In my continuing research these past few weeks and looking for other “keto” friendly treats, I discovered that many are not using fresh, real ingredients (butter, cream, fruits, nuts), and most are still using “bad for you” sweeteners like maltitol and isomalt, while claiming to now be sweetened with stevia. As more and more national companies create sugar-free products to appeal to Americans desire to reduce their sugar consumption, at Curly Girlz Candy, we’ve never used maltitol or other artificial sweeteners and were the first to create sugar-free caramels, brittles, and toffees sweetened with Allulose, Erythritol, and Stevia.  

Ingredients impact each person differently. Whereas I can eat dairy and nuts with no problem, others can’t. As far as sweeteners go, maltitol and isomalt give me almost instant gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Others, however, don’t notice it. Our sweetener blend, Sweet Success ™ not only makes our candies delicious, it’s made from our own blending of Alluose, Erythritol, and Stevia.  

What gives me pause is that these larger brands say things “these sugar alcohols may cause digestive upset if eaten in large quantities”. Or better yet, I saw this in an article that stated, “animal studies suggest that maltitol may even worsen blood sugar control, which can kick you out of ketosis.” Hmmm...why is that?  

Maltitol, and similar sweeteners, are a “sugar-free” sweetener that is a sugar alcohol made from high fructose corn syrup. It is this sugar alcohol that causes the gas, bloating, and diarrhea in most people. Erythritol, also a sugar alcohol, is less troublesome than the others as it isn’t broken down by your intestines but can offer a “cooling” sensation in your mouth people dislike (myself included). By blending Allulose (a rare sugar your body treats like undigestible fiber) with Erythritol and Stevia, our sweetener blend doesn’t create that cooling sensation or worsen blood sugar control. Plus, it has no artificial aftertaste that I’ve found in other natural sweeteners. Compared to brands with maltitol, our candies have, on average, 2g or less of sugar alcohols per serving compared to 20+g in most national sugar-free candies.

Although we’re not really a “health” food, Curly Girlz Candy is a healthier alternative to traditional sweets when you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth. Never made with Maltitol or Added Sugars, at Curly Girlz Candy, we are 100% Indulgence + 0% Guilt.