Substitute sugar?

Any advice on a sugar alternative that won't make my blood sugar spike? I don't like stevia at all, find the taste to be very bitter. I love Splenda, but after hearing it still causes blood sugar levels to spike, I want nothing to do with it since I'm attempting keto! Any advice would be appreciative (don't suggest no sugar, or no alternatives, I know that would be the ideal equation) thank you!!!

Replies

  • geoblewis
    geoblewis Posts: 44 Member
    What is it that you want to sweeten?
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Yeah, keto is very low carb, and thus no sugar added, what do you need sweetened? Low carb should take care of the cravings.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Stevia is it!! Just be sure to use the liquid form. Eliminates the bitterness. :)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Stevia is the only one I have success with. I use the liquid type and make a point of under sweetening to avoid any after taste.

    All powdered sweeteners have carb or sugar fillers so I avoid them.

    Some people have luck with sugar alcohols but that can raise your BG too, and make close proximity to a toilet important.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    Evaluate your need for sweet tasting things? If you have a long term goal to avoid blood sugar spikes you may be better off cultivating savoury rather than sweet foods - it will be more productive and less frustrating as the artificial sweeteners are expensive and/or taste like crap. Sorry, not what you asked!
  • docj381
    docj381 Posts: 9 Member
    edited January 2016
    I recently switched from sugar to Whey Low for my biggest vice: coffee. I was consuming an unreal number of calories and carbs every morning and it was absolutely killing my diet plan. Whey low has only 4 calories per teaspoon, compared to 15 for sugar and only 1g of effective carbohydrate to sugar's 4. It has a low glycemic index and doesn't cause the crazy spikes that regular sugar does -- and they have a diabetic version which likely is even more effective in this regard (I didn't really look in to that particular product too closely) which may meet you needs even better for a keto diet. It's made by a small company called vivolac and isn't available in many stores which makes it a little less convenient but it may be worth checking out. I'm only a week into my switch so can't say a whole ton on how much it will help with my journey. But on calories alone it is already making a huge difference and allowing me to take in more nutritious foods for feul to improve my low energy level... Plus I'm not crashing when my blood sugar comes back down to earth like I used to.

    Side note: it supposedly also works well for baking (haven't tried it) and they have versions that mimic brown and powdered sugar as well. It measures 1:1 with regular sugar making it easier to substitute than a lot of other replacements. Overall I've been really happy with it so far. If you like it and order in a larger quantity you also get free shipping via USPS priority 2 day mail. Mine got stuck in the storm last week so took a little longer but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

    Hope this was helpful. Good luck!

    Julie

    Edited to add: I feel like I should more clearly state that this is not a sugar free product and it will cause some rise in your blood sugars. I think it would have been better to say above that it has a "relatively" low glycemic index compared to sugar. I'm not all too familiar with a keto diet and this may still be too high in carbohydrates for you but still thought it was worth mentioning as an option.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    docj381 wrote: »
    I recently switched from sugar to Whey Low for my biggest vice: coffee. I was consuming an unreal number of calories and carbs every morning and it was absolutely killing my diet plan. Whey low has only 4 calories per teaspoon, compared to 15 for sugar and only 1g of effective carbohydrate to sugar's 4. It has a low glycemic index and doesn't cause the crazy spikes that regular sugar does -- and they have a diabetic version which likely is even more effective in this regard (I didn't really look in to that particular product too closely) which may meet you needs even better for a keto diet. It's made by a small company called vivolac and isn't available in many stores which makes it a little less convenient but it may be worth checking out. I'm only a week into my switch so can't say a whole ton on how much it will help with my journey. But on calories alone it is already making a huge difference and allowing me to take in more nutritious foods for feul to improve my low energy level... Plus I'm not crashing when my blood sugar comes back down to earth like I used to.

    Side note: it supposedly also works well for baking (haven't tried it) and they have versions that mimic brown and powdered sugar as well. It measures 1:1 with regular sugar making it easier to substitute than a lot of other replacements. Overall I've been really happy with it so far. If you like it and order in a larger quantity you also get free shipping via USPS priority 2 day mail. Mine got stuck in the storm last week so took a little longer but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

    Hope this was helpful. Good luck!

