Sugar-Free Candies

       While I’m a big fan of creating treats from scratch for my family and I, sometimes time doesn’t permit it. Life as a full-time student with 2 part-time jobs as well as numerous hobbies leaves me strapped for time quite often than not.

         Wandering down grocery aisles, you’ll find little to no real sugar-free, keto approved candies. Most commercially sold “sugar-free” candies are laden with maltitol, a sugar alcohol that many (myself included) cannot tolerate without having digestive issues. Furthermore, maltitol can cause insulin spikes for some people, which is counter-productive as that is what we were trying to avoid in the first place.

        Of the sugar-free candies, there are four flavours sweetened with stevia extract and sorbitol (Peppermint, Wintergreen, Raspberry and Spearmint) and 4 flavours sweetened with Splenda (Cranberry, Cherry, Tutti-Fruits and Menthol-Eucalyptus). Personally, I try to stay away from Splenda as there are not enough longitudinal studies on the effects of Splenda on the body. That being said, I have no issue with sorbitol or stevia and I really enjoyed those sugar-free treats.

My favourite of all the candy flavours was the Citrus Punch. They have a really nice flavour and I also enjoyed that they were individually wrapped.

Mints

       A foul-smelling breath is one of my biggest pet-peeves. While chewing gum is a good way to freshen up stale breath, I’ve never liked the image it gave off. I didn’t want to be that person that was constantly chewing away. These sugar-free mints are a great alternative to chewing gum. They leave a lasting refreshing mouthfeel and come in a variety of flavours. The small size of the mint package is also super convenient and allows you to bring these mints virtually anywhere. One drawback though is that they are sweetened with Splenda.

       In addition to freshening your breath, peppermint oil has been demonstrated to have muscle relaxant properties, which could aid in digestion. Peppermint is also known for its other beneficial properties such as relieving intestinal gas, indigestion and its antimicrobial properties.

For more information on MontBec’s many sugar-free products, visit their website or Facebook page.

Disclosure: While I did receive samples for this post, all opinions are my own.