Category Archives: Sugar-free Candy

Candy with no sugar!

Candy Review: Diablo Ice Energy Strips

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Diablo Ice Energy Strips

Admittedly, these aren’t actually candy, so I may not be the best judge of these. I’m just not an energy drink kind of guy. In fact, I don’t think I have ever bought an energy drink (wait, I might have had a Red Bull cocktail once – maybe). Diablo Ice Energy Strips are made by the same company that makes Diablo Energy Drinks (they sent me one of those too and I tried it – yuck – I guess you don’t drink energy drinks for the taste). The strips are said to have:

  • All Natural Flavour
  • Guarana (a natural source of caffeine)
  • Ginseng (sustains and promotes energy)
  • Cranberry Extract (antioxidant)
  • Vitamin C

They are also sugar free, fat free, calorie free and ephedrine free. They are supposed to provide a quick pick-me-up when needed. They suggest taking 1 or 2 (up to 18 in a day) so you can be “instantly energized” and they come in a small pack of 18 of the now-familiar strips that everyone is making nowadays.

They taste like medicine, or mouthwash. They are tingly and minty and make my mouth feel like it does after rinsing with mouthwash only not as extreme. They are red and since they say they have cranberry extract I expected them to taste like cranberry, but they don’t. So, did they “instantly energize” me? I’m not sure. They did make me slightly light-headed for about 15 minutes when I took two, one after another. Does light-headed = energized?

So, do these actually give you instant energy? I’m not sure. They definitely affected me, I’m just not sure if it was energy that it gave me. If I really needed a pick-me-up, I would probably just hit the Shock-a-lots (taste great) or Foosh Mints (lots of caffeine). The Diablo Ice Energy Strips do freshen your breath (as a side-effect), but the freshening only lasts a short time – they might be good for a quick breath freshening when needed in a pinch, but I would think (though I don’t know), that something Listerine PocketPaks Breath Strips or a mint might work better for your breath.

candy, sweets, energy, energy drink, energy drinks, guarana, ginseng, cranberry, cranberries, vitamin C, caffeine

Review: Elimitaste Zapp and SmokeScreen Gum

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Elimitaste Gum

Elimitaste is a relatively new company that makes gum to freshen your breath. Zapp Intense ElectraMint is for ordinary bad breath and SmokeScreen Insane MaxxMint is for reducing or eliminating the aftertaste of smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.

Both gums are sugar-free and Aspartame-free and are sweetened with Xylitol, which actually helps fight cavities. Xylitol is a natural sweetener that is showing up in more and more products everyday – especially in gum and mints.

ZAPP: Zapp is very minty – so minty that occasionally when I put one into my mouth and started chewing, it actually made me sneeze because it made my nose tingle. It’s hard to judge how well a gum (or anything) cures bad breath really. I like to think I don’t have a problem with bad breath (though my wife might say otherwise), so I had to try and “induce” bad breath.

I tried to test it by having some good garlicky spaghetti with meat sauce and then chewing Zapp afterwards. Tonight I had garlic and peppercorn-rubbed pork loin and chewed Zapp afterwards. In both cases, Zapp really did eliminate the garlic taste from my mouth. I honestly couldn’t taste the garlic after chewing the gum.

SmokeScreen: Unfortunately Fortunately, I don’t smoke and nobody I know does either so this review of SmokeScreen can’t be thorough in testing the claim that it reduces or eliminates smoker’s breath. It did seem to eliminate bad breath from food though. SmokeScreen didn’t taste quite as minty as Zapp, but was a bit sweeter and cooler than Zapp.

Both gums are very tasty and very minty and the minty flavor lasted a long time relative to many gums I have had. Both seemed to do a really good job with eliminating bad breath. Zapp and SmokeScreen are growing in the retail space, but if you can’t find them locally, you can order them online.

candy, sweets, gum, smoking, smokers, cigarettes, pipes, cigars, breath, fresh, minty, elimitaste

Review: Sparx (sweetened with Xylitol)

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Sparx Berry
Berry Sparx (click to enlarge)

Sparx is a new candy from a company called Xlear (pronounced “Clear” – don’t ask me how/why). What is interesting about it is that it is sweetened with Xylitol. When I first saw this, I figured it was some made-up ingredient like “Scope with T25″ or “Certs with Retsyn”, but in reading about it, Xylitol has been around since the 1950′s, and has been used in products in Europe (and especially Finland) for year, though I had never heard of it before this review.

So, a quick lesson in Xylitol before we get into the review…..”Pure Xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar. It is a naturally occurring 5-carbon sugar alcohol found in many fruits and vegetables and produced in small amounts by the human body. For commercial use, it is manufactured from xylan hemicellulose sources such as Birch trees, cane bagasse and corn cobs/stalks. It is the sweetest of the polyols with the same sweetness as sugar (sucrose) but with 40% fewer calories and none of the negative tooth decay or insulin release effects of sugar.” For lots more information on Xylitol, visit the Xlear webpage on Xylitol.

So, to sum it up, Sparx candy is sweetened with a sweetener that’s actually not bad for you. So, what are they? Sparx are fruit-flavored, bite size candies about the size of a Tart N Tiny (remember those?) and the center is similar to a SweetTart in consistency/texture. They come in three different 30g flavor tubes: Citrus, Berry, and Fruit. The flavors for each are as follows:

  • Citrus: lemon, lime, orange, and tangerine
  • Berry: blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry
  • Fruit: apple, banana, grape, and peach

This review only covers Citrus and Berry flavors. One of the interesting things about Xylitol is that it is supposed to produce a “cooling sensation” on the tongue and I could definitely feel this – it’s kind of weird. I think it would be a good feeling in a mint. As for the Sparx, the candy was as sweet tasting as any other candy, and the flavors were pretty tasty. The orange (or was it tangerine) reminded me of an orange Tic-Tac. The berry flavors were nice and strong too and very recognizable.

Overall they were pretty good, but something about them wasn’t quite right and I’m not sure what. I’m guessing it must be the Xylitol, since I don’t think I have ever had it before. They actually made me feel a little light-headed and nauseous. I tried them two different times and got the same efect both times. Maybe Xylitol doesn’t agree with my metabolism?

I did see this warning in one of Xylitol flyers:

Xylitol requires a brief period of tolerance adjustment. It may have a laxative effect when used in large quantities.

That doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling. The first time I tried them I ate quite a few – maybe….30? of them (they’re small) and felt sick, but I figured it was just coincidence. This last time I tried eight – one of each flavor from the two tubes and I started feeling sick again about 15 minutes later. Ugh. Because of this, I can’t recommend them to anyone. This weekend, I’ll get both of my sisters to try them and I’ll give you an update on what they thought and if it made them feel nauseous too. Maybe it’s just me.

UPDATE: I did a little bit of searching and found this article at allstarhealth.com that says this about Xylitol: ” Side Effects: May cause gastrointestinal upset (nausea, flatulence, diarrhea) in some individuals, depending upon the amount consumed. These side effects usually diminish with continued use.” So, Xylitol must have a profound effect on me (nausea). Your results may vary. (Maybe I won’t give any to my sisters).

UPDATE2:I talked with one of the PR people from Xlear today and he said “I have been working with xylitol for two years, and your report of nausea is the first.” So, it could be that my case is quite rare. More on this once I get some Sparx to my sisters.

Sparx are available online or you can use their Store Locator to find a retailer near you. They are carried mostly in health and vitamin shops. The price is $1.49 per tube.

Xlear website
Sparx webpage
Xylitol at Xlear.com
Xylitol at allstarhealth.com

candy, sparx, xylitol, sweetener, berry, citrus, dental