What You Need to Know about Xylitol - Yes, That Stuff That Is in the Gum
Xylitol is a 100% natural sweetener. It can be found in berries, fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, corn and birch. It also occurs naturally in our bodies – in fact, an average size adult makes up to 15 grams of xylitol a day. Xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar, yet the body treats it completely different than sugar.
Xylitol in most cases comes from corn, unless it states that it is 100 % Birch. The birch typically comes from the US, but is also harvested in Finland, which is where xylitol became popular in WWII when Finland was cut off from sugar. They began using xylitol as a replacement for baking and living, and what they found was a dramatic decrease in cavities.
Why is xylitol so amazing?
Xylitol works in two ways:
helping to control harmful bacteria in the mouth and
stimulating minerals into the mouth to repair and strengthen teeth.
Sugar feeds bacteria in your mouth, causing them to multiply rapidly, which produces acids that cause cavities. When you use xylitol, the acid attack that would otherwise last for over half an hour is stopped.The bacteria that feed from sugar accept xylitol as food, yet the xylitol delivers no nutrients, so the bacteria essentially starve and die! The number of acid-producing bacteria may fall as much as 90%.
Xylitol is just as sweet as table sugar (sucrose), but it has about 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates. Xylitol also won’t raise your blood sugar like regular sugar does, putting tremendous strain on your system, causing negative health effects. For this reason, it is great for diabetics and pre-diabetics. You still want to talk to your doctor and dietician about incorporating it into your diet.
But how does it help to stop cavities and ear infections?
Xylitol has also been proven to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Research shows that this effect enables xylitol to help prevent bacteria and irritants from adhering to upper respiratory passages when used as a nasal wash. Studies have also shown that 8 grams of xylitol, taken orally every day prevented about 40% of ear infections!
While xylitol offers many health benefits to humans, it can be deadly to dogs and should not be fed to any pets.If you are using xylitol for healthy teeth then you want to have it multiple times a day and there is a formula for it.
Strive for 5, 5 exposures with a total of at least 5 grams a day. What does that mean? Have a couple of mints, pieces of gum, or candy after each meal, and add a teaspoon of xylitol granules to your water and drink it throughout the morning. Use mouth rinse, and toothpaste that contains xylitol as well. You will be amazed at how much less plaque you build up once you have been using xylitol for a few months. It truly is amazing!!!
We love to talk xylitol and its uses! Leave a message below if you have used Xylitol and let us know what a difference it has made.