    Julie

    I had never heard of this so I went to their website. I'm not even linking it here because I don't want to give them the traffic.

    What a joke. What a disgusting waste of money. $12.99 for a 2 lb bag of sugar substitute?! Plus $6.99 S&H? Um, no thanks. Scammy scam is scammy.

    OP, whatever you decide to do, make sure it doesn't involve something stupid like Whey Low.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,889 Member
    amorthee wrote: »
    Any advice on a sugar alternative that won't make my blood sugar spike? I don't like stevia at all, find the taste to be very bitter. I love Splenda, but after hearing it still causes blood sugar levels to spike, I want nothing to do with it since I'm attempting keto! Any advice would be appreciative (don't suggest no sugar, or no alternatives, I know that would be the ideal equation) thank you!!!

    What about berries, not as a sugar substitute, but a "I want something sweet" alternative?

    http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/low-carb-fruit.html

    ...Fruit with Less Than 5 Net Carbs

    These serving sizes of fruit have only 5 grams of net carbs (carb minus the fiber).

    1/2 cup of raw strawberries (3.3 net carbs)
    1/2 cup of raw raspberries (4.2 net carbs)
    1/2 of a medium peach (4.3 net carbs)
    5 whole sweet cherries (5.1 net carbs)
    1/2 of a kiwi fruit (4.3 net carbs)
    1 medium apricot (3.2 net carbs)
    1/2 medium Haas avocado (3.7 net carbs)
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
    I have a huge sweet tooth & don't like stevia either. I use a ton of sucralose in my tea every day. I didn't realize until my doctor told me recently that the granulated form of sucralose is not actually calorie free. She was more focused on carbs, because that's her thing. So I started researching. I found out that the focus on carbs in sucralose seems to be a hysterical overreaction imo. The actual nutrition info is:

    SPLENDA(R) Granular
    1 tsp (0.5g) = 0.5 gm carb = 2 calories
    one half cup = 12 gm carb = 48 calories
    1 cup = 24 gm carb = 96 calories

    *1 tsp. (0.5g) = 1 serving

    Packet of SPLENDA(R)
    1 packet = .9 gm of carb = 4 calories

    *1 packet has the sweetness of 2 tsp of sugar

    So, each serving is giving you a half gram of carbs. How many servings are you using? The packets are nearly 1 carb, but they are sweeter. If you track your carbs, why not just work them in to your day & eat what you want?

    The carbs & calories are from the added ingredients to "granulate" the sucralose. According to the American Diabetes Association website, sucralose is not broken down by our bodies. It passes through our system without being digested. http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates/artificial-sweeteners/ If it isn't being digested, I don't see how it's going to cause any blood sugar spikes.

    If you are worried about the calories & carbs in the granulated version, you can buy liquid sucralose drops. Since I use 9 grams of granulated in 20 oz of hot tea, it was adding significant calories to my day. The drops are available on Amazon--there are several different brands. They are kind of expensive, but they last a long time. I use 2-3 drops to sweeten a 32 oz McDonald's tea, just to give you an idea.
  • docj381
    docj381 Posts: 9 Member

    I had never heard of this so I went to their website. I'm not even linking it here because I don't want to give them the traffic.

    What a joke. What a disgusting waste of money. $12.99 for a 2 lb bag of sugar substitute?! Plus $6.99 S&H? Um, no thanks. Scammy scam is scammy.

    OP, whatever you decide to do, make sure it doesn't involve something stupid like Whey Low.

    I never claimed the product was cheap. But if you use a little creative thinking with their free shipping option and available online coupons,it's actually not nearly as bad as you're making it out to be. Pound for pound, I paid less than I would have for the better quality stevia-based products out there. And without the sugar-fueled crashes and cravings I was having (I have a serious sugar problem, admittedly) I have already, in the course of less than a week, been able to cut back on how much I am using. You don't know me so you will just have to trust me when I say that's a really big deal in my particular circumstance.

    Is it the right choice for everyone? Surely not. Is it the cheapest route to go? Nope. But it's another option for those willing to spend more than 30 seconds on the math.

    Julie

  • I have used Stevia liquid and I do not like it at all. Blech! But the powdered Stevia is fine to me. Have you tried both kinds?