Sugar Alcohols

Foods that are marked “no sugar added” are not without sweeteners – instead of the usual table sugar (or another sweetener such as honey) the food is made sweet with a sugar alcohol. It’s easy to spot the products: on the ingredient label you will see substances that end with “ol” such as sorbitol, mannitol or xylitol.  These additives are not calorie free! Sugar alcohols contain two calories per gram; regular sugar has four calories per gram.

Many of these sugar alcohols are derived from fruit, but some may be made in the lab.  The chemical structure is a blend of a sugar molecule and an alcohol molecule. The sugar alcohols are listed on the Nutrition Facts label under the sugars line as part of the total carbohydrates. They do count as carbohydrates.

The sugar alcohols are not usually added to ‘regular’ foods – they are found in snack bars, candies, frozen treats and some beverages. In excess, they can have a laxative effect.

I am not a big fan of engineered food. Sugar alcohols can be helpful to diabetics, since they decrease the total carbohydrate content of food. For the average person, eating half a serving of real food will also decrease the carbohydrates in half and will taste much better. Best of all – no nasty side effects.