Have you heard of erythritol and wonder what in the world it is? Here’s all you need to know and why it’s a fantastic sugar substitute!

The first time I ever saw or heard of erythritol I shunned it. I could barely say the name correctly let alone open my  mind to using it. I was perfectly content with using stevia as my natural sugar free substitute and I still am and love my stevia.

I have been a stevia snob. But my good blogging friend Carolyn, from All Day I Dream About Food has been using it for a good long time and it peaked my curiosity, but again I’ve been happy with my recipes using stevia and I think all of you have as well.

Although I am perfectly content using stevia, I always receive many emails and comments saying some of you still find a bitter aftertaste even with the brands I recommend. I never taste an aftertaste and it must be because I’m so used to using it for so long now. My hubby will still notice in some no bake recipes or frosting so I decided over the last year to start experimenting with it.

Many of you know over the course of about 6 months I’ve been writing a cookbook and during this time I combined  erythritol  with stevia. I can only say that the results have been absolutely phenomenal in my baked goodies and treats. After attending BlogHer Food in Miami and speaking with the president of Swerve, I knew it was time to bring you some information here on the blog in hopes to enlighten you as well on this fantastic product.

WHAT IS ERYTHRITOL?

• It’s pronounced, (a-rith-ri-tall).
• It is NOT an artificial sweetener like aspartame or Splenda. It is naturally occurring in plants and fruits and vegetables like grapes, melons and mushrooms.
• It is a sugar alcohol most often used in chewing gums, mouthwash, cough drops and mints.
• It has no calories and does not spike blood sugar. Zero on glycemic index. It is Non- GMO.
• Not to be confused with xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol which can cause gas, bloating and laxative effects.
• It measures cup for cup for sugar, but is only about 70% as sweet as table sugar. ( This is why combining it with stevia which is 300 times sweeter than sugar is a great choice).

IS IT SAFE & WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS?

I wouldn’t be using it for my family or recommending it if I didn’t believe in it as a safe product for my family and myself. Before it is even digested in the large intestine, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and basically eliminated unchanged.

So only about 10% actually enters into the small intestine. Because of this it does not typically cause any laxative effects like xylitol and maltitol would. We have been using it regularly with no problems in our family.

The season I like the brand Swerve is because I’ve tried other granular erythritol products from a few other brands and found them very gritty in the final product. Swerve has both a granular as well as a confectioner’s sugar type product.

Both work well in baked goods, but of course when you want a recipe to have the look of confectioner’s sugar that choice would be best. Mostly to bake I’ve been using the granular, but again either would work well.

Today Swerve has kindly offered to give away samples to 3 Sugar-Free Mom readers. You can choose between the granular version or the confectioner’s version. Both are 1 pound in weight.

THIS GIVE AWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Just enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win some Swerve! 3 winners will be chosen. Contest ends on June 21, 2014 at midnight, EST. USA residents only please. Winners will be notified via email. Winners will have 48 hours.

References:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/497773-erythritol-vs-stevia-vs-xylitol/

https://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/erythritol.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol

https://bodyecology.com/articles/erythritol_what_you_need_to_know_natural_sugar_substitute.php#.U6AlHcHD-Uk

Disclosure: I have not been compensated for this post. Swerve sweetener provided me samples of their product to try as well as product to provide for this give away. All opinions are 100% my own.