Sugar Alcohols?
genmon00
Posts: 604 Member
Hello Everyone,
One of the many reasons I like LCHF is the emphasis on real food, not processed junk. Anyhoo, I try to avoid sugar alcohols because I just don't trust them. Last night I made the most delicious cream cheese pancakes (no carbs!) and used a sugar free syrup with sugar alcohols. Today my fasting blood sugar was 130. That is no bueno, my blood sugars have been in in the 90's since starting LCHF. I think it was the sugar alcohols although they are not supposed to affect blood sugars. What are your thoughts?
One of the many reasons I like LCHF is the emphasis on real food, not processed junk. Anyhoo, I try to avoid sugar alcohols because I just don't trust them. Last night I made the most delicious cream cheese pancakes (no carbs!) and used a sugar free syrup with sugar alcohols. Today my fasting blood sugar was 130. That is no bueno, my blood sugars have been in in the 90's since starting LCHF. I think it was the sugar alcohols although they are not supposed to affect blood sugars. What are your thoughts?
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Replies
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Fasting blood sugar can spike in the AM for literally no reason. It may not be the sugar alcohols, and they should have been processed prior to morning anyway.
I'd try again and check your blood sugar before, and an hour or so after, eating, keeping in mind that even eating is going to increase your blood sugar.3 -
Also, specifically what type of sugar alcohol was in the sugar free syrup? Some people's bodies are more sensitive to different sugar alcohols than others. Additionally, erythritol, out of all the sugar alcohols, tends to move through the body so quickly, that the body has very little time to absorb much of the carbs/sugars contained therein which is why many people only count a portion of the carbs re sugar alcohol, and some count none at all. With regard to erythritol only, I don't count any carbs with this specific sugar alcohol, but ONLY this one. The rest I do count.4
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Thanks for the insight! It was sucralose (splenda). I guess I am sensitive to it, I never noticed before because i didnt monitor my blood sugars as closely. I will try to avoid them as much as I can.1
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Splenda spikes my blood sugar too.
I still use it in my coffee sometimes.1 -
Sucralose isn't a sugar alcohol. It sounds like you're better off without it.
I can't use erythritol, because it irritates my bladder, which makes me sad, because I can make fabulous desserts with it.2 -
I'll have to try this for myself, I have gestational diabetes so always testing my sugars anyway.0
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Panda_Poptarts wrote: »Splenda spikes my blood sugar too.
I still use it in my coffee sometimes.
i love splenda. lol I like Stevia just not sweet enough for me lol i have to use like 2-3 packets of stevia to enjoy my coffee.1 -
lithezebra wrote: »Sucralose isn't a sugar alcohol.
I concur with @lithezebra. Sucralose is not a sugar alcohol. It is a sugar substitute made from sugar. I use it and like it but then, I don't seem to be particularly sensitive to it like some others are. So the main sugar substitutes that I use in no particular order are: liquid sucralose (EZ-Sweetz), liquid stevia, Erythritol (Swerve), Just Like Sugar (not a sugar alcohol), and occasionally Xylitol.2 -
I don't think I've tried the Swerve (erythritol) yet. Not knowingly anyway. Splenda bothers me , too. I've been thinking of making ice cream using the erythritol and stevia. The sugar alcohols in the sugar free candy give me wicked gas! I hope the erythritol doesn't!0
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Interesting discussion - Splenda was something I had a hard time kicking for ages while trying to get used to stevia products - and until the FDA approved stevia as a sugar substitute, I had an awful time of it. Now that I'm basically 100% using stevia for everything, I notice how much Splenda tastes weird to me - and in in the past, I think it stalled my weight loss when I tried Atkins around 2005ish. I have yet to try erythritol - I see it in recipes a lot, but I'm not someone who bakes much, and just can't justify the cost of stocking a low-carb baking pantry shelf right now - all that almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal, "sugars", etc. that stuff adds up!2
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Panda_Poptarts wrote: »Splenda spikes my blood sugar too.
I still use it in my coffee sometimes.
i love splenda. lol I like Stevia just not sweet enough for me lol i have to use like 2-3 packets of stevia to enjoy my coffee.
I don't use any sweeteners at all, most days. That took some serious getting used to! When I go to starbucks I will get SF syrup, which is made with Splenda.1 -
Interesting discussion - Splenda was something I had a hard time kicking for ages while trying to get used to stevia products - and until the FDA approved stevia as a sugar substitute, I had an awful time of it. Now that I'm basically 100% using stevia for everything, I notice how much Splenda tastes weird to me - and in in the past, I think it stalled my weight loss when I tried Atkins around 2005ish. I have yet to try erythritol - I see it in recipes a lot, but I'm not someone who bakes much, and just can't justify the cost of stocking a low-carb baking pantry shelf right now - all that almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal, "sugars", etc. that stuff adds up!
I agree with you about the baking, too expensive! I might try making a low carb cheesecake though
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I love coffee with flavor in it - hence the liquid stevia. I buy these all the time. I have had several flavors. They last forever and I used to also add drops to oatmeal and baked apples before I went keto.1
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If I use anything, I use Swerve/Erythritol. I try to stay away from the artificial stuff. Thank goodness I drink my coffee black.0
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I don't think I've tried the Swerve (erythritol) yet. Not knowingly anyway. Splenda bothers me , too. I've been thinking of making ice cream using the erythritol and stevia. The sugar alcohols in the sugar free candy give me wicked gas! I hope the erythritol doesn't!
Erythritol and Stevia work great in ice cream. Sherbet and sorbet are also fantastic. Lemon sherbet will make your mouth HAPPY for a couple of hours after a meal. The worst batch of ice cream I have made was still a pleasure to get rid of (eat).
