Erythritol is often touted as a healthy alternative to sugar because this sweetener contains almost no calories. We’ll tell you how healthy the sugar substitute really is.
What is erythritol?
Erythritol is a sweet-tasting compound that, chemically speaking, belongs to the sugar alcohols – just like, for example, birch sugar (xylitol) or isomalt.
Visually, erythritol looks confusingly similar to classic sugar. According to the Deutsche Apothekerzeitung, it has about 70 percent of the sweetening power of sugar, so you have to dose erythritol a little higher when sweetening. The sugar substitute is suitable for cooking and baking.
Erythritol occurs naturally in ripe fruits such as melons, grapes and pears, as well as in wine, cheese and pistachios. Obtaining erythritol from these foods is very complex and expensive. That is why it is obtained for the food industry through fermentation. Carbohydrates are converted – usually with the help of fungi – into erythritol and some by-products.
On the list of ingredients, erythritol is sometimes also identified as Erylite, Erythritol or E968.
Erythritol: low-calorie sugar substitute with few side effects
Erythritol is not metabolized in the body and therefore has no calories according to the German Pharmacy Journal (the health portal netdoktor.de writes of 20 kilocalories per 100 grams). For comparison: ordinary sugar has 400 calories per 100 grams. Most other sugar substitutes such as xylitol still have 240 calories per 100 grams.
This makes erythritol particularly popular for low-calorie diets. In addition, according to the Deutsche Apothekerzeitung, the sweetener has no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels, so diabetics can also use erythritol without any problems.
As with any sugar alcohol, excessive consumption of erythritol can cause gas and diarrhea. Compared to other sugar alcohols such as xylitol or sorbitol, the risk here is significantly lower, since more than 90 percent of the erythritol is excreted undigested according to netdoktor.de and not digested in the large intestine. Nevertheless, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), foods that contain more than ten percent erythritol must be provided with a warning (“excessive consumption can have a laxative effect”). Otherwise, the BfR describes erythritol as harmless to health.
Important: Choose organic quality erythritol
The starting product for erythritol is mostly corn, which grows in monocultures in Europe. Genetically modified mushroom cultures are often used for the actual fermentation.
That’s why we expressly advise you to only buy erythritol with the EU organic seal. Then the sugar alcohol (especially for diabetics) is a recommended alternative to sugar. You can get organic erythritol, for example**, from Bioaufvorrat or Amazon.
The bottom line, however, applies to every sugar substitute: You cannot train yourself away from your desire for sweets. Therefore you should only use erythritol and co. sparingly.
