NOW FoodsErythritol, Great-Tasting Sugar Replacement, Zero Calories, Low Glycemic Impact, Kosher, 2.5-Pound (Packaging May Vary)

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is found naturally in fruits and fermented foods. While you can derive Erythritol in a lot of ways, including chemical treatments, NOW Foods uses a purely natural method (and what you would actually think to be natural, not the term "natural" that let's companies get away with putting undesirables like maltodextrin and high fructose syrup in their foods) to derive its Erythritol.Specifically, NOW Foods Erythritol is derived from non-GMO corn via a lengthy fermentation, filtration, crystallization, ion exchange and concentration process. The final product contains no protein but the starting material is a corn derived isolate. Erythritol is derived from non-GMO corn via a lengthy fermentation, filtration, crystallization, ion exchange and concentration process (copied verbatim from an email I sent the company).What makes Erythritol the most desirable sugar alcohol is that it has a GI of 0 (About 40 calories a cup, compared to 800 calories a cup in conventional sugar) , has very little of the gastrointestinal effects seen in other sugar alcohols (your body absorbs most of the Erythritol before it hits the large intestine unlike the other sugar alcohols, so you would need to eat a very large quantity of Erythritol before your body starts feeling upset - 1 gram to 1 kg of body weight seems to be the daily limit), and it doesn't have the funky aftertaste associated with artificial sweeteners.So, is it too good to be true? Surely there must be some flaws with this product? Well, yes, Erythritol isn't perfect. It's about 70% as sweet as sugar (so you can't substitute 1:1 unless you don't mind a slightly less sweet final product), it has a cooling effect in your mouth (similar to the one you get from eating mint) - but this is greatly mitigated if you powder it in a spice grinder, and it can't be used to feed yeast (so you can't make root beer or pizza dough with it for example, but this really isn't a major concern since you can still use sugar, which will mostly be consumed by the yeast).The only major sticking point is the price. At 15 bucks for 2.5 lbs. it's not a cheap sweetener, and it's easily the most expensive sugar alcohol/sweetener out there. That being said, you get what you pay for as NOW Foods does not skimp out on the quality.So yeah, if you are diabetic or are looking for a way to cut out sugar from your diet without resorting to funky tasting sweeteners, Erythritol is your best option.

If you do some research on natural sweeteners with a zero glycemic index, you will see that Erythritol is one of the best. It is a sugar alcohol found in various fruits and vegetables like Xylitol. But unlike Xylitol, it is not dangerously toxic to dogs and does not have bloating, gaseous effects. If you don't need a sweetener without blood sugar effects, you can look at brown rice syrup or agave, since they have a very low effect on blood sugar. If you want no blood sugar effects at all, I'd recommend this, since it has a very nice taste (like sugar) with no aftertaste. Stevia is another option, but is very strong and has a less appealing taste. If you use even a bit too much, Stevia generally has a rather bitter aftertaste. This is not true of Erythritol.I would say the only downside is the cost and that it is only 70% as sweet as sugar. You can spike it with Stevia to make up the difference if you like Stevia. It doesn't take much to add to get it a lot sweeter. You should shake it up really well before using, though.Note: If you want to buy this particular item, I discovered that this company has not charged me extra shipping for more bags going to the same address. I would avoid EmeraldForest, though, because the Erythritol I got from them had a very strange, foul smell -- like mothballs -- and had a faint aftertaste that was the same. Their customer service was very nasty when I called to return it, in spite of their "100% satisfaction guarantee". I am sticking with Now Foods from now on.Also: It is a bit misleading that they call this particular item "powdered". Regular powdered sugar is pulverized and has cornstarch added to give it that silky feel, as well as calcium phosphate to improve its flowing ability. What they mean here, though, is that it is a much finer grain than their regular erythritol. It is still a grain, however. I buy it because it dissolves faster than the larger crystals, but both are good products.

In my opinion Erythritol is the best of the Zero Glycemic Index Sweeteners and I really like the Now Foods brand.. I couldn’t take all the bloating and gas I got from most of the cakes, cookies and ice creams sold commercially with the artificial sweeteners they were adding.. They’re full of Xylitol, Sorbitol, etc, that work on the gastrointestinal tract. Sure they don’t have calories, but you pay for it in other ways. That tradeoff, isn’t good for your health. I only use two sweeteners now for everything and that’s pure Stevia & Erythritol. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I find with my diabetes they work the best for keeping me Healthy and my A1C’s in checkErythritol does cloud, when you first mix into opaque liquids, but clears up quickly.For most of my baking I mix Erythritol with Stevia. You have to kind of experiment, to find the blend you like. I think they actually sell a blend of that, but I’m sure it’s much cheaper to make your own and you can adjust it to how you like. I can’t tell you how to mix it, because there are different forms of Stevia (in much different strengths).Most people who have used Erythritol are familiar with the mint-like cooling effect on the tongue sometimes experienced. By mixing the Stevia & Erythritol for Drinks & Baking, I haven’t had that problem. I might add that I have Celiac disease, so all my baking is Gluten Free. It’s works great for gluten free cooking, so I can only imagine it would work OK for regular wheat flour too. I use Almond Flour, Rice Flours, Sunflower Seed Four, Garbanzo Bean Flour Etc. I use a bunch of different flours and the Now Foods Erythritol/Stevia blend I mix has suited me well.