Active Low-Carber Forums - vegetable glycerine

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vegetable glycerine

Has anyone used vegetable glycerine as a sweetener? I have some recipes (trying to stay away from "artificial") that call for it. Bought some at health food store, but SO expensive ($3.39 for only 2 oz). I found some online (a brand recommended by cookbook's author), but it didn't mention food....only as an ingredient for homemade skin lotion. Anyone know anything about vegetable glycerine......is all "100% vegetable glycerine" safe for consumption? The particular brand I'm interested in is by Starwest Botanicals.

Thank you,
Tabby

Glycerine is sweet, but its use in food is as a texturizer, more than a sweetener. If you're avoiding chemical sweeteners, have you tried stevia as a natural sweetener?

FYI, here's something that Doreen T wrote on glycerine.

Quote:

In nature, glycerine molecules are attached to fatty acid molecules to form triglycerides. But on its own it's not a fat, and although it tastes sweet, it's not technically a carbohydrate either.

It's mostly used in protein and sports nutrition bars to keep them soft and moist. Some other sweetener is usually added, such as sucralose (Splenda) or acesulfame potassium. Because it's not a carbohydrate, it doesn't cause a rise in insulin when consumed. Glycerine has more calories than carbs though, 4.3 per gram. Most countries require it to appear on food labels under the carbohydrate heading, just to confuse everybody :daze:

Although it doesn't cause an insulin rise directly, glycerine may trigger a sweet reaction in sensitive individuals, and this may indirectly affect insulin. Glycerine is readily absorbed and can converted back to triglycerides in the liver, so it's wise to not go overboard with these foods.

Karen

Thanks for the info, Karen.

I'd prefer using Splenda in recipes, but am trying to stay more "pure" since I'm battling chemical sensitivities and an already overburdened liver. The cookbook that has veg. gly. in its recipes is a candida cookbook.....sometimes the recipes call for stevia along with the glycerine. I was just looking for a cheaper source of the glycerine so I could try a few recipes for the holidays that use up to 1/4 cup of it (and a 2 oz bottle costs about $3.50!).

Thanks again,
Tabby