Sorbitol....

[MRG]

I did not know this. But why do they add sorbitol to the surimi (fish paste) to make imitation crab?

It is not to add sweetness, but it is for the texture.

Thank you for sharing this. I'll not be eating fake crab ever again.

 

[tmm99]

This may be too much information but here goes. I sometimes suffer from constipation. I eat prunes, Fiber 1 cereal, etc to help with this. I want to avoid harsh laxatives. My doctor advised me to chew sugar free gum with Sorbitol to help get things moving. I chew a few pieces of sugar free gum every day and it helps me. Different strokes for different folks!

Have you ever tried lemon juice in water? That works for me.

 

[donheff]

I never eat candy judiciously. I eat it like Jay's potato chips. I remember decades ago finding a roll of Velamints (or something like that with sorbitol) and I ate the whole roll. I was quickly in agony - I thought I was going to explode. It does seem insane to allow this as a sugar substitute since it affects so many people the same way.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

So last night wifey and are getting ready for bed when suddenly she said her stomach was acting up. She goes off to the restroom. I grab my phone to kill some time waiting for her to come to bed. It is usually charging in the kitchen but it happened to be on my nightstand tonight. I come here to see what's going on and find this thread. Who knew gum could cause a problem like this? Guess who is giving up sugarless gum now.

 

[HadEnuff]

I've used Splenda (sucralose) and Xylitol, and they don't seem to bother me. But I don't use a lot. I'm not a fan of the taste of sucrose, nor do I like the way sucrose makes my teeth feel coated, which doesn't occur with sucrolose or xylitol.
However, I don't use very much of any sweeteners, just a small amount in coffee or oatmeal.

I do know some folks who get the dreaded "sorbitol" effect from either one of them, though.

 

[audreyh1]

I’ve been using a erithrytol and stevia combination as a sweetener. This is usually recommended by the low carb sites because erithrytol, which is a sugar alcohol, has no blood glucose response and I guess side effects are not bad. The combo tastes closer to sugar than other sweeteners - I don’t like Stevia by itself. I use quite small amounts because if I put even a tiny bit too much I find it overwhelms/ruins and I can’t stand the sweet. It’s a bit tricky.

I just need a little to counteract the bitterness of my strong coffee. I don’t bake sweets/desserts.

I used to love the taste of that dark brown Demerara sugar in my coffee - but that’s not permitted anymore....

 

[ncbill]

I thought Xylitol in sugarless chewing gum was good for your teeth?

As for Sorbitol the reviews on Amazon for sugar-free gummy bears are endlessly entertaining.

 

[NoMoreJob]

I thought Xylitol in sugarless chewing gum was good for your teeth?

Yes, it helps reduce tooth decay and also helps counteract "dry mouth" which is a common side effect of certain medications and radiation treatments to the head and/or neck.

Due to past radiation treatments I use it in the form of Xylimelts. I'll also sometimes pop a sugar-free candy during the day for the same reasons. I do notice a bit of a digestive side effect but only to a small degree, nothing like others are describing here (but I don't binge on the stuff). For me it's cheap, effective and convenient 'medication' with minimal side effects.