Direct answers to common food questions and careful checks of popular nutrition and cooking claims.
Sugar alcohols, or polyols, are sweet carbohydrates that the body handles differently from sucrose. Most provide fewer than 4 calories per gram; erythritol contributes very little energy, while xylitol and sorbitol contribute more.
Erythritol, xylitol, and sorbitol are different polyols, not interchangeable versions of one ingredient. Erythritol contributes very little energy; xylitol is about as sweet as sugar, while sorbitol is less sweet and strongly humectant.
Natural and artificial flavor are regulatory origin categories, not health grades. A natural flavor must derive its flavoring function from source materials listed in FDA rules; an artificial flavor is one whose flavor comes from other sources.
FDA has not created a formal, all-purpose definition of “natural” for food labels. Its longstanding policy focuses on whether artificial or synthetic substances were added where they would not normally be expected; it does not make “natural” a nutrition, organic, non-GMO, or minimally processed certification.
“Sugar-free” limits the amount of sugars in a serving to less than 0.5 g. “No added sugar” describes formulation: sugar and ingredients used to add sugar were not added, but naturally occurring sugars can still appear on the Nutrition Facts label.
Total Sugars includes every sugar in the finished food, whether it came naturally from milk or fruit or was added during processing. The U.S. label then tells you how many grams of that total are Added Sugars.
Coconut sugar may contain trace minerals and small amounts of plant compounds, but nutritionally it is still a concentrated added sugar. A teaspoon has roughly the same calories and grams of sugar as regular sugar.
Brown sugar is not a nutritionally different category of sweetener. Molasses changes flavor and moisture and adds trace minerals, but a teaspoon of white or brown sugar still provides about 4 grams of sugar and roughly 16 calories.
In the U.S., corn flour and cornmeal are both ground corn, but corn flour is much finer. Cornstarch is different again: it is isolated starch used mainly for thickening rather than for the grain texture of cornbread or polenta.
Cream of tartar is not creamy at all. It is potassium bitartrate, a dry acid that can stabilize whipped egg whites, supply the acid baking soda needs, and discourage large sugar crystals.
A2 milk is selected to contain A2 rather than A1 beta-casein. It is still cow's milk: lactose, total protein, calcium, fat, and calories are broadly similar to comparable regular milk. Some human studies report digestive differences, but A2 milk is not a treatment for lactose intolerance or milk allergy.
Butter can contain trace or small amounts of lactose, but far less than milk. Churning concentrates milk fat and removes much of the watery phase where lactose is dissolved, so a normal serving contributes very little lactose.