With all the concern over refined sugar and its effects on dental health, people seem to be grabbing sugarless alternatives when choosing mints, gum, and candy. But even more troubling are the reports on side effects of artificial sweeteners like aspartame (NutraSweet), saccharin, and sucralose (Splenda).
People searching for a natural solution might be pleasantly surprised at the sweetness of xylitol (zi-li-tall), a sugar alcohol, that seems to be making appearances in items like mints, gum, and candy, and also in items like toothpaste and even mouthwash.
Even more surprising is that xylitol, a natural sweetener discovered in the 1800s, actually promotes dental health as it is not attractive to bacterial that thrive when refined sugar is consumed.
Xylitol has the same look and taste of sugar and can be used in place of sugar in liquids and bakery items. However, xylitol is not a high glycemic substance and is not metabolized like sugar. Xylitol is great for diabetics and people who are sugar sensitive. For people interested in weight regulation, xylitol has 40% fewer calories than its refined sugar counterpart.
All this news makes xylitol a great choice for dental and dietary health.
THREE CHEERS for: Emergen-C
Feeling a little rundown or need a natural boost of energy without the caffeine jitters? Consider Emergen-C fizzy drink mix. Emergen-C contains antioxidants, electrolytes, and seven of the B vitamins, a combination that is powerful to the immune system when you feel a bug coming on.
For everyday use, Emergen-C contains B vitamins which are natural energy boosters to help you through a tough day. Emergen-C comes in a wide variety of flavors, including acai berry, tangerine, strawberry, orange, and raspberry.
GIVE ME FIVE:
Five reasons to clean your tongue
- Reduce illness
- Stimulate digestive enzymes
- Make food taste better
- Remove minute food particles
- Lessen gum disease
