Ideal® No Calorie Sweetener: Is It For Real?
Functions as sugar without the calories? Hmmm..interesting.
Finally, the sweetener that delivers on the promise that sugar substitutes have been making for decades! Ideal No Calorie Sweetener really does LOOK, TASTE, COOK and BAKE like real sugar. In fact, people who have tried it actually prefer it over sugar.
The key ingredient of Ideal No Calorie Sweetener is XYLITOL. It is a natural sugar found in fruits and vegetables. Xylitol is an FDA-approved sweetener, and has been used in foods and nutraceutical products worldwide since the 1960’s.It is often used as ingredient in sugar-free gums, lozenges and puddings. With this, Ideal No Calorie Sweeteneris able to maintain its sweetness in different temperatures of baking and cooking, and still manages to deliver volume and texture that other sweeteners do not, plus there is no bitter aftertaste!
For the health-conscious and nutrition buffs, Ideal Ideal No Calorie Sweetener is great because it contains less than five calories per serving (US FDA allows any food product with less than five calories to be labeled as a no calorie product) and less than 1 gram of carbohydrates per serving. It is also suitable for people with diabetes because of its low glycemic index (valued at 7). Not only that, Ideal No Calorie Sweetener even has dental benefits because Xylitol inhibits the growth of bacteria, which causes cavities.Many research organizations (including the Calorie Control Council and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry) have identified considerable health benefits of Xylitol as well.
Ideal No Calorie Sweetener is a quality product of USA and exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Global Strategic Partners Distribution Inc. (GSPDI). For more information, you can log onto http://www.idealsweet.com.
Ideal No Calorie Sweetener.It’s a sweet revolution.
Ideal® Frequently Asked Questions
Many consumers have had questions about Ideal® and its ingredients. Here are the most frequently asked.
What is Ideal® made of?
Ideal® is a unique blend of ingredients with xylitol as the main ingredient.
What’s the unique blend?
It’s a blend of natural xylitol, natural dextrose, natural maltodextrin and a small amount of non-natural sucralose (a concentrated sweetener).
What is xylitol?
Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables. Xylitol is an FDA-approved sweetener, and has been used in foods worldwide since the 1960′s.
Is Ideal® all-natural?
No. Ideal® contains a very small amount of the well-known sweetener sucralose, which is not natural. However, Ideal® is more than 99% natural by volume.
What makes Ideal® different than the other No Calorie Sweeteners?
Great taste (preferred vs. sugar*)
Great for baking and cooking
Contains natural xylitol
Adds volume and texture in baking
*Preferred for sweetness, flavor and overall liking vs. sugar in independent university taste tests
Why is Ideal® great for baking?
Ideal® keeps its sweetness during baking and also provides volume and texture during the baking process.
Is Ideal® safe for everyone?
Absolutely. Ideal® is suitable for everyone in the family, including people with diabetes. Ideal® offers a great tasting, no calorie, low carb alternative when cooking and baking.
Is Ideal® safe for pets?
Our pets digest foods differently than we do. Many foods—like chocolate, apples, raisins, baking soda and xylitol—are not safe for pets, especially dogs. Your veterinarian can share more information about xylitol and your pet.
Why is sucralose used in Ideal®?
Ideal’s® main ingredient, xylitol, has the same sweetness as sugar. Sucralose is added to boost the sweetness of Ideal®. Since it’s a concentrated sweetener, a tiny amount provides significant sweetness.
Why are the ingredients maltodextrin and dextrose in Ideal® No Calorie Sweetener Products?
These are part of our proprietary blend. As in other tabletop sweeteners, Ideal® products contain small amounts of carbohydrate (less than 1 gram per serving) for consistent sweetening and to provide volume.
Xylitol, dextrose, and maltodextrin have calories so how can you say Ideal® is a No Calorie Sweetener?
The FDA allows any food product with less than five calories per serving to be labeled as zero. This includes no calorie sweeteners such as Ideal®.
If there are carbohydrates and calories in each serving, how many are in a cup when using Ideal® for baking?
There are 53 grams of carbohydrates and 202 calories in a cup of Ideal® white granulated sweetener. Compare that to 192 grams of carbohydrates and 768 calories in a cup of regular granulated sugar.
