Word Of The Day: Xylitol

Xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar. The 100% natural sweetener is extracted from birch bark as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables. Xylitol may point toward a sweet solution for better health, since Americans consume an estimated amount of 68.5 pounds of sugar per person, per year (guilty).

The "sugar-free" sweetener doesn't break down with heat like some other sweeteners, so it's a sturdier sugar substitute than the artifical stuff in the brightly-colored packets, and it's fun to say. Converting your recipes couldn't be easier — since xylitol has the same sweetness as sugar, simply use the same amount.

Use today's Word of the Day: The Great Sugar Debate