xylitol question

[scott123]

Nurselady, I don't know what to tell you. Cyclamates are pretty foul tasting. Once you get some liquid splenda you can probably use the cyclamates in small amounts, but I definitely wouldn't rely on them for the bulk of your sweetening. I'm curious about something. What's in your cyclamates? Are they pure cyclamates or are they bulked with something?

I'd write to Diane at sweetzfree and see if you can get on a 'waiting list' (if there is one). She's been playing around with the idea of only selling one bottle per person (rather than one of each size per person). Hopefully she'll implement that and availability will improve.

As far as another source for erythritol... at the moment I think the best price you'll find (including shipping) will be www.netrition.com. If you wait a couple of weeks, I think Honeyville might be carrying it and I'm sure it'll be cheaper, especially with the ADBB discount.

In the meantime, go to walmart and buy a zcarb bar

[Pau]

I ask again ensive Have you tried Isolmat?
It´s like sugar (granulated and white) and tastes like sugar.
No effects for me but of course I had to try it. If a recipe says 100 grs sugar I put 50 grs Isolmat. The result is 99% similar.

[scott123]

Pau, Nurselady is trying to avoid sugar alcohols because she's concerned about their potential laxative effects. Isomalt is just as potentially laxating as all the other non erythritol SAs. It just depends on the person.

[Pau]

Pau, Nurselady is trying to avoid sugar alcohols because she's concerned about their potential laxative effects. Isomalt is just as potentially laxating as all the other non erythritol SAs. It just depends on the person.

The thing is ..... if she hasn´t tried it ... how does she know that it affects her?

I tried and it didn´t :icondance

[Heidi3]

I am worried about myself getting diarrhea from it but to be honest I am more worried about making and serving it to others! ...If I go to the trouble of making a nice dessert I want to share it and not eat the whole thing myself!...although I am sure I could!....so if there is a risk I am not going to take it that is all..day to day I just avoid sweets entirely but Scott is right I need to have something once in a while especially when friends come for coffee..and most of my friends are up for trying something low carb...so I want to make it spectacular and then they have no way of dissing this program later!!! if they get explosive diarrhea and cramping I will NEVER hear the end of it trust me!!!! I would be teased for the rest of my life!!! ...

[NulloModo]

Isomalt is a sugar-alcohol though, and not one of the better ones either from the charts I have seen.

Xylitol has some benefits over other sugar-alcohols, in that it is entirely naturally derived (or at least can be, so you often see it in health food stores, and this is played up a lot in the marketing), it is sweeter than sugar (120% as sweet, so you don't have to use as much), it is probably the SA that tastes closest to sugar, and it isn't quite as bad as some of the worst (such as Malitol, Mannitol, and HSH) when it comes to the ***-cannon effect. However, it is still a SA, so, the possibility is always there.

I have found that my local health food store has started to carry Erythritol as well. Nurselady, since you live in the PNW, I'm sure you have no shortage of health food/natural food/organic co-op type places around, check them out, they might have it.

[Pau]

I am worried about myself getting diarrhea from it but to be honest I am more worried about making and serving it to others! ...If I go to the trouble of making a nice dessert I want to share it and not eat the whole thing myself!...although I am sure I could!....so if there is a risk I am not going to take it that is all..day to day I just avoid sweets entirely but Scott is right I need to have something once in a while especially when friends come for coffee..and most of my friends are up for trying something low carb...so I want to make it spectacular and then they have no way of dissing this program later!!! if they get explosive diarrhea and cramping I will NEVER hear the end of it trust me!!!! I would be teased for the rest of my life!!! ...

It´s a pity you can´t taste my Isolmat cardamom cake :sadblinky
Then you could try if it affects you or not. And you wouldn´t have to worry about the cake because I´d eat it!!!!! :guns

[Heidi3]

send me a piece...OMG is cardamom not the most wonderful spice ...I love a little bit in my coffee on occasion!!!! sometimes I boil it with lemon to make the house smell nice!!!!....it is an amazing spice very under used!!!!.....

I make a mock rice pudding with spaghetti squash and cardamom....Yummo!!!!

May I please.....have your recipe Pau????? for the cardamom cake??

Scott I am not thrilled with cyclamates but I have found just a hint of it does not taste too bad ....

what I have done is usually use other foods to make the sweet come out in foods....kind a combo thing ...

Nullo sweetie pie I have not checked EVERY health food store but will call around and see one place acted like I was talking about an alien food....I do live in one of the wheat germ Granola capitals of the country that is for sure ....

are there no reliable online places to order this stuff????? I found liquid Splenda so I have that now!!!...I am thinking I could use the devinci vanilla syrup as well? they have so many flavors of that stuff!!!....

[NulloModo]

The Davinci Syrups do indeed contain liquid sucralose, they are just not nearly as concentrated (nor unflavored) as the Sweetzfree stuff.

Netrition.com is probably the best place to order Ethritol online at the moment, and their prices and service are both pretty decent.

Cardamom is very good, I love how fragrant it is, if it only weren't such a pain to get the seeds out of the pods...

