Maybe it’s time we just tossed away all of this artificial crap we’re eating and if we need to satisfy a sweet tooth, we eat something sweet, containing good old fashioned sugar. Because trying to get around the realities of nature sometimes just isn’t worth it.
I’m declaring a jihad on an artificial sweetener called Maltitol. It’s a nasty bit of business for some of us. Sure, it’s what puts the low-cal in diet candy and fools the taste buds into thinking they’re eating a treat when they’re actually ingesting something more akin to crystalized plastic bits but it’s not really worth it.
I’ll try to remain delicate here. When I eat Maltitol my body rejects it with a very, um, uncomfortable hour or two. I’ve heard that other people (women – but I’m not exactly polling men on the subject) have endured the same reaction. So I avoid it completely. I like to eat a fake goodie or two now and then but if I see Maltitol on the label I’ll pass, thank you.
So yesterday while feeling a bit peckish I popped into my pie hole a couple of pieces of Mentos gum and chewed away, thinking nothing of it. Fast forward to an upset tummy and an investigation into what could possibly be the cause. I checked the gum package for a lark and there it was: Maltitol. Mystery solved!
Watch out for this stuff! If you have an iron stomach you may not even be aware that it’s a problem for some people but if you have a bit of sensitivity, you’ll want to avoid it at all costs. My advice? Eat a real piece of chocolate or candy instead of the fake version. It’ll be more satisfying, anyway, and you’ll avoid the risk of suffering after the pursuit of a little sweetness.