Customer Reviews

Wholesome Sweeteners Zero, 12-Ounce Bag (Pack of 2)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This stuff is a pretty good sugar substitute, but it really depends on what you use it for.

If you are planning on using it in baked goods, I'd suggest that you not. The "sugar" has a slightly cooling effect when you taste it (it's hard to explain). I tried to make cookies with it just to see how they would turn out, and they had that weird sensationy taste to them.

This "sensation" (taste isn't the right word) is not very noticeable if you use it in small amounts, such as on cereal, on fruit, in smoothies (AMAZING)...and I'd imagine in coffee (I don't drink it, so I don't know).

Organic Zero is sweet, and for the most part, it tastes--and even looks--like sugar (it's basically a sugar alcohol). Again, I would recommend it in small quantities, but not for baking purposes.

$20ish dollars is an EXTREMELY good price for two packages. I bought some at my local co-op and ended up paying about $15 for one bag.

If you're into artificial sweetners, I'd say it's worth a try--it doesn't have scary things related to it like aspartame and nutrisweet do.

Some folks are complaining that it's too expensive for JUST erythritol. But this is organic erythritol fermented from cane sugar. The Emerald Forest brand mentioned elsewhere in these reviews is not organic and certainly therefore derived from corn, which is cheaper. What's the big deal, you ask? Well, I clicked on the Emerald Forest brand 44 lb. bag, and it's manufactured by Cargill--the big pharmaceutical and agri-business giant. The corn they use is most likely genetically engineered. (Think Monsanto)
It's worth it to me for health reasons to use the Zero, although I do sympathize with others who feel it's pricey.

I'm going to ride on the previous reviewer's comments - with the exception that I use it for baking, but use 1/2 Zero and 1/2 original sugar requirements. I don't notice any cooling and it makes the baked items easier for me to handle (less insulin, I'm a diabetic).

So far I've made pumpkin spice cookies, banana nut bread and gingerbread cookies this way and it tastes fine in all of them.

I am diabetic and have been waiting for a product like this. No nasty aftertaste at all! Try it on grapefruit, I even made some Koolade using half Splenda and half Zero. It was really refreshing. I am anxious to bake with it, though its a bit pricey to use in larger quantities as yet. I'm Hoping the price will go down some. Not as sweet as sugar, but it has all the same texture and crunch. Try it, I think you will be suprised.

I bought this for my husband because I don't like him using the pink packets, and this seemed a healthier alternative. I bought this at Whole Foods, but I think I'll buy it from Amazon from now on because it's almost half the price.

I tasted this before dumping it in his coffee, and it tastes wonderful. One of the other reviewers mentioned a "cooling" sensation - it does taste like you're eating something cold, even though it's room temperature. It's kind of like mint in that way, but not mint-flavored. I put a little in my own coffee (usually I prefer coffee black, but I'm testing it for this review) and it didn't give the nasty aftertaste that "pink" (saccharine), "blue" (nutrisweet), or even "yellow" (splenda) gives. I also don't have a headache, which I get from "yellow", but then I didn't put much in my coffee - maybe a teaspoonfull.

I'm nervous about health issues, but since this is made from fermented cane sugar, I can't think of any health issues that this would have, as opposed to saccharine. I looked it up in Wikipedia, and the article on "erythritol" is informative and nerve-calming. You should read the article if you're curious, but apparently erythritol (which this product is) is safe, has almost no side effects (like gas or bloating) unless taken in HUGE quantities, and is even safe for your teeth. It also mentions the "cooling effect".

I bought this product as I was trying to find something to sweeten my tea with that was not sugar, and was not made with a bunch of chemicals.
This was a nice surprise. It tastes like sugar and doesn't have a nasty after taste. I used it to bake a sugar free cheesecake, and it came out perfect with no bitter after taste. I like that you can measure it just like sugar and it seems to do the job just as well in baking.

I have been building up my gluten-free repertoire for some time now, but getting the sugar out of recipes has been a REAL HASSLE. Stevia and Xylitol are both MUCH too sweet-tasting for me, although the glycemic load is lower.

I also don't want carcinogenic chemicals as substitute sweeteners.

I bought this product to try in my Easter Cake and it is DELICIOUS. It hasn't elevated my blood sugar at all. I will buy from Amazon using their subscription plan and lower my cost that way.

UPDATE, December 2009: Because ZERO is expensive, I use half Zero, half organic sugar and this is an excellent way to reduce the glycemic load of most baked goods. Most recipes start with way too much sugar, so I generally halve the total sugar to begin with, then use 50% ZERO and 50% sugar to fulfill the sweetness requirement for the product without murdering my budget.

Best price off the shelf so far has been $10 per 12 oz. bag on sale at Whole Foods Market. Check it out!

THANK YOU, WHOLESOME for an excellent product. Peace.

This is the best natural sugar replacement I've found. It looks and feels just like sugar. The taste is sugar-like, but less intensely sweet, which means you can either use it to wean yourself or someone else into less of a sweet tooth or you can use more Organic Zero than you would sugar, to get equal sweetness.

It's healthy and doesn't give you either the chemical aftertaste of Splenda or the buzz-and-crash of sugar. Love it!

since no one else that reviewed this mentioned it, and since i bought it based on the high reviews, i thought i'd fill you in if you're buying this to sweeten tea, as i did. DON'T DO IT!!! It's TERRIBLE for sweetening tea, and you'll end up using half the bag to sweeten one glass!! Can't comment on how it works otherwise. Wish I could return it!!!

I love erythritol, but I usually get it at Emerald Forest for $25 for 5 pounds. The price of Organic Zero made me sputter. I simply had to mention this so others will not be put off by such a spectacular sweetener because of the price. Just google Emerald Forest erythritol. The 4 is because of the price.