Erythritol and Stevia don't give me any issues, I also throw in some inulin to feed the good bacteria and help in keeping the ice cream from getting too hard.
I have never understood people making fat bombs when they could have ice cream.0 -
How do you make me keto ice cream?? so hot where I live I've been craving some ice cream1
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Where do you buy Erythritol? I haven't seen it in any of the stores around here.2
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How do you make me keto ice cream?? so hot where I live I've been craving some ice cream
How about this 0 net carbs:
Lemon Sherbet Servings 8
calories per serving 197
0.50 cup, Lemon juice, raw
0.66 T (6 g), Lemon Peel (Zest) Raw 6 g / 1 T
24 Tbsp, Dairy
1.50 cup(s), Dairy Free Coconut Milk Unsweetened
0.66 cup(s), Erythritol
2 tsp, Organic Stevia Extract Sweetener
10 grams / 1 scoop, Inulin Prebiotic Soluble Fiber Supplement
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 197
Total Fat 19 g 29 %
Saturated Fat 13 g 64 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 75 mg 25 %
Sodium 0 mg 0 %
Potassium 23 mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrate 17 g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 17 g 70 %
Sugars 0 g
Protein 0 g 0 %
Vitamin A 14 %
Vitamin C 11 %
Calcium 2 %
Iron 0 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
If you want Ice Cream substitute half of the coconut milk with Heavy Whipping Cream it will add a small amount of carbs per serving (less than 5)
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MyriiStorm wrote: »Where do you buy Erythritol? I haven't seen it in any of the stores around here.
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Erythritol-Anthonys-Certified-Gluten-Free-Sweetener/dp/B00OQX5V2Y/ref=pd_ybh_a_74?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R0NP72NZ5TQN1X6ERHVM
or
https://www.amazon.com/Pyure-Organic-Stevia-All-Purpose-Sweetener/dp/B00NI2CTB0/ref=pd_ybh_a_80?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QGHYY2109VAM47XXW6SC
or
https://www.amazon.com/Swerve-Sweetener-16-oz-Granular/dp/B004X71550/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1466427721&sr=1-2&keywords=swerve+sweetener0 -
I love coffee with flavor in it - hence the liquid stevia. I buy these all the time. I have had several flavors. They last forever and I used to also add drops to oatmeal and baked apples before I went keto.
I agree about the liquid stevia. I didn't like the powdered but the liquid is great in my coffee and more. I use the less expensive Vitacost brand and find, like bjwoodzy, that it lasts a long time because a few drops go a long way!1 -
A quick way to tell if something is a sugar alcohol...usually it ends in "itol" though not all words that end in this suffix are sugar alcohols.
Here's a list of some popular sugar alcohols so you can identify them when you look at a nutrition label:
Erythritol.
Maltitol.
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.
Isomalt.
Lactitol.
Mannitol.
Sorbitol.
Xylitol.3 -
I don't care for many sweeteners but I dislike Splenda the most. I just think it has a terrible aftertaste. I drink my coffee with cream only...no sweetener at all. Sometimes I use Sweetleaf drops in recipes. I like those fairly well in small amounts. I like the Halo Top ice cream which has erythritol in it. I don't bake much because I can't find a sweetener blend I like.0
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KetoneKaren wrote: »A quick way to tell if something is a sugar alcohol...usually it ends in "itol" though not all words that end in this suffix are sugar alcohols.
Here's a list of some popular sugar alcohols so you can identify them when you look at a nutrition label:
Erythritol.
Maltitol.
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.
Isomalt.
Lactitol.
Mannitol.
Sorbitol.
Xylitol.
And if it's any of the last 3, don rubber underwear before consuming!7 -
Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
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Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
Thank you for the sweetener/BG comments, I find that help!
I am finding this topic particularly useful learning which words in the ingredient list actually mean sugar alcohols as well as other posts within this thread.
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Hearts_2015 wrote: »Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
Thank you for the sweetener/BG comments, I find that help!
I am finding this topic particularly useful learning which words in the ingredient list actually mean sugar alcohols as well as other posts within this thread.
I go by endings too. Ingredients with the ending "ose" means sugar, "itol" or "ol" means sugar alcohol, and "extrin" is a sugar like filler.7 -
Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
Strikingly similar to the incendiary effects of that devil's brew you get the night before a colonoscopy.
Does erythritol spike your BG?
I just started tinkering with ground Stevia leaf - so far, so good tastewise, though, unlike Italian governments, it does not seem in a terrible hurry to dissolve.4 -
Friend who grows Stevia makes it into a liquid concentrate, I guess she steeps it or something. Anybody ever do that?0
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I can't use sugar alcohols because I get major GI upset from them. However, I will use a small amount of Aspartame if I want some sweetness. I haven't heard if this is OK.0
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I found an answer to my own question at this website:
http://commonsensehome.com/stevia-grow-your-own-sweetener/
For anyone interested, Stevia is a "natural" sweetener in the glycosides class. It is not artificial and it is not a sugar alcohol.
It is available commercially but is often combined with other stuff. Rebiana is another name for high purity steviol glycosides, and is marketed as Truvia, a powder which also contains erythritol; PureVia, a powder which also contains dextrose and cellulose; and Stevia in the Raw, which also contains either dextrose or maltodextrin. There are other powdered Stevia products but they, of course, all contain stuff that isn't stevia for bulking/nonclumping purposes...and the Truvia has a sugar alcohol in it. I use Truvia. It's OK.
There are also liquid forms of stevia commercially available, like SweetLeaf drops which have water, stevia leaf extract, and "natural flavors", and sometimes vanilla extract. The Stevia is extracted with either water or alcohol. If alcohol is used, it is removed later in the process.
I say natural in quotes because it is quite refined when it hits the shelves.4
This discussion has been closed.