How is xylitol handled by the body?
Xylitol is slowly absorbed by the body. Therefore, when xylitol is used, the rise in blood glucose and insulin response associated with the ingestion of glucose is significantly reduced compared to regular sugar.
How does Ideal® measure in recipes when compared to sugar?
The Ideal® granular products (sold at retail) measure cup for cup just like sugar when baking. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar you can use 1 cup of Ideal® instead. Ideal® packets are not meant for use in baking and do not measure cup for cup. Each packet equals the sweetness of two teaspoons of sugar.
Where is Ideal® made?
Indianapolis, Indiana
Is Ideal® kosher certified?
Yes, Ideal® is OU kosher certified.
Is Ideal® gluten free?
Yes. The dextrose and maltodextrin in Ideal® are corn-based, not wheat-based, making our products gluten-free
Chef Ozzie’s top 5 tips for cooking and baking with Ideal®.
Sugar contributes more than just sweetness to recipes. When baking with a sugar substitute, there are a few things that need to be adjusted in order to get your desired product. These 5 tips are helpful when baking or cooking with Ideal®.
Cookies made with Ideal® may seem a bit drier than those made with sugar, and they may be a bit “puffier.” Flatten the dough before baking to help cookies achieve the desired shape.
Since xylitol does not feed yeast like sugar does, Ideal® is not suitable in breads that require yeast to rise. It does make delicious low-calorie quick breads and muffins, like Banana Bread and Raspberry Lemon Muffins.
Xylitol doesn’t brown like sugar, so adding honey, brown sugar, or molasses to a recipe will help achieve desired browning. You can also spray the top of baked goods with a cooking spray during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Baked goods made with Ideal® may bake more quickly than those made with sugar. Try reducing the time by 3 to 5 minutes for cookies and 5 to 8 minutes for cakes/muffins.
To make sugar-free jams and jellies with Ideal®, be sure to use the “no-sugar-added” pectin designed specifically for sugar-free preserves. This will ensure proper gelling when you follow the directions on the package.
These tips, along with others, are in my cookbook “Sweet Revolution: Cooking without Sugar.”
Happy baking!
Chef Ozzie
Finally, the sweetener that delivers on the promise that sugar substitutes have been making for decades! Ideal No Calorie Sweetener really does LOOK, TASTE, COOK and BAKE like real sugar. In fact, people who have tried it actually prefer it over sugar.
The key ingredient of Ideal No Calorie Sweetener is XYLITOL. It is a natural sugar found in fruits and vegetables. Xylitol is an FDA-approved sweetener, and has been used in foods and nutraceutical products worldwide since the 1960’s.It is often used as ingredient in sugar-free gums, lozenges and puddings. With this, Ideal No Calorie Sweeteneris able to maintain its sweetness in different temperatures of baking and cooking, and still manages to deliver volume and texture that other sweeteners do not, plus there is no bitter aftertaste!
For the health-conscious and nutrition buffs, Ideal Ideal No Calorie Sweetener is great because it contains less than five calories per serving (US FDA allows any food product with less than five calories to be labeled as a no calorie product) and less than 1 gram of carbohydrates per serving. It is also suitable for people with diabetes because of its low glycemic index (valued at 7). Not only that, Ideal No Calorie Sweetener even has dental benefits because Xylitol inhibits the growth of bacteria, which causes cavities.Many research organizations (including the Calorie Control Council and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry) have identified considerable health benefits of Xylitol as well.
Ideal No Calorie Sweetener is a quality product of USA and exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Global Strategic Partners Distribution Inc. (GSPDI). For more information, you can log onto http://www.idealsweet.com.
Ideal No Calorie Sweetener.It’s a sweet revolution.
Ideal® Frequently Asked Questions
Many consumers have had questions about Ideal® and its ingredients. Here are the most frequently asked.
What is Ideal® made of?
Ideal® is a unique blend of ingredients with xylitol as the main ingredient.
What’s the unique blend?
It’s a blend of natural xylitol, natural dextrose, natural maltodextrin and a small amount of non-natural sucralose (a concentrated sweetener).
What is xylitol?
Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables. Xylitol is an FDA-approved sweetener, and has been used in foods worldwide since the 1960′s.
