Xlear XyloSweet Plant Sourced Xylitol Sweetener - Pure Natural Sugar Substitute, Granules, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, 5 Pound Bag (Pack of 1)

You may already be a xylitol consumer looking for a different brand or size, or you might not have used xylitol much (or at all) and are considering xylitol as your choice for your sweetening product. If you fall into the latter, I highly recommend xylitol as your sugar-alternative, and I highly recommend Xlear's XyloSweet xylitol.Xylitol is without question my top-pick when it comes to products I can use in place of regular table sugar, and I feel xylitol is a superior to virtually every other product of this type. Here is why:1) SAFETY -- Xylitol is SAFE FOR PEOPLE! --- there is ZERO concern with xylitol toxicity in humans, and xylitol is actually LESS carcinogenic than normal sugar (note xylitol IS toxic to dogs)2) GI-FRIENDLY -- Xylitol is NOT a gastrointestinal irritant, and it does NOT have a strong laxative effect like sorbitol (it still can have a laxative effect, but it is minor compared to other sugar alcohols, and the body quickly adapts with regular consumption)3) UNIQUE DENTAL BENEFITS -- Xylitol actively strengthens teeth, may help remineralize enamel, & can help reduce dental decay (most other sugar alcohol products do not do this...they have a neutral effect rather than an actively positive one)4) BAD BREATH CONTROL -- Xylitol can help control the bad breath that sugar causes/makes worse (xylitol has an antibacterial effect through starving bacteria: many of the bacteria linked to bad breath, which feed on sugar, are unable to feed on xylitol and die)5) THE REAL TASTE OF --REAL-- SUGAR -- Xylitol actually tastes like sugar. I have used most every artificial sweetener around. Stevia In The Raw and some Erythritol products are pretty good, but still do not compare to xylitol. I cannot tell good xylitol apart from sugar and have not met anyone who can either.(Note that Xylitol is NOT a calorie-free sweetener. Like many other sugar-free products, it still has some calories in the form of carbohydrates, but these carbohydrates do not come from sugar. Xylitol's reduction in numerical calories compared to sugar is about a 25-35% decrease, but this does not tell the entire story because sugar's calories come from sugar, but xylitol's calories come from xylitol, and xylitol, with a glycemic index of 12, is not processed identically to sugar, with a glycemic index of around 65. Like many other sugar-free products, excessive consumption, when taken to a point that goes half-past-ridiculous, may actually contribute to weight gain...so like just about everything else, there is a need for moderation & responsible consumption.)Those are my reasons why I prefer xylitol, but is XyloSweet a good xylitol product? Not all xylitol is the same. It is produced via a few different methods & sources, and some have a taste which is closer to sugar than others. The way I rate xylitol that I consider to be good is as simple as, "does this xylitol product taste like sugar?" As for this specific XyloSweet product, I feel the answer is YES. It can be used like sugar for the most part, it has roughly the same sweetness intensity as sugar, and it tastes like sugar. (It is worth noting that Xlear's XyloSweet is made from raw materials sourced from both China and the United States--while that doesn't bother me personally, there are some makers of xylitol products using 100% US-made materials if one has a personal preference one way or another.) Value-wise, I think XyloSweet is an excellent value considering this is for 5 pounds.My only complaint with XyloSweet is that the quality of the bag it comes in is not the greatest. It's on the thinner side and the zipper lock works poorly (I advise taping/securing it off and not relying on the zipper lock only as you may wind up with xylitol granules all over your kitchen floor.) With that said, the packaging is nowhere near as important as the product itself, and I am very satisfied with Xlear's Xyla.So that's my reasoning for my preference of xylitol over other products, and why I recommend XyloSweet. The only real downside to xylitol is that it is expensive to produce and therefore expensive to buy. With that said, the safety & benefits of xylitol, plus its ability to taste identical to sugar is why I have consumed it for a very long time, why I feel the price is justifiable, and why I recommend it to others. I highly recommend giving this XyloSweet a try, as I think you will be very satisfied with the product.

I'm not going to delve into the science of sugar alcohols because simply typing "pharmaceutical grade xylitol" into Google will tell you all you need to know about the chemistry and uses of Xylitol.This particular product is food grade, but I've also used pharmaceutical grade and as for taste, it's the same.What's important that you understand is:1) Xylitol is, in fact, a sugar alcohol. Like all sugar alcohols there is a slight cooling affect, basically it has a very light minty affect (not to be confused with minty taste) on your tongue. Your tongue will feel like you've had a mildly cool mint lozenge after it passes through your mouth (i.e., sipping a beverage). That's why mints leave your mouth cool long after you've consumed the candy. Does that mean you've had Xylitol before? If you've ever had Trident Gum or used Act mouthwash, then yes. For a list of all brands that contain Xylitol, you can look to the "Preventive Vet" website for a fairly comprehensive list.2) Like most sugar alcohols, Xylitol has a laxative affect. If you need an example of what I mean by laxative affect, mosey on over to the famous "Haribo Sugarfree Gummy Bears" listing and enjoy reading the reviews. While Haribo uses a completely different sugar alcohol named Maltitol (note the last syllable "tol" in the word MaltiTOL), XtliTOL will basically have the same affect if you over do it. That being said, I would not recommend using more than a tablespoon per serving, with limited servings per day, spread out with hours in between intervals, or you may suffer some unpleasant gastrointestinal consequences. In other words, if you are a Cookie Monster with an insatiable sweet tooth, Xylitol is not the solution to your sugar cravings.**THIS IS WHY IT IS NOT SAFE FOR ANIMALS**It is not "poison" like Antifreeze and if your 80lbs Golden Retriever licks your coffee cup he's no sooner going to drop dead than that time he ate a whole Hershey bar. Regardless, don't give it to your animals because they will literally poop themselves sick if they have more than their body weight can handle. It's danger level is similar to Aspartame, pure cocoa, grape seeds (and other seeds/fruit stones), raw onions, etc. I doubt the same people villainizing Xylitol as instant death for dogs refuse to buy chocolate, onions, grapes, avocados, socks and/or plush toys (if you know you know), or household cleaners -- so take those comments with a grain of salt. The best practice is to keep this, any other sugar alcohol, and all foods that are not intended for your animals, in an animal proof container out of their reach. I for one don't let my Dachshunds rummage through the pantry and I have a lock on my trash can to keep the the Australian Shepherd out of it. (I also recommend that you take the same safety precautions if you have young children.)3) It is not calorie free. It has half the calories of processed white sugar, but it has calories nonetheless. But it's perfectly fine in small amounts and will help reduce your calorie intake if used as intended.4) It can have a small, but limited impact on blood sugar. It's not zero like Erythritol, Sucralose, Aspartame, Saccharin, or even Monk Fruit. It has a Glycemic Index of 7, where as Sugar ranks around 60-70.5) If you're willing to pay for it, Isomalt (used in cake decorating because it can actually crystallize) is a great alternative. It has 2 calories per gram, a Glycemic Index of 2, and a slightly less cooling affect than any of the other sugar alcohol.My ultimate advice is that you do your research beyond the Amazon comment section before you ingest any ingredient that you are unfamiliar with.