Questions and Answers

1. What is the glycemic index?

Answer:

The glycemic index (GI) is a way of measuring the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down and appear in the blood as simple sugars. In general, the more refined and processed the food, the faster the food is broken down and the higher the GI.

High GI foods act rapidly to influence blood sugar, providing quick energy. However, this energy is usually short lived & hunger soon returns often leading to overeating & weight gain.

Low GI foods effect blood sugar more slowly and steadily. These foods provide greater satiety and longer lasting, more consistent energy, making eating less (and maintaining weight) easier.
 

2. What is Xylitol?

Answer:

Xylitol occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced by the human body during normal metabolism. It is produced commercially from plants (such as birch and other hard wood trees and fibrous vegetation). It has the same sweetness as sucrose but only 2/3 of the calories. It dissolves quickly, produces a cooling sensation in the mouth, and has no unpleasant aftertaste.

Xylitol is currently approved for use in foods, pharmaceuticals, and oral health products in more than 35 countries. It is used in foods like chewing gum, gum drops and hard candy, and in pharmaceuticals and oral health products like throat lozenges, cough syrups, children's chewable multivitamins, toothpastes, and mouthwashes. In the US, xylitol is approved as a direct food additive for use in foods for special dietary uses (i.e. diabetic candies).

In the body, xylitol is formed as an intermediate during the formation of xylulose. Ingested xylitol is also converted to xylulose. Xylulose then enters the pentose-phosphate cycle of carbohydrate metabolism. This is a normal metabolic process in human energy production.

Benefits of Xylitol

* Good taste with no unpleasant aftertaste

* Helps reduce the development of dental caries

* Reduces plaque formation

* Increases salivary flow to aid in the repair of damaged tooth enamel

* Provides 1/3 fewer calories than sugar (sucrose, fructose, or glucose)

* May be useful as an alternative to sugar for people with diabetes on the advice of their health care provider