Is Ideal® all-natural?
No. Ideal® contains a very small amount of the well-known sweetener sucralose, which is not natural. However, Ideal® is more than 99% natural by volume.
What makes Ideal® different than the other No Calorie Sweeteners?
Great taste (preferred vs. sugar*)
Great for baking and cooking
Contains natural xylitol
Adds volume and texture in baking
*Preferred for sweetness, flavor and overall liking vs. sugar in independent university taste tests
Why is Ideal® great for baking?
Ideal® keeps its sweetness during baking and also provides volume and texture during the baking process.
Is Ideal® safe for everyone?
Absolutely. Ideal® is suitable for everyone in the family, including people with diabetes. Ideal® offers a great tasting, no calorie, low carb alternative when cooking and baking.
Is Ideal® safe for pets?
Our pets digest foods differently than we do. Many foods—like chocolate, apples, raisins, baking soda and xylitol—are not safe for pets, especially dogs. Your veterinarian can share more information about xylitol and your pet.
Why is sucralose used in Ideal®?
Ideal’s® main ingredient, xylitol, has the same sweetness as sugar. Sucralose is added to boost the sweetness of Ideal®. Since it’s a concentrated sweetener, a tiny amount provides significant sweetness.
Why are the ingredients maltodextrin and dextrose in Ideal® No Calorie Sweetener Products?
These are part of our proprietary blend. As in other tabletop sweeteners, Ideal® products contain small amounts of carbohydrate (less than 1 gram per serving) for consistent sweetening and to provide volume.
Xylitol, dextrose, and maltodextrin have calories so how can you say Ideal® is a No Calorie Sweetener?
The FDA allows any food product with less than five calories per serving to be labeled as zero. This includes no calorie sweeteners such as Ideal®.
If there are carbohydrates and calories in each serving, how many are in a cup when using Ideal® for baking?
There are 53 grams of carbohydrates and 202 calories in a cup of Ideal® white granulated sweetener. Compare that to 192 grams of carbohydrates and 768 calories in a cup of regular granulated sugar.
How is xylitol handled by the body?
Xylitol is slowly absorbed by the body. Therefore, when xylitol is used, the rise in blood glucose and insulin response associated with the ingestion of glucose is significantly reduced compared to regular sugar.
How does Ideal® measure in recipes when compared to sugar?
The Ideal® granular products (sold at retail) measure cup for cup just like sugar when baking. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar you can use 1 cup of Ideal® instead. Ideal® packets are not meant for use in baking and do not measure cup for cup. Each packet equals the sweetness of two teaspoons of sugar.
Where is Ideal® made?
Indianapolis, Indiana
Is Ideal® kosher certified?
Yes, Ideal® is OU kosher certified.
Is Ideal® gluten free?
Yes. The dextrose and maltodextrin in Ideal® are corn-based, not wheat-based, making our products gluten-free
Chef Ozzie’s top 5 tips for cooking and baking with Ideal®.
Sugar contributes more than just sweetness to recipes. When baking with a sugar substitute, there are a few things that need to be adjusted in order to get your desired product. These 5 tips are helpful when baking or cooking with Ideal®.
Cookies made with Ideal® may seem a bit drier than those made with sugar, and they may be a bit “puffier.” Flatten the dough before baking to help cookies achieve the desired shape.
Since xylitol does not feed yeast like sugar does, Ideal® is not suitable in breads that require yeast to rise. It does make delicious low-calorie quick breads and muffins, like Banana Bread and Raspberry Lemon Muffins.
Xylitol doesn’t brown like sugar, so adding honey, brown sugar, or molasses to a recipe will help achieve desired browning. You can also spray the top of baked goods with a cooking spray during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Baked goods made with Ideal® may bake more quickly than those made with sugar. Try reducing the time by 3 to 5 minutes for cookies and 5 to 8 minutes for cakes/muffins.
To make sugar-free jams and jellies with Ideal®, be sure to use the “no-sugar-added” pectin designed specifically for sugar-free preserves. This will ensure proper gelling when you follow the directions on the package.
These tips, along with others, are in my cookbook “Sweet Revolution: Cooking without Sugar.”
Happy baking!
Chef Ozzie
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