Marlene's Afternoon Taste of Sugar-Free Sweetness

Marlene unwraps a sugar-free sweet at the worktable, tilting the silver wrapper toward the afternoon light to read its tiny ingredient list. The promise gets large lettering; the explanation requires a squint.

She tastes it, then sets the rest on the opened foil. Sweetness arrives right on cue, dressed convincingly as indulgence.

Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol can deliver that sweetness with fewer calories than sugar, but they aren't a free pass: larger amounts can bring digestive discomfort.

Marlene smooths the wrapper beside the sweet. A pleasant little imitation, then—not a miracle. One taste is quite enough for this afternoon's review.