sugar alcohols & a great new treat for me

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MyPrimalLife
MyPrimalLife Posts: 123 Member
i have seen a few threads regarding sugar alcohols but i have not encountered them until i went to get the Russell Stover coconut candy as recommended by another post. so, who counts them, who deducts them? and why?

side note: my fav foods in the world are cheeseburgers (still get to have them sans bun)
Coke (sadly sadly miss)
chips & salsa (REALLY miss this one)
Almond Joy

so today i went to CVS & got the R.S. sugar free coconut candy, cut a tiny slit inside, inserted an almond and BAM! Almond Joy that i can eat on keto! **happy dance** :p

Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    I don't count them (because they don't harm me) but some people do because they are really sensitive. And not all sugar alcohols are created equal. Some give you the same GI reaction as sugar.

    I think if you have something like diabetes or insulin resistance or something like that, they can affect you a lot more.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
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    I don't count them towards my net carbs, but I also don't eat a whole serving of them. Be careful, don't eat the whole bag! lol
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
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    BEWARE the Maltitol content of candy items claiming to be "sugar-free." Make sure you stick to serving size. Maltitol is not one of the better sugar alcohols. Many people experience several of the common side-effect it causes: abdominal pain, cramps, gas, diarrhea (Oh Joy)! Generally speaking, the two best sugar alcohols are Erythritol and Xylitol. The only kind of sugar alcohol that I DO NOT count is Erythritol because this specific sugar alcohol tends to move through the body so quickly that the body has virtually no time to metabolize any of it and the rest is excreted in the urine. All other sugar alcohols I count.
  • MyPrimalLife
    MyPrimalLife Posts: 123 Member
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    i will have to check the bag to see the type. actually, the serving size was 3 pieces and i only had 1 piece.
  • auntstephie321
    auntstephie321 Posts: 3,586 Member
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    All the other rs ones have some malitol. The pieces are small and there are multiple in a serving, one usually hits the spot for me. Mounds bars are my favorite so I love the coconut ones too
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
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    i will have to check the bag to see the type. actually, the serving size was 3 pieces and i only had 1 piece.

    As long as you honor the serving size you should be okay re the unpleasant side-effect; however some people's bodies are more sensitive to different kinds of sugar alcohols than other people's bodies. Aside from that, carry on and enjoy!
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    I don't count erythritol or xylitol, and I only eat them in small amounts, like a teaspoon or so.
  • Kentuckybirdlover
    Kentuckybirdlover Posts: 19 Member
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    Everyone remember that xylitol is toxic and potentially fatal to animals. This is what was in the chewing gum that caused recently publicized dog deaths.
  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
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    Everyone remember that xylitol is toxic and potentially fatal to animals. This is what was in the chewing gum that caused recently publicized dog deaths.
    I'm not a fan of xylitol or anything, but I wanted to point out that Grapes are toxic in dogs as well.

  • Kentuckybirdlover
    Kentuckybirdlover Posts: 19 Member
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    I know! that is one a lot of people don't know about and I have fed my dogs grapes and raisins in the past - they love them. Fortunately, I have always had big dogs and they did not suffer any ill effects but I quit doing it as soon as I learned about the danger.
  • jospowell1
    jospowell1 Posts: 31 Member
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    So, I meant to ask this the other day and since we have this thread going, this seemed the time. :-) so, what is your sugar substitute of choice and why? I've seen a lot of stevia and truvia on food diaries, but no splenda.. Just wondering why. ( I don't add any of it at this point anyway, just curious.)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    jospowell1 wrote: »
    So, I meant to ask this the other day and since we have this thread going, this seemed the time. :-) so, what is your sugar substitute of choice and why? I've seen a lot of stevia and truvia on food diaries, but no splenda.. Just wondering why. ( I don't add any of it at this point anyway, just curious.)

    I believe splenda is made from sucralose which raises blood glucose in a way very similar to sugar. There seems to be no benefit to using it.

    Stevia won't raise your BG, although it does raise insulin. Trivia is stevia but has sugar alcohol added to it so it is slightly higher in careers.... I think.

    If I are anything that requires sweetener, I use stevia drops.