keto community is people can handle 1 gram for every kilogram of body weight daily. So if you weight 150 pounds, you can tolerate 68 grams of erythritol a day, or more than 13 teaspoons.
Groovy Keto products linked to Erythritol
