Finding things that are safe to eat can be difficult, especially when you’re diabetic. I’ve written about that challenge before. Not everyone was pleased with what I had to say. Over the ensuing years, I’ve gotten better and figuring out which products are safe for me to consume and which ones I absolutely, positively have to leave alone, at least most of the time. Now that my pancreas has decided to act up and not cooperate, it is even more critical that I watch what I consume. For example, I had four biscuits last night. All those carbs sent my sugar skyrocketing. I know better, but damnit, I was hungry. Staying on a low-carb, low-fat, zero-sugar diet is damn near impossible.
Amidst all those challenges, perhaps you can imagine my frustration when I came across an article from CNN with the headline: Common low-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds. Wonderful. Diabetics are dependent on those sweeteners if we’re going to eat anything other than veggies for the rest of our lives. Fortunately, there are a lot of different ones out there. If one doesn’t sit well with your body, chances are another will. For example, I can’t do Stevia as it’s used in Russel Stover’s Sugar-Free candies. I don’t know exactly what’s up, but it gives me horrible nausea if I have more than one piece. Not every product uses the sweeteners in the same way and just because one may cause issues some of the time doesn’t mean they affect everyone the same way.
But then, along comes a study that can’t be ignored and it just blows everything out of the water. The product in question? Xylitol. Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in plants such as cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, plums, raspberries, and strawberries. It would take tonnage of veggies to ever extract enough xylitol for industrial use. Instead, corn cobs and birch trees along with certain genetically engineered bacteria are used.
It’s natural, so that should mean it’s good for you, right? Nope. According to this most recent study, frequent users of the sweetener are likely to have twice the risk of blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes leading to death. Worse yet, it can temporarily increase your glucose level by 1,000%! At that rate, you’d be better off drinking a normal soda!
The FDA warned us back in 2021 that xylitol could be deadly for dogs. Birch sugar, specifically, is a problem for our canine friends. Since the end product is all that’s listed on product ingredient lists, we don’t have any idea whether the xylitol comes from birch or corn cobs or 50,000 pounds of cauliflower. We have to assume the worst and just stay away. Now, there are sufficient indications that humans are ill-affected as well.
The problem we’re facing is that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still recognizes all alcohol sugars (and there are dozens) as GRAS: Generally Recognized As Safe. While they’ll admit that this new study warrants a closer look, the way science works is that when one person/group discovers something, it has to be verified by a totally unrelated person/group to be considered valid. That validation has yet to happen.
In the meantime, you and I have a choice to make: whether to consume xylitol or not. And how do we know which products have xylitol? For starters, there’s a pretty exhaustive list at Preventative Vet. For our convenience, though, here are a few of the products you’re more likely to encounter:
Nick’s (last verified April 14, 2022) Birthdäg Cake Ice Cream Butter Pekan Ice Cream Cherry Choka-Flaka Ice Cream Coffee Karamell Ice Cream Cookies and Kram Ice Cream Mint Chokladchip Ice Cream Peanot Butter Karamell Ice Cream Salta Karamell Ice Cream Strawbar Swirl Ice Cream Swedish Choklad Ice Cream Swedish Cookie Dough Ice Cream Swedish Lemon Bar Ice Cream Swedish Pistasch Ice Cream Swedish Vanilj Ice Cream Triple Choklad Ice Cream
Nature’s Hollow (July 28, 2015) Apricot Sugar-Free Jam Preserves Blueberry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves Mountain Berry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves Peach Sugar-Free Jam Preserves Raspberry Sugar-FreeJell Jam Preserves Strawberry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves Wild Blueberry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves Maple Sugar-Free Syrup Raspberry Sugar-Free Syrup
Astroglide® (July 28, 2015) Natural Liquid Personal Lubricant Sensitive Skin Gel Personal Lubricant
As I said, this is just a partial list. A number of regional brands are on the list as well and I didn’t include those because the list was already so damn long. Pharmacy-specific brands are also a problem, so be sure to check your labels.
