an Organic,all natural, zero calorie sweetener approved by the FDA?!?!

pdxkevin · 08-07-2007, 06:31 AM

I have tried just about all the 'fake' sugars on the market. Yesterday a coworker brought in a box of Z Sweet packettes. Not bad.. not quite as sweet as sugar but it didn't have that 'artifical sweetener' aftertaste I was getting used to there always being.

Here's one article I found on it:

Quote:

ALL-NATURAL SWEETENER, ZSWEET�, BREAKS NEW GROUND
Zsweet� keeps blood sugar levels low, digests well and tastes goodSan Clemente , CA (November 3, 2005)
Ventana Health, Inc. today announced the launch of Zsweet��a new, all natural, zero calorie sweetener approved by the FDA. Zsweet� is an all natural sweetener that provides a safer alternative to chemical sugar substitutes. Zsweet� flows, measures, and tastes like sugar without the unpleasant aftertaste.

Zsweet� has been favorably mentioned in the New York Times best selling book, �The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet� written by Nicholas Perricone, M.D. According to Dr. Perricone, artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars, such as fructose corn syrup, commonly found in beverages, are causing a host of serious health problems including obesity. To combat obesity and other such health problems, Perricone identifies Zsweet� as an alternative all natural sweetener.

�Zsweet� was developed to enhance the healthy and balanced lifestyle of our community with a nutritious product of the highest integrity and quality without sacrificing taste,� says Tim Avila, creator of Zsweet� and chief executive officer of Ventana Health Inc. �Our goal was to produce a sweetener that was sweet in taste and good for the body,� explains Avila.

Zsweet� is made with a blend of Erythritol, a natural sugar alcohol, and food extracts commonly found in fruits and vegetables. Zsweet� does not use herbal extracts or dietary supplements and does not chemically alter any ingredients.

Benefits from Zsweet� are numerous especially since Erythritol has been shown not to increase blood sugar levels and is healthy for diabetics. In addition, tests have displayed that the basic ingredient in Zsweet� has the highest level of digestibility and tolerability of the sugar alcohols. Studies have also revealed that Erythritol prevents dental cavities.

� Unlike other sugar substitutes such as Splenda�, Equal� and Sweet �n' Low�, Zsweet� uses no caloric or carbohydrate fillers,� says Avila. � Zsweet � does not contain any chemically altered materials, not even in trace amounts.�

Zsweet� can be used like sugar in equivalent measurements in hot or cold beverages, blended drinks, over cereal, and in a wide variety of recipes.

source

Has anyone tried it?

Thumper · 08-07-2007, 07:04 AM

Check out the other articles in the hotlink. They all appear to be press releases. An interesting way to advertise.

I wonder what makes an artificial sweetener "organic"?

It is interesting that this sweetener (chemically erythritol) is manufacturered by Cargill, one of the nation's largest producer of chemicals.

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

Gotta try it.

pdxkevin · 08-07-2007, 07:15 AM

I didn't catch that part... hmm.. the first review I read was on amazon.com other than that I hadn't read much... I have tried it straight out of that packat (off the tip of my finger), on a slice of tomato, and mixed in some coffee. Not bad. I did add more than I would have had it been sugar, though.

I guess they can say it is organic because the ingredients are all-natrual and organic. Nothing chemically altered nor "man-made". well... here's how they justify the claim

I found a small mention of it on a Kosher review website but not much else...

I would really love to find a good, healthy substitute for sugar (in all its forms). I really miss eating all those sugar ladden things, too.

I bleed fish · 08-07-2007, 07:47 AM

Sounds kinda fishy. As stated, sounds like a press release. I think Splenda sounded about the same when it came out, and the others before it probably did, too. We're essentially the same creatures we were thousands of years ago. Whether you believe in creation or evolution, we're still living animals that were designed to run on food found in nature in it's natural state. My own personal opinion is that engineered food probably isn't going to be the best fuel for your body. Sugar may cause all sorts of problems, but when it's used in (drumroll please...) moderation, along with a good, balanced diet full of all the usuals, and in conjunction with moderate exercise, bodies seem to do well. They seem to live to be 89 years old, like your great grandfather who worked hard everyday of his life, ate bacon and eggs for breakfast and had a slice of cake after every dinner. If we got the exercise of our great grandparents and ate the food available to them, but enjoyed the healthcare and rest that retirement brings today, we would see a much higher incidence of people living to 100. There would still be all those problems like cardiac arrest, stroke, diabetes, cancer and the like, but I bet there would be a significant lower rate of these killers.
Read all the diet books and medical journals. The underlying trend is that there is no magic bullet, eat properly, exercise and don't kid yourself about fake food. It's worse for you than the real thing.
And that's just my opinion. Not that it was asked for.

