Question from Marjie
Do you know anything about Just Like Sugar? Like Sweet Perfection, it is made from Chicory root but the Just Like Sugar has vitamin C and Calcium added. Have you tried that one at all? I have tried the free sample they send and thought it was pretty good but have never cooked with it. Am just wondering if there is much of a difference between the two–if I remember correctly, it had more of a granulated sugar consistency.
Debra’s Answer
I haven’t tried Just Like Sugar, but I will.
[Later…I did try Just Like Sugar. It is made from “Chicory Maltodextrin, Chicory Dietary Fiber (that’s oligofructose),vitamin C, Calcium, and Natural Flavor. I’m concerned about the first ingredient: Chicory Maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is one of a group of dextrins, which are sweet carbohydrates produced in a laboratory by the hydrolysis of starch. Any starch can be used. Usually it is corn, in this case chicory. It is is a polysaccharide, not an oligosaccharide as oligofructose is. Maltodextrin is easily digestible and absorbed as rapidly as glucose. So it is not the same as chicory root fiber.
Chicory Maltodextrin is the first ingredient in Just Like Sugar. And Just Like Sugar is crystalline. Sweet Perfection is definitely a powder, like a finely ground fiber. It’s a completely different thing.
I’m not sure I trust the maltodextrin in Just Like Sugar. Dr. Bernstein, who has written the most respected books on diet for diabetics, says absolutely no maltodextrin for diabetics.
And I tasted it and it doesn’t taste “just like sugar”. So I’m not going to recommend this one.]
There are other products with oligofructose mixed with other ingredients. I like Sweet Perfection because it is 100% oligofructose.