Of everything on the list, the Jell-o sugar-free products are a huge disappointment. I was just debating with myself last night whether to put some pudding on my shopping list. I guess that’s going to be a hard no.
Here’s the thing: the brands aren’t going to tell us themselves if there’s a chance that their product might kill you. For that matter, given how new this research is, the brands themselves may not know that they’re a danger to their own customers. Let’s get real: I doubt many dogs are using Astroglide, so they probably don’t have a clue. Even if they knew, we all know corporations aren’t quick to admit that there’s a problem with their product. They’ll just let us die and claim it was a one-off situation.
We have to watch out for ourselves and each other. Now, you know that xylitol can be a problem. Be safe.
Finding things that are safe to eat can be difficult, especially when you’re diabetic. I’ve written about that challenge before. Not everyone was pleased with what I had to say. Over the ensuing years, I’ve gotten better and figuring out which products are safe for me to consume and which ones I absolutely, positively have to leave alone, at least most of the time. Now that my pancreas has decided to act up and not cooperate, it is even more critical that I watch what I consume. For example, I had four biscuits last night. All those carbs sent my sugar skyrocketing. I know better, but damnit, I was hungry. Staying on a low-carb, low-fat, zero-sugar diet is damn near impossible.
Amidst all those challenges, perhaps you can imagine my frustration when I came across an article from CNN with the headline: Common low-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds. Wonderful. Diabetics are dependent on those sweeteners if we’re going to eat anything other than veggies for the rest of our lives. Fortunately, there are a lot of different ones out there. If one doesn’t sit well with your body, chances are another will. For example, I can’t do Stevia as it’s used in Russel Stover’s Sugar-Free candies. I don’t know exactly what’s up, but it gives me horrible nausea if I have more than one piece. Not every product uses the sweeteners in the same way and just because one may cause issues some of the time doesn’t mean they affect everyone the same way.
But then, along comes a study that can’t be ignored and it just blows everything out of the water. The product in question? Xylitol. Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in plants such as cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, plums, raspberries, and strawberries. It would take tonnage of veggies to ever extract enough xylitol for industrial use. Instead, corn cobs and birch trees along with certain genetically engineered bacteria are used.
It’s natural, so that should mean it’s good for you, right? Nope. According to this most recent study, frequent users of the sweetener are likely to have twice the risk of blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes leading to death. Worse yet, it can temporarily increase your glucose level by 1,000%! At that rate, you’d be better off drinking a normal soda!
The FDA warned us back in 2021 that xylitol could be deadly for dogs. Birch sugar, specifically, is a problem for our canine friends. Since the end product is all that’s listed on product ingredient lists, we don’t have any idea whether the xylitol comes from birch or corn cobs or 50,000 pounds of cauliflower. We have to assume the worst and just stay away. Now, there are sufficient indications that humans are ill-affected as well.
The problem we’re facing is that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still recognizes all alcohol sugars (and there are dozens) as GRAS: Generally Recognized As Safe. While they’ll admit that this new study warrants a closer look, the way science works is that when one person/group discovers something, it has to be verified by a totally unrelated person/group to be considered valid. That validation has yet to happen.