Jennie@ifish · 08-07-2007, 10:02 AM

Have you ever tried Stevia? I have a plant and it's great in tea, on cereal, etc.

It's amazingly sweet. You can bake with it, etc. I just love my stevia plant, and it's GOOD for you!

Here it is... wikistevia.

pdxkevin · 08-07-2007, 10:22 AM

I have heard about stevia and tried a little once when a coworker brought some in... but haven't tried to grow any.

Moderation is always a key. Though there are somethings I have to go without simply because of the sugar levels - like fresh fruit juice, homemade cookies, etc... I may be able to eat a small serving if it were made with a healthy sugar-alternative. I will look more into stevia too, thanks!

Thumper · 08-07-2007, 11:28 AM

Stevia --- Interesting history....

Bonita · 08-07-2007, 11:45 AM

Being diabetic, I too am constantly in search of a healthy sugar alternative.
It's no easy task, especially to find one that you can actually use like granulated sugar. While I would rather use natural sugars (especially honey from my dad's bees!), I just can't do that and stay healthy.
So far I have found nothing better than splenda for general use, but even their 'baking' version doesn't really work for cooking so well.
I've used stevia in leaf and powdered form -it is sweet, but I think it has a terrible taste, and it's hard to cook with, also.
My sister uses some kind of granulated sugar alcohol that she found at Trader Joe's - but I haven't tried it yet.
Sounds like I'm going to have to go try to find some of this Zsweet stuff and check it out.

SteelheadBum2 · 08-07-2007, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jennie@ifish

Have you ever tried Stevia? I have a plant and it's great in tea, on cereal, etc.

It's amazingly sweet. You can bake with it, etc. I just love my stevia plant, and it's GOOD for you!

Here it is... wikistevia.

Jenn, I was just about to add that! Great stuff isn't it? Only sweetner I use.

anglingaddict · 08-07-2007, 09:58 PM

We have been getting asked a LOT lately about making our kettle corn with Splenda but I am VERY hesitant to use that stuff as it is still a chemical derivative. Those of you that have used the Stevia, do you think it will hold up in my kettle like the sugar does and does anyone have any ideas on where I might find it in "bigger" bags? Also, what is the taste like compared to regular sugar??

pdxkevin · 08-08-2007, 06:23 AM

Bonita, I am in the same boat as you. Being a diabetic sure does make cooking a bit of a challange.

We do a lot of home cooking and baking. Finding a quality sugar substitute would be heaven. I picked up some of the z sweet (for baking) last night at Whole Foods and am going to give it a try.

I don't know why I am not comfortable with stevia. I can't think of a rational reason... other than I am. Maybe it's because I have only tried the leaf form. I am not sure how you would mix it well enough for baking or in a drink either.

SteelheadBum2 · 08-08-2007, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdxkevin

Being a diabetic sure does make cooking a bit of a challange. We do a lot of home cooking and baking. Finding a quality sugar substitute would be heaven. I picked up some of the z sweet (for baking) last night at Whole Foods and am going to give it a try.

I don't know why I am not comfortable with stevia. I can't think of a rational reason... other than I am..

Stevia is much better for your body than chemical sweetners which are loaded with asparatame and saccharin. It dissolves much faster than sugar in liquid, and you can bake with it just fine. Its really good for quick sweet fixes like in drinks, cerial, deserts etc. A little goes a long way with stevia!

Just try it instead of be in fear of it. It may be your dream sweetner.

DanS · 08-08-2007, 01:04 PM

I've been a type I diabetic for 35 years, and I'm still a fan of limited use of sugar rather than an artificial sweetener. My a1c hemoglobins run around 5.5-5.7, so I guess it's been a fairly successful tactic.

I don't think any sweetener is actually "good for you", because sweeteners are generally empty calories that only deliver taste, not nutrition.