Torte di Chocolate - 232 calories and sugar free

Health research regarding simple carbohydrates is just too convincing for me to ignore. As a result, I’ve been on many low or reduced carb diets in the past and still try to limit my simple sugar intake. Since eating low-carb is not always easy I’ve had a lot of processed low-carb foods and snacks.

One component common to the vast majority of processed low-carb snacks and desserts are something called sugar alcohols. Most low-carb snacks have a disclaimer about them like “sugar alcohols do not contribute to blood sugar levels” and then omit them from the total carbohydrate count along with fiber. “Hmm, what?!” Sugar alcohols are puzzling to me. What exactly are they? How do our bodies use them? And are they dangerous?

I did thirty minutes of research and this post will relay the essentials of what I learned.

Chemical background and metabolism

Sugar alcohols are hydrogenated forms of carbohydrates. Half the chemical structure resembles sugar and half alcohol, hence the name. They’re usually used in food in conjunction with high intensity sweeteners like Aspartame or Splenda to mask their aftertaste. They are not as sweet as sucrose and do not contribute to tooth decay — they’re not metabolized by oral bacteria. What makes them so special? Sugar alcohols are incompletely absorbed into the blood stream from the small intensities which results in a smaller change in blood sugar levels than regular sugar. This is what makes them popular among low-carb dieters. Just like fiber, however, they can lead to bloating, diarrhea, and gas since they’re not absorbed in the small intestine. One of my favorite low calorie deserts is the Torta di Chocolate at Olive Garden, pictured above. It has only 230 calories which are mostly from sugar alcohols (34 grams). If you’re eating it on an empty stomach please bring Beano.

Calories and sweetness

Different sugar alcohols have different amounts of calories. None of which are 4 calories per gram which is used on the label on foods.

Those low-carb or diabetic snacks may or may not take this into account in their calorie totals. The table also indicates that the GI seems to be almost cubicly related to the calories per gram but unrelated to the sweetness.

Dangers

I can’t find any reason to be scared of sugar alcohols. The only issue is the bloating and gas problem which I think all low-carb snack eaters have experienced.