In the meantime, you and I have a choice to make: whether to consume xylitol or not. And how do we know which products have xylitol? For starters, there’s a pretty exhaustive list at Preventative Vet. For our convenience, though, here are a few of the products you’re more likely to encounter:
Act Braces Care™ Mouthwash
Act Dry Mouth Lozenges
Act Dry Mouth Mouthwash
Act Dry Mouth Toothpaste
Act Total Care™ Sensitive Formula Mouthwash
Dry Mouth Oral Rinse – Mint
Moisturizing Lozenges – Mint, Watermelon
Activated Charcoal Anticavity Toothpaste
Antiplaque & Whitening Toothpaste – Fluoride-Free – Fennel, Peppermint, Spearmint
Antiplaque & Whitening Toothpaste Gel – Fluoride-Free – Spearmint
Baking Soda, Spearmint
Botanically Bright Whitening Toothpaste (July 23, 2021)
Cavity Protection Toothpaste – Peppermint Baking Soda, Spearmint
Children’s Anticavity Fluoride Rinse – Juicy Mint
Clean & Gentle Toothpaste – Peppermint
Enamel Strength® Toothpaste – Peppermint
Fluoride-Free Botanically Bright™ Toothpaste – Peppermint, Spearmint
Fluoride-Free Propolis Myrrh Toothpaste – Cinnamint, Fennel, Gingermint Baking Soda, Peppermint
Fluoride-Free Sensitive Toothpaste – Wintermint
Fluoride-Free Travel Natural Toothpaste – Fresh Mint
Luminous White Anticavity Toothpaste
Maximum Strength Sensitive Toothpaste – Soothing Mint
Simply White Toothpaste – Clean Mint
Simply White Toothpaste Gel – Sweet Mint
Toddler Training Toothpaste – Mild Fruit
Travel Natural Toothpaste – Fresh Mint
Whole Care Toothpaste – Cinnamon Clove, Peppermint, Spearmint, Wintermint
Whole Care Toothpaste Gel – Peppermint
Wicked Fresh™ Mouthwash – Cool Mountain Mint, Peppermint Wave
Wicked Fresh™ Toothpaste – Spearmint Ice, Cool Peppermint
Jell-O – Dulce de leche Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Jell-O – Chocolate Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Jell-O – Chocolate Vanilla Swirls Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Jell-O – Dark Chocolate Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Jell-O – Double Chocolate Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Jell-O – Chocolate Indulgence Mousse Sugar Free
Jell-O – Dark Chocolate Decadence Mousse Sugar Free
Jell-O – Creme Brûlée Rice Pudding Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Jell-O – Rice Pudding Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Jell-O – Vanilla Sugar Free / Reduced Calorie Pudding Snacks
Birthdäg Cake Ice Cream
Butter Pekan Ice Cream
Cherry Choka-Flaka Ice Cream
Coffee Karamell Ice Cream
Cookies and Kram Ice Cream
Mint Chokladchip Ice Cream
Peanot Butter Karamell Ice Cream
Salta Karamell Ice Cream
Strawbar Swirl Ice Cream
Swedish Choklad Ice Cream
Swedish Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Swedish Lemon Bar Ice Cream
Swedish Pistasch Ice Cream
Swedish Vanilj Ice Cream
Triple Choklad Ice Cream
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam Preserves
Blueberry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves
Mountain Berry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves
Peach Sugar-Free Jam Preserves
Raspberry Sugar-FreeJell Jam Preserves
Strawberry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves
Wild Blueberry Sugar-Free Jam Preserves
Maple Sugar-Free Syrup
Raspberry Sugar-Free Syrup
Natural Liquid Personal Lubricant
Sensitive Skin Gel Personal Lubricant
As I said, this is just a partial list. A number of regional brands are on the list as well and I didn’t include those because the list was already so damn long. Pharmacy-specific brands are also a problem, so be sure to check your labels.
Of everything on the list, the Jell-o sugar-free products are a huge disappointment. I was just debating with myself last night whether to put some pudding on my shopping list. I guess that’s going to be a hard no.
Here’s the thing: the brands aren’t going to tell us themselves if there’s a chance that their product might kill you. For that matter, given how new this research is, the brands themselves may not know that they’re a danger to their own customers. Let’s get real: I doubt many dogs are using Astroglide, so they probably don’t have a clue. Even if they knew, we all know corporations aren’t quick to admit that there’s a problem with their product. They’ll just let us die and claim it was a one-off situation.
We have to watch out for ourselves and each other. Now, you know that xylitol can be a problem. Be safe.
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