I've never thought about making rice pudding with spaghetti squash. did you leave the noodles whole or chop them up? One of my worst LC cooking failures was my attempt at LC rice pudding, let's just say that Cauliflower faux-rice is not the solution here....

[Pau]

send me a piece...OMG is cardamom not the most wonderful spice ...I love a little bit in my coffee on occasion!!!! sometimes I boil it with lemon to make the house smell nice!!!!....it is an amazing spice very under used!!!!.....

I make a mock rice pudding with spaghetti squash and cardamom....Yummo!!!!

May I please.....have your recipe Pau????? for the cardamom cake??

Scott I am not thrilled with cyclamates but I have found just a hint of it does not taste too bad ....

what I have done is usually use other foods to make the sweet come out in foods....kind a combo thing ...

Nullo sweetie pie I have not checked EVERY health food store but will call around and see one place acted like I was talking about an alien food....I do live in one of the wheat germ Granola capitals of the country that is for sure ....

are there no reliable online places to order this stuff????? I found liquid Splenda so I have that now!!!...I am thinking I could use the devinci vanilla syrup as well? they have so many flavors of that stuff!!!....

I love cardamom as well!!!!! :icondance :icondance :icondance
Of course I´ll give you my recipe :hug Just let me translate it.

[Heidi3]

nullo I think the idea of cauliflower as rice is pretty gross!!!
thanks for the link!
also Nullo take the cardamom and put the pods in a coffee grinder then grind the snot out of them when you get them as ground up as possilbe just sift them through a strainer....there you have it!..or I use a mortar and pestle when I need to burn off some stress...you do not have to separate them from the pods just smash and sift....

[scott123]

Scott I am not thrilled with cyclamates but I have found just a hint of it does not taste too bad ....

what I have done is usually use other foods to make the sweet come out in foods....kind a combo thing ...

Hmmmm... Assuming these are pure powdered cyclamates you're working with (not maltodextrin bulked sugar twin), the concentrated sweetness can be a little tricky to measure precisely. I'm going to recommend obtaining a new kitchen tool. On your next trip to the dreaded walmart, swing by the kitchen gadget section and pick up a set of smidgeon/pinch/dash measuring spoons. That is if you don't have these already.

And, while we're on the topic of new acquisitions, be on the lookout for a small glass eyedropper bottle. This is, by far, the best/easiest way of dispensing liquid splenda.

Once you've got your smidgeon/pinch/dash measuring spoons, I've got an 'experiment' for you. It's called the 'water test.' Pour yourself about a 1/4 C. of water and then add 1/16 t. (pinch) of cyclamates, stir, taste. Repeat until the aftertaste becomes noticeable/unpalatable. Let me know how much cyclamates you were able to add before it started tasting really gross. That will give us a good guideline for future liquid splenda/erythritol/cyclamate formulations.

I found liquid Splenda so I have that now!!!...

Awesome!! Where did you find it? I'm crossing my fingers that you didn't buy fiberfit. There's nothing wrong with adding fiberfit to coffee/beverages, but for baking it's just too dilute.

I am thinking I could use the devinci vanilla syrup as well? they have so many flavors of that stuff!!!....

You really want to stay away from the less concentrated splenda solutions as the extra water can really mess with recipes. Certain recipes, sure, but not for stuff like cake, cookies or brownies. Not to mention the price involved per cup of sweetening equivalent is through the roof when compared to sweetzfree or locarber. If you want the flavors from Davinci, it's better to invest in extracts.

Lastly, if you haven't ordered your erythritol from netrition yet, when you do so, get a bag of polyd. I promise you, it'll be the best $2 you've ever spent. With liquid splenda, erythritol, cyclamates and polyd in your sweetener arsenal, the possibilities will be endless.

[Heidi3]

I bought the pure cyclamates in Canada and the splenda is fiberfit..crap! why does everything have to be so difficult!????? I need to get online break the budget and just order what you told me to order the stuff is so expensive you are right...arghhhh.....now that I am useing fruits more I find just adding some blueberries to muffins and stuff is good....this still sounds a bit like a chemistry experiment but I am always up for adventure thanks for hanging in with me scott! :hug

[scott123]

Nurselady, I'm happy to help. Better quality of life through multiple sweetener combining - that's my motto

Hmmmm... fiberfit... bummer. I guess if you pick your recipes carefully, the fiberfit, combined with erythritol and cyclamates, should serve you pretty well. We can work with it Have you thought about what sweet treat you're going to make?

[Heidi3]

no I have not even thought about it just getting the sweeteners has been such a chore I am off tomorrow and will call all the healthfood stores ...or better go shopping! :joy and see if I can by the erythritol here if not I will order it (almost 7 bucks a lb online!) maybe I can find the more concentrated liquid splenda ....I know there is the concentrated stevia is that any good? I dont really like the taste of stevia but with al this mixing and synergy stuff maybe????
I will most likely try something chocolate like mousse?....because to be the only dessert I miss now and again!... anything with chocolate !!!!