I recently ordered a container of xylitol, because I read it was a sugar alcohol and should have no carbs. Then I read on another low carb forum that it has 4 carbs per teaspoon! That's an awful lot for a sugar substitute. Can someone tell me if this is true, or if I can count it as 0 or 1 carb?

It'll depend if it's 100% xylitol or a blend of things.

I almost exclusively use Ideal, which is 99.7% xyltiol, and .3% sucralose. It has 1.5g of carbs per teaspoon (which is 1.5g). When I look at the NOW brand of xyltiol, it does show 4g per teasoon (which for them is 4g).

Any (I think, anyway...maybe almost all would be a better term) granular sweetener will have some carbs. As far as I know, only the liquid forms are 0. Depending on the application, they may work well for you.

Krys, do you know if Xylosweet has hidden carbs? The claim 0 carbs on their website and that the product is pure Xylitol. Maybe I will contact them and ask. I've been happy with the product but barely ever use it because I'm always panicked my dog could get into something I've sprinkled it on (Xylitol is apparently deadly to dogs even in small amount, and my dog is pretty small on top of that). What do you think of Erythritol as an alternative? I get sick from aspartame, but am fine with Splenda and Xylitol - I use and love the Torani SF syrups, but some things just require the crystallized stuff.

I might be missing it, but I'm not finding the nutritionals on their website. If it's pure xylitol, it will have 4g/teaspoon. They have some listings for it on fitday, etc, and they all show 4. They may be claiming 0 "Net" carbs since most companies use "magic math" where the carbs from sugar alcohols somehow don't count. So...I would count it for what it is. It may or may not have an impact on your blood sugar (so it may not cause an insulin spike for you) and might not have a big impact diet wise...but I'd still count it at 4.

Xylitol is very toxic to dogs, so use it with caution around them. I have 2, and whenever I am using it, I put the bowl in the sink and mix til inforporated. I keep it in my pantry in its bag, in a ziplock, and then in a food storage container...pushed to the wayback of an upper shelf.

I haven't had any gastric issues from other sweeteners, but I hate the taste. I have found xylitol or xylitol based sweeteners to provide the best taste and texture to be, so I use it nearly exclusively. I didn't like the taste of Erythritol - it has that weird "cool" taste...I still have the small bag I bought over a year ago. It's just person preference...I'm a xylitol snob :P

LOL, I hear you with the dog issue. I actually threw out the bag after using it once after I read about how scary it was. But I had forgotten that I filled my tupperware sugar holder with it before I threw it out, and I've started using it again. Now I'm annoyed that I threw out the big bag because it's expensive, but at the same time reluctant to use it because of the dog. Good idea with pouring it out in the sink - my dog couldn't possibly get up to where I store it, but he's a big fan of licking the kitchen floor (and all other floors, he's strange) so I always worry.

I contacted them and asked, will let you all know if I get a response.

You might check and see if any grocery stores near you carry Ideal. I really LOVE it. One store has it for $7 a bag, and another has it for $3.49! I print off the $1 off coupon from their website, which makes it super duper cheap. Netrition just started to carry it, which is really nice. My store doesn't carry the Brown (a brown sugar sub), and I always had to order it from Amazon and then everything else I normally stock up on from Netrition. Nice to have it all in one place now

I got my jar of Xylitol today from Swanson and the label says 4g of carbs per teaspoon. That seems so high since I've only been counting 1 carb per teaspoon of splenda. I'm not at the point where I'm baking low carb stuff yet, just using it in OMM's and mock danish things. I'm debating weather I should try it and see if it knocks me off or just send it straight back and order the erythritol. hmm

I've never had any issues with it, but I didn't start out making things like that - I just used it in coffee. I tried to stick to whole foods and go "by the book" and save that for later on down the line.

Thanks, Krystal. I guess I'll try it and see. I've heard others say I should only count it as 0 net carbs because its a sugar alcohol. Guess I'll experiment with it and see. And I've heard I can make a paste out of it and use it to whiten teeth so yay. haha

I think the Diabetic Association says to count half of the carbs in sugar alcohols.

I think the way to count it is a very individual thing. I personally do count the carbs because there can be an impact on blood sugar, so it's one of those "better to be safe than sorry" things. That said, the Ideal comes in lower (it's bulked out a little, hence the lower count) and it hasnt' ever caused me any issues - scales, cravings, or otherwise.

It'll be one of those "try it and see" situations. I prefer the taste 10 fold over Splenda/sucralose, so it's worth the extra to me.

Good luck!

I also use the Swanson brand. The NOW brand is available locally, but is pricier. Just yesterday I ground it in my coffee grinder to powder it, as it doesn't dissolve readily unless it's in something hot like coffee or tea. I like to use it in coconut bark along with sucralose, but don't like that it sinks to the bottom if the bark is warm(loose)when putting it in the(brownie)pan before the freezer. I'm sure grinding it probably ups the carb count per serving, but I usually don't measure it anyway. I just pour a little into the cap until it "looks" like a tsp or tbls. It hasn't seemed to hamper my loss or cause cravings.

Well I tried the xylitol last night, just half a teaspoon to sweeten my salad dressing instead of splenda and it knocked me off ketosis. I know this did it because I didn't eat anything I don't normally do yesterday except that.
I think sugar alcohols mess me up. I've tried the sugar free chocolates before and they always knock me off. Thankfully it only takes about half a day to get back on for me!

Anyone want some free xylitol? lol

Wow.. I just tripped on this thread by accident. No one has written in it for almost two years.
Have opinions changed about Xylitol or do people still feel that it knocks you off ketosis?
I have been using it for over half a year because it apparently is very healthy for bones and teeth. It is used in toothpaste.
I was under the impression that sugar alcohols are zero carbs, so all of the sweeteners or chocolates like Russell Stover that mark the number of carbs as 4g with 4g sugar alcohol would be o carbs net.
Am I totally wrong? because I eat lots of RS chocolates..

Sugar alcohols vary. Read the link I posted at the bottom here. There's a wonderful table on that web page.

Xylitol has 2.4 calories per gram versus 4 calories for sugar. So... it has slightly more than half the carbs of sugar.

Erythritol has .2 calories per gram, so it is a much better choice for both carbs and GI effects. Truvia uses Ery and stevia and doesn't taste bad.

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