What are sugar alcohols?

Here’s the down low

Sugar alcohol is actually neither sugar nor is it alcohol….

…sugar alcohols are actually a carbohydrate that has a chemical structure similar to sugar that food companies use to sweeten products while cutting back on the calories.

Some sugar alcohols, but most are artificial…

This means while sugar alcohols have lower calories than regular sugar, they also come with a host of undesirable side effects including but not limited to…

- Gastrointestinal side effects (Tummy aches)

- Confusion (Sugar alcohols may be lower calorie, but they are not free of them and have a similar effect in weight management)

- Laxative effect

Now it’s not all gloom and doom, sugar alcohols are easier on your teeth, have fewer calories, fewer carbs (about half) and don’t cause sudden blood sugar spikes…

…but when you use them to say…. Make candy… that’s where we run into issues.

Because an abundance of lower calorie, lower carb sugar alcohol will not only upset your stomach, psychologically  it also makes it MORE likely to overconsume.

Which can inflame your gut, and make you low energy, irritable, cause brain fog and low motivation.

So when weighing your halloween candy options this year.. If you’re looking for this health expert’s advice on sugar alcohols here it is
While sugar alcohols are safe for kids… I believe a slightly higher volume of “sugar free” candy is just as bad as full sugar candy.

So just have a reasonable amount of your traditional candy and move on.

The positive effects of sugar alcohols aren’t enough to make them an